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New Year, New Recruit? The University of Sunderland’s Internship team can help you find the best graduate talent.

As they start to prepare for the Christmas break University of Sunderland’s ERDF Graduate Internship team look ahead to the New Year.

It’s been an interesting time for recruitment in recent months. Despite uncertainty around what would happen with the end of the governments Furlough scheme, the headline unemployment rate dropped significantly with UK jobs vacancies reaching a 20 year high in September 2021.

Certainly, the Graduate Internship team have seen an increase in regional SMEs looking to strengthen their teams and recruit graduate talent to support growth within their businesses; there has been a steady pipeline of vacancies coming through the scheme.

A busy start to 2022 is therefore anticipated, with the New Year being traditionally a busy time for recruitment. Graduates have more opportunities than ever right now, so the team are working hard to ensure the right candidates are matched to the exciting opportunities offered by the regions SMEs.

Indeed, the reality of working in a smaller company means graduates really do have an exciting, challenging, and wide breadth of experience which a much larger, corporate organisation may not provide. They often have the opportunity to bring fresh ideas into those organisations, adding new skillsets and expertise; frequently helping to deliver a new product, process or service for the business. Interns report how rewarding this can be when just starting out in their career.

And for the employer, the Internship scheme gives companies the confidence to look to graduate talent to support their recruitment needs. The European Regional Development Funding supports SMEs with the cost of employing a graduate, providing £4500 in subsidy payments; and after 12 months, employers can decide whether to extend the Intern’s contract. In fact, most do, with a high rate of graduates being offered full time employment on completion of their Internship.

Get in touch!

If you are looking to expand your team in early 2022 and think an Intern could add value to your business, get in touch with the team to explore how they could support you to recruit the best graduate talent. As a successful SME joining the scheme, you will gain access to the University’s recruitment specialists who can provide support with; writing of job adverts, advertisement of roles across various channels, shortlisting of candidates and scheduling of interviews, and can even provide support on interview panels if required. The team will actively research and engage the candidates you are looking for, identifying specific skills, competencies, and talent to complement your business goals.

We would encourage you to get in touch as soon as possible, as opportunities are limited with all placements via the scheme being made by Summer 2022. The Graduate Internship Team will ensure you are supported through the whole process from initial enquiry, all the way through to the end of the Internship.

For initial enquires you can contact the team on 0191 515 3045 or email: Internships@sunderland.ac.uk.

We are currently able to support SMEs that are registered (and operating or trading) in the following areas:

• Sunderland
• Newcastle
• Gateshead
• South Tyneside
• North Tyneside
• Northumberland

The Internships and Enterprise project is receiving up to £3,32,6399 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

Northern Powerhouse

The Northern Powerhouse is a key aspect of this Government’s approach to addressing the productivity gap in the North and ensuring a stronger, more sustainable economy for all parts of the UK. Alongside over €1.5 billion of European Regional Development Fund support for businesses and communities across the North, the government has awarded £3.4 billion in three rounds of Growth Deals across the Northern Powerhouse.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by University of Sunderland .