Encouraging internships

"The profile of internships is very high at the moment," says Bob Gilworth, Director of the University's Careers Centre. "Placements and internships are integral to the recruitment process for a large and growing number of graduate employers. HEFCE's launch of the Economic Challenge Investment Fund to support graduates in a challenging market has further increased the level of interest amongst employers, students and graduates"

The Careers Centre works closely with many employers - including multinationals such as Unilever and companies with headquarters in the region such as Emerald Publishing - to offer internship opportunities to undergraduate students. "Employers are looking for students who can bring a fresh eye to things, who are keen to gain valuable experience and enhance their skills. And, as our recent success in the Shell STEP awards shows, interns can make a significant contribution to a company's bottom line.

"For the University, placements and internships link to our strategic aim to 'develop outstanding graduates and scholars to make a major impact upon global society'. They offer schools and faculties a great opportunity to show prospective students (and their parents) that they can offer an education that offers good employer links and career prospects.

"Internships help students to develop the skills and attributes which are central to Leeds for Life, and to generate evidence for future applications," continues Bob. "By linking academic study with business they enable students to put course theory into practice and create opportunities for University staff to make knowledge transfer links."

For more details about any aspect of internships, please contact:
Careers Centre, 5-7 Cromer Terrace, http://careerweb.leeds.ac.uk/ 0113 343 5295

Vital statistics
Employers say* that the top three ways in which students can improve their skills are:

1. completing an internship or industrial placement
2. taking on a leadership position in a student society
3. gaining very people-focused work experience.

early half of employers (43%) convert more than 40% of interns to graduate recruits.

* (Source:2008 Association of Graduate Recruiters Survey.)

The Careers Centre is currently advertising 336 undergraduate internship opportunities (vacation and 12-month placements).
So far in 2009, the Careers Centre has advertised over 1,300 undergraduate internship opportunities.

What is an internship?
Internships are fixed-term work experience placements usually done by students in their penultimate year during holidays, or part-time alongside academic study. Typically, they last between 4-12 weeks, although can be longer, and the term 'internship' is sometimes used to describe a 12-month work placement or sandwich year. As a response to the current economic climate, funding has been made available to also develop internship opportunities for graduates.