6
news
Student placement programme takes off
Excel Southampton, a co-funding scheme with employers organised by the University of Southampton’s Career Destinations service, is proving highly successful, not only opening up competitive opportunities for students, but also providing an opportunity for employers to see talented students in action.
The programmes are overseen by Career Destinations, which works in close partnership with faculties to enable an organisation to host a University of Southampton undergraduate or postgraduate student for an agreed period of time throughout the year.
”The placements provide an excellent opportunity for a company to build strong relationships with the University and students. Marketing of the position is overseen by Career Destinations in partnership with the faculties and programmes
of study most relevant to the position,” Caroline Konrad, the service’s manager explained.
Career Destinations also shortlists the applications as a service to employers, providing the top applications to the host employer to consider for interview. All successfully placed students participate in the summer (or Easter) Placement Programme Induction Day run by the University.
Konrad continued: ”Excel Southampton began in 2009 as a pilot of five placements within the University of Southampton’s faculties and professional services. In fewer than two years, it has grown to encompass more than 100 internships taking place across the the country. More than two thirds of the placements are with employers in the south east. Our hosts are as diverse as our students – ranging from
BRAIN TUMOURS KILL MORE CHILDREN AND MORE PEOPLE UNDER 40 THAN ANY OTHER CANCER
Every tile on the ‘Wall of Hope’ represents a day of brain tumour research that needs funding at our pioneering research centre at the University of Portsmouth.
local start-ups and civil society organisations to leading national conglomerates and the region’s local government offices.”
The external arm of the programme began as a pilot in 2010 with three placements: Southampton Airport Parkway (SAP); Rakon UK and Cummins Engineering. Following the close of the placement, SAP offered its intern a role working on site one day a week, centred on providing senior management with performance measurement, analysis and maintenance of its online communication tools. Cummins offered its intern a bursary and a position upon her graduation in 2011 and is hosting further interns, as is Rakon.
”The success of the pilot demonstrated an appetite among employers both locally and nationwide for a service whereby potential graduates could be
trialled for a fit with the company or feed a one-off project need,” said Konrad. ”I’ve been surprised with the speed with which the Excel Southampton Placement Programme has grown in under three years. Within the Hampshire region, we have seen a real ability to work with local employers who may not have previously engaged directly with the University.
”Hosts have come from diverse backgrounds, ranging from publishing to water technology to the arts and biological sciences. This says to us that irrespective of the industry, Excel Southampton serves a business need, while building links between our students and the business community.
”Our students are highly qualified, intelligent and ambitious. A core part of our employability strategy is to expand on-the-job experience for our students, be they undergraduate or postgraduate, which will complement their studies.”
Details:
placements@soton.ac.uk
C4L sales quadruple in three years with GOLD
Bournemouth-based provider of data centre and Internet facilities C4L has bucked the economic downturn, almost quadrupling sales turnover in the past three years.
Managing director Matt Hawkins said its success was underwritten by Vector Boards – a hands-on business school and one-to-one GOLD mentoring programme for managing directors and business leaders run by FastGrowth Services, whose involvement has played a key role in helping the company maximise its potential in a growing market place.
Sponsor a day.
Save lives.
www.braintumourresearch.org
Tel: 01296 733011
info@braintumourresearch.org The Business Centre, Padbury Hill Farm, Padbury, Buckingham, Bucks MK18 2BN
www.businessmag.co.uk
The goal of FastGrowth Services is to assist clients to triple their company value in three years. It is a claim substantiated by Hawkins: ”Three years ago we employed 14 staff and had a turnover of £1.5 million, providing services to 150 customers. We now employ more than 40 staff, have a turnover approaching £8m and provide services to 540 customers across the UK.
”Our success is, in part, as a result of the natural boom in companies recognising the bottom line and disaster recovery benefits of hosting their data in a centre such as ours. However, attendance at Vector Boards and the invaluable GOLD one-to-one mentoring has given me the focus, drive and positioning I needed for my business not only to succeed, but also to excel in this growing marketplace.”
Vector Boards has had a profound strategic impact on C4L. Hawkins cited the significance of support from other Vector members and attendance at forums to discuss business problems: ”At Vector meetings, each FastGrowth Strategy Workshop focuses on one area to assist the business in achieving its goals and also provides the tools to see them realised back in the office. The result has been an increase in sales, improvement on the percentage of the overall operating profit and the transformation of the company’s value multiplier.”
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – OCTOBER 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44