Dozens of start-up businesses in east London are being offered the support of talented students and graduates, thanks to a £120,000 work placement scheme run by Queen Mary University of London.
As part of its commitment to support the local community and to develop the employability skills of its students and graduates, Queen Mary is investing heavily in creating valuable work experience opportunities.
Start-Up Internships is now in its second year, following the success of a pilot scheme in 2013.
Placements are full or part-time and last for up to three months. All intern wages and expenses are funded by Queen Mary’s Careers and Enterprise centre, which is also responsible for connecting student talent with the right businesses.
Students on the Start-Up Internship scheme will be paid at least the London Living Wage of £8.80 per hour.
Businesses who would like to host a Queen Mary intern are being invited to apply to the scheme, outlining their requirements and how they could support the professional development of a student.
Fluency is a learning platform and ‘digital skills marketplace’ that gets young people into work, by teaching them in-demand skills such as how to build a website, how to market a company on social media or how to optimise content for Google.
With Start-Up Internships funding, they hired Ollie Brown, a BA International Relations graduate, as an intern for three months.
Ollie said: “I knew I wanted to work in tech and social media but didn't have the knowledge of the market or the depth of experience that most entry level jobs required. I found the opportunity with Fluency through the QM Careers website and, after an interview, was successful in securing the position. Queen Mary's internship scheme has given me a bridge into an industry that I had no access to before.”
“During my time at Fluency I have not only had the chance to build up my CV and acquire new skills, I've received training and made contacts in a range of industries. If you're prepared to work hard then an internship like this can really boost your prospects.”
Start-Up Internships are funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s HEIF scheme, which helps to support and develop a broad range of knowledge-based interactions between universities and the wider world.
East London start-ups or micro-businesses interested in hosting a Start-Up Intern should visit http://bit.ly/startupinternships2014
Queen Mary students or graduates who would like to register with QInterns should visit: http://www.careers.qmul.ac.uk/qrecruit
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