EU funding to support 1,200 internships in West Midlands

A new scheme supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is to create 1,200 graduate internships in the West Midlands.

The three-year scheme is being backed with £1.6 million from ERDF, which will be matched by universities and businesses in the region.

It will aim to help around 200 small companies.

The programme will be managed by Graduate Advantage, a recruitment service that is part of Aston University.

Other institutions involved in the scheme include Birmingham City University, Coventry University, Keele University, Staffordshire University, the University of Birmingham, the University of Warwick, the University of Wolverhampton and the University of Worcester.

Professor Helen Higson OBE, Aston University's senior pro vice-chancellor and chair of the Graduate Advantage steering group, said: "Internships are a proven way for companies to inject fresh talent into the workplace and allow graduates to gain the skills and experience they need to get on.

"It's crucial that we retain highly skilled graduates in the region by matching them up with businesses to help address the underperformance of the region's economy. We are delight that through the support of the ERDF and our partners, we can address this challenge."