There are a range of affordable options that allow you to utilise students and recent graduates for the benefit of your business. Whether you are looking for a short-term solution or have an in-depth research need, placements allow you to stay ahead of the competition.
Student and graduate placements can be the first step in developing a highly productive relationship with universities and have led to all sorts of successful partnerships. A range of options are available to meet your needs.
Many of the South West Universities run graduate placement programmes, offering the chance for graduates to work with businesses on a specific project, typically for up to 20 weeks. Graduate placement projects can return as much as £25k worth of tangible benefits to participating companies. Some of the schemes running are:
Graduate Business Placements, University of Exeter
Graduate Business Placements, University of Plymouth
Graduate Consultancy Scheme, University of the West of England
STRIDE, Bournemouth University
Unlocking Cornish Potential
The Low Carbon High Skills project is currently showcasing Low Carbon Graduate Internships through the production of case studies as well as promotion on the GradSouthWest website. For more details click here.
KTPs are a three-way link between a recent graduate, an academic supervisor and a business, usually running for between 1 to 3 years. KTPs tackle specific tasks or projects to inject new knowledge into a business. Organisations of every size can take part and on average each KTP project provides the business with over £150,000 a year in pre-tax profits. More information can be found on the KTP website.
The Shell Step programme places undergraduates from all academic disciplines into small and medium sized companies to undertake a specific business or technical project, driven by the needs of the host business. The placements run for 8 weeks over the summer break and can be in any business sector. More information can be found on the STEP website.