FEATURE
ONE STEP BEYOND
Getting the right interns and work experience students or graduates can be a game of chance. Get the fit wrong and at best it’s a waste of time, but when it’s right there are benefits to be reaped by all – some less obvious than others. It is no accident that over a third of graduate vacancies are filled by candidates who already have experience of working in the company. Phillip Donnelly, Managing Director of leading graduate and student placement experts, Step, looks at the opportunities available to employers…
>> “Matt’s
knowledge improved our creative offer and is bringing in new business. This was an unexpected and unpredicted benefit to us. And the word of mouth generated by his work has increased business and certainly had an impact on our bottom line.”
Phillip Donnelly Managing Director, Step
18 GRADUATE RECRUITER
veryone has their work experience stories to tell. The in-at-the-deep-end first day, the culture shock of an office, the quirky characters. My own ‘work experience’ was in a Nottingham ink factory. In itself, not a bad job, but as a philosophy graduate not exactly how I’d envisaged my glittering career to begin… It did, however, spark an interest in the mismatch between what universities provide and what industry actually requires. I have now spent many years at the interface of industry and academia. And, since 1992, I have been involved in the Step programme which matches businesses with students and graduates. Step was originally sponsored and developed by Shell (hence the acronym Shell Technology Enterprise Partnership). In 2009 the programme transferred to Step Enterprise. The acronym was dropped but the momentum continued and to date the programme has successfully placed over 22,000 students and graduates in businesses ranging from engineering to web design. By working with local partners, primarily universities, we identify and nurture a pool of graduate talent and help partners deliver and support internships to their local businesses. We recently expanded our work with the University of Wolverhampton. The experience of local web design agency, ExtraMile Communications sums up the Step approach. Its MD Gabrielle Hadley approached the university’s Step team looking for an intern to work as an in-house designer. “I admit to some trepidation,” she says. “We’re a small team and needed someone with a mature approach and some experience. But at the same time we were looking for state of the art knowledge and a flexible outlook.” ExtraMile had already identified the need within their company. However, before recruiting a permanent post they decided on an intern. Gabrielle describes Step as a chance to ‘try before you buy’. It’s crucial that businesses identify exactly how they want to work with their interns. We work with our companies to develop
E
specific projects which are targeted and measureable, an approach we’d recommend to any business taking on an intern.
Gabrielle took on design graduate, Matt Preston for six months. It soon became clear that a full time post was needed and after being interviewed in open competition Matt got the job. Over a third of graduate vacancies are filled by candidates who have already worked in the company as an intern or on work experience. And 78% of Step participants go on to full time work, with 93% telling us that doing the placement helped them to gain employment. Step internship and work experience placements are given an NI and tax free training allowance of a minimum of £215 per week. This is paid for by the employer, together with an administration fee. Gabrielle’s investment in Matt has had a very positive impact on her business: “Matt’s knowledge improved our creative offer and is bringing in new business. This was an unexpected and unpredicted benefit to us. And the word of mouth generated by his work has increased business and certainly had an impact on our bottom line.” For engineering company Purple Line, a Step placement has meant securing a new and highly employable member of staff who will join them after completing his Masters. Stuart Barrow, Purple Line’s Technical Manager, was so impressed with intern Jeremiah Fashe that he took him to China to develop his knowledge of the country’s engineering market. He says: “Taking on an intern allows me to free up – or spread – some of my own responsibilities, which means they have to be competent in industry standard software and be able to work independently. Jeremiah has proved to be a valuable staff member who is diligent, courteous and brilliant at what he does. We couldn’t have asked for more.”
www.step.org.uk
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