BUSINESSES in Huddersfield are helping Yorkshire’s graduates improve their employment prospects.
Huddersfield University has teamed up with regional development agency Yorkshire Forward and the Higher Education Funding Council for England to offer Yorkshire graduates paid 12-week internships at local companies.
The scheme gives graduates valuable experience and enables businesses to take advantage of the enthusiasm and passion of recent graduates.
SimplyBiz, the Huddersfield-based financial adviser support service was one of the first to sign up for the scheme. And after taking on Huddersfield University public relations graduate Katy Bloxham as an intern, the company has now offered her a permanent position as events co-ordinator following the success of the scheme.
Said Katy: “When I joined the company as a marketing intern I was pretty much thrown in at the deep end, helping to organise the launch of a new service.
“Getting to know how a company the size of SimplyBiz works has been amazing and it’s given me the chance to put all the things I learnt on the PR course into practice in real situations.
“I’ve just been offered the permanent position of events co-ordinator with the company, so it shows just how important doing an internship really is for graduates.”
Michelle Davy, head of marketing at SimplyBiz, said: “We have been very impressed with Katy’s contribution to the company – so much so that we have now employed her on a permanent basis.
“Being involved with the internship scheme has given us a great opportunity to utilise the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm of someone who has recently graduated and I would thoroughly recommend the scheme to any business.”
With funding from Yorkshire Forward and HEFCE, the university contributes two-thirds of the salary cost of a graduate internship – meaning graduates can spend a fixed amount of time working on a specific project and gain invaluable experience, equipping them for the wider world of work.
“Internships are a great way for recent graduates to gain real experience, develop their skills and prove their potential,” said Andrew Stainton, of the university’s careers and employability service.
The scheme offers 12-week internships in areas such as marketing, engineering, design and IT, but can also be in a more general project management role. Graduates work 37-hour weeks and are paid £300 a week, of which the university contributes £200 and the host employer £100.
Internships are open to any graduate in the region who has completed their studies at a UK university in the last 18 months.
Employers and graduates can find out more by contacting Andrew Stainton on 01484 472732 or internship@hud.ac.uk
