New Internship Initiatives
Funding Available for Employers
There are currently over 800 Government funded graduate internships available in the South West from February 2010. The internship programmes will be set up and administered by the individual universities in the region, there is funding attached to all the placements. Businesses and graduates from all sectors and disciplines are eligible to apply.
- Internships - A Guide for Employers (Downloadable PDF)
Interested?
If you would like to offer a graduate internship at your company please check out the institutional profiles below and contact your nearest university for further details
| Institution | Institutional Profile | Funding Available | Length of internship | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arts University College at Bournemouth | The Arts University College at Bournemouth, is a leading university sector institution offering high quality specialist education in art, design, media and performance across the creative industries. Our Graduate Internship Programme links employers with graduates giving an opportunity for employers to explore the benefits of recruiting a graduate for a period of 8 -13 weeks with up to £100 per week on offer to support the wage of the graduate. | Up to £100 per week | 8 - 13 weeks | For further details of how this scheme can benefit your business please contact Clare Hewitt; gradintern@aucb.ac.uk or telephone 01202 853600 or check out our website. |
| Bournemouth University | Bournemouth University is currently providing a Graduate Internship Programme for local companies. Each internship will enable a Graduate to work in a business for a period of 8 to 13 weeks. The Graduate will gain excellent work experience and the opportunity to apply their academic skills to the workplace. Your business will benefit from an injection of creativity, enthusiasm and high level skills that will integrate into existing teams and projects or have the potential to work on stand alone projects generating business benefits for your company. The BU Graduate internships are partly funded by the Government. | £100 per week (up to 13 weeks) | 8 - 13 weeks | For further information please contact; business-services@bournemouth.ac.uk or telephone: 01202 961961 or check out our website. |
| University of Bristol | The University of Bristol welcomes enquiries from employers and graduates who are interested in participating in the Graduate Internship scheme. We offer a package of careers support and guidance to each graduate hired into an internship position. We also offer advice and support to individual companies to guide them through the process. You can also visit our Careers Service website for general information about what we do. | £100 per week | 8 - 10 weeks | Please contact Emily Austin, Head of Employer Services for further information: emily.austin@bristol.ac.uk or telephone 0117 928 8231 or check out our website. |
| University of Exeter | Support your business development by applying for an INNOVATION VOUCHER that will cover 30% the cost of an 8 week graduate placement (normal cost £1780+VAT). The University of Exeter is offering businesses the opportunity to apply for vouchers for Graduate Internships. This initiative is in addition to the University’s existing, well established, longer Graduate Business Partnership placements across Devon and Somerset. The University manages the entire process from recruitment to contract and payroll while a dynamic graduate works on a project to develop your business. | 30% reduction - £534 | 8 weeks | For more information, please contact Jane Gill, Employer Liaison Officer: J.Gill@exeter.ac.uk or telephone 01392 723844 or check out our website. |
| University College Falmouth | University College Falmouth is launching its Graduate Internship programme in response to a successful bid to the Higher Education Funding Council for England. We will be working with businesses to place skilled graduates for a minimum 6 weeks. This programme is offering paid internships within the following sectors: low-carbon products and services, digital industries and small businesses. Businesses will benefit from up to £1350 for salary costs and mentoring expenses, plus free recruitment and short listing of candidates. These internships will be supported by staff from University College Falmouth and Unlocking Cornish Potential to help graduates find future employment and businesses develop new work. We welcome all enquiries concerning University College Falmouth's Graduate Internship scheme. | Up to £1350 | Minimum 6 weeks | For further details please contact Zoe Mogridge, Placement Co-ordinator: placementteam@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone: 01326 254200 or check out our website. |
| University of Plymouth | The University of Plymouth is launching its Plymouth Graduate Internship Programme (PGIP) in response to winning funding from Higher Education Funding Council for England. The University will be working with businesses in Devon and Cornwall to place skilled graduates for a minimum of eight weeks (no duration limit). Businesses will benefit from receiving up to £1450 towards the salary costs of the intern, in addition to receiving a FREE recruitment service from the PGIP team. There is no limit to the number of interns a business can have so contact us to discuss your needs. | Up to £1450 | Minimum 8 weeks | Contact us via enterprisesolutions@plymouth.ac.uk or telephone 0800 052 5600. |
| University of the West of England (Bristol) | University of the West of England has been awarded significant funds to help graduates from any UK higher education institution find paid internships and support burgeoning industries in the Bristol and surrounding regions. Each employer will receive £1400 from UWE to subsidise a paid internship of at least £250 per week for a minimum of 8 weeks. Whether you need specialist skills, a creative mind or someone to support your growing business, this is an opportunity that will be of benefit to both you and a recent graduate. If you would like more information or to register an internship please see our website. | £1400 | Minimum 8 weeks | Further enquiries: please contact Linda or Colette: graduate.internships@uwe.ac.uk or telephone 0117 3281191 or check out our website. |
| Bath Spa University | Bath Spa University has secured funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to support local and regional businesses who offer qualifying graduate internships throughout 2010. | £100 per week | 8 - 13 weeks | For details please contact Ian Rowe, Placements Officer: placements@bathspa.ac.uk or telephone 01225 875403 or check out our website. |
| Royal Agricultural College | The RAC scheme is funded through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to pay the Graduate minimum wage for 8 weeks. | £1450 | 8 weeks | For details please contact Dr Khalid Mahmood: gstep@rac.ac.uk or telephone 01285 652531 ext. 2338 or check out our website. |
There are other projects available to help match talented graduates with employers in the South West. Please see our Recruitment page for further details.
Why take on a graduate intern?
The current economic environment has made companies of all sizes think strategically about employment and management of staff and consider fresh approaches to their recruitment needs. Present Government initiatives have placed internships firmly on the map, with the aim of offering thousands of graduates the extra boost needed to secure permanent positions.
Many well-known large corporations benefit from established and much publicised internship programmes that attract students in large numbers.
However, small businesses too can benefit from, and offer a lot to this initiative. Smaller business structures can often offer more rounded and real life work experience to graduates whilst potentially having the most to gain from fresh and talented individuals.
As well as tapping into fresh talent, internships allow businesses to mitigate risk by trying out a candidate first, offering an alternative to direct recruitment - often a costly and time consuming exercise, with no guarantee of success.
By taking on an intern, small to medium size businesses are able to staff growth opportunities and plan beyond short-term projects as they free up time and resources for core management. Internships can also help small businesses to thrive whilst conserving cash that would usually be spent to advertise, recruit and take on full time staff. Five steps to ensure you get the most from an internship program:
- choose your intern wisely. Your choice should be based on the culture and value of your business and the specific role/department that the intern will work in
- treat the intern as a professional and a potential future recruit
- offer the intern rewarding work experience
- mentor the intern in their professional aspirations, their field of interest and share your experiences
- give regular and constructive feedback to the intern, on the quality of their work, and ask for feedback, too.
What’s on offer?
There are currently over 800 Government funded graduate internships available in the South West from 2010. These have been created to support key employer sectors in order to stimulate growth, assist economic recovery and improve manufacturing and services in the region. The employer sectors/themes identified are:
- low-carbon products and services
- digital industry
- life sciences and pharmaceuticals
- advanced manufacturing
- professional and financial services
- engineering construction
- industrial opportunities presented by the ageing society
All these internship programmes will be set up and administered by the individual universities in the region and will vary in their terms and conditions. However, there is funding attached to all the placements and businesses and graduates from all sectors and disciplines are eligible to apply
