Internships

When the going gets tough...

...the tough get some experience. David Lammy, minister for universities, DIUS introduces a new government initiative - the ‘Graduate Talent Pool’ which will help you get the experience to land that dream job, even in this economic climate.

Graduating from university and going into the job market is proving difficult for many. To say anything else would be wrong, but that doesn’t mean that the years you’ve spent at university are going to be wasted. The economic downturn isn’t going to last forever and your skills and achievements at university will still be hugely valuable when the recovery arrives. It needs to be remembered that there are graduate jobs out there – this website proves that. It is also important to be realistic and understand there may not be the numbers or types of opportunity that may have been around for previous graduating classes. It is likely that for every job you want to apply for, you’ll be up against greater competition and will need a stronger CV and that vital work experience.

That’s where an internship comes in. Whether paid or unpaid, six weeks or six months, valuable experience working on a real project in a real workplace will be priceless when it comes to demonstrating your value to a potential employer. In many cases an internship can act like an extended interview, giving both you and the employer a chance to see how well you fit the role. We’ve seen examples of graduates going into organisations as interns and staying on for a full time career. Graduate Talent Pool (http://graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk) is the new graduate internship programme. It is part of a package of measures to support graduates to improve their employability skills and support business at the same time.

The Graduate Talent Pool website will provide you with more information on internships along with real life examples. Once you’ve registered on the website you’ll be able to search our database of internship opportunities. Work has already started to identify these and we expect there to be at least 5,000 internships available over the next 3-6 months. These will be in all industry sectors and spread across the whole country. New opportunities will be appearing all the time so once you’ve registered on the website it is important to check back regularly.
DIUS has also recently published a graduate brochure ‘Life After Graduation’ (http://www.dius.gov.uk/news_and_speeches/press_releases/graduate_guide) supported by the NUS. This draws together in one place all the opportunities available to graduates, including working in the UK and abroad, work experience and internships, volunteering and further study.

Despite the current economic climate, your degree will still put you at an advantage in the labour market. DIUS is increasing opportunities for graduates to progress towards jobs by boosting employability skills. You have everything to gain by using the Graduate Talent Pool and find an employer that suits your needs.