February 23, 2011 2.41 pm This story is over 157 months old

University gets graduates on internships

Skills: Lincoln businesses are eligible to receive funding to take on a University of Lincoln graduate for an internship.

More Lincoln businesses are now eligible to receive funding to take on a University of Lincoln graduate for an internship period.

The university is offering East Midlands businesses bursaries of £1,500 to take on one of their recent graduates for a minimum of three months.

Funding for a total of 80 internships is available, but applications need to be received by July 2011. In 2010, 50 internships were fully subscribed to.

Joint Director Nick Whyatt (pictured, top) of Pop Design agency in Lincoln enrolled a graduate on an internship scheme last year.

He has now given the ex-student a full-time job.

Whyatt said: “Three months is a good period to establish whether or not someone will work well within your business and the funding takes out the financial risk, especially for a newly established company like ours.”

Pop Design is now in the process of moving to a larger premise to accommodate their growth and are also in the process of gaining another intern for this year.

The scheme came under threat when funding was withdrawn by the Higher Education Funding Council (HFCE) but the University of Lincoln sourced finance from other areas to run the project again this year.

Funding withdrawals made the university the only body providing the scheme in the East Midlands and more businesses are now eligible for the programme.

Broadening the criteria for businesses has meant organisations of any size, sector or location, within the East Midlands can now apply.

Mark Stow, Employment Opportunities Manager at the University of Lincoln, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for employers to find out for themselves what a graduate can offer their business.”

“We’ll handle most of the paperwork too, advertising your vacancy, collecting CVs and working with our academic staff to identify suitable candidates,” Stow added.

The only condition that applies once approval for an internship has been granted is that the graduates are paid at least minimum wage.

Stonebow Media is also offering several internships at The Lincolnite for University of Lincoln graduates through this scheme from April.

For more on the University of Lincoln’s Graduate Internship Scheme, contact Mark Stow by email or at 01522 837829.