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500 not out? A piece of cake!

Thursday 21 October 2010

Uel's Employability Team

The achievement of a major milestone for a UEL-led graduate employment programme has been celebrated by university staff and former students.

Less than a year after being awarded funding by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to provide internship opportunities for unemployed graduates, the KnowledgeEast Graduate Internship Scheme recently secured its 500th placement with local employers.

Graduates from partner universities were contacted about the project and invited to apply through a competitive process. The graduates showing most potential were invited to attend a Preparation for Employment Event.

The event was designed to ensure graduates were ‘employer-ready’ and that they were assigned to an internship where they had the highest chance of success. Through the KnowledgeEast partnership, the project drew on the expertise of colleagues in both the Careers/Employability and Enterprise teams of the partner universities and their employer networks.

The milestone was celebrated by a special cake-cutting event at UEL’s Docklands campus, where Ray Wilkinson, Director of External and Strategic Development Services, said: “It is a tremendous feeling to know that we have been able to help so many graduates into employment.

“We knew we were taking on a massive challenge when we pledged to provide 500 paid internships last December, but we have hit our target and it feels great. Many students come to UEL to enhance their career prospects, and that is precisely what we have done. It is even more gratifying knowing that the skills and expertise which our graduates have honed while studying at UEL will benefit the local small business community.

“The scheme has shown not only the benefits of working collaboratively with other universities on this type of project, but also with a range of graduates, who no matter where they have studied have similar issues when it comes to securing employment. This scheme has helped so many graduates and given them the chance to grow and move forward more confidently in terms of their individual employability.”  

Mark Faulkner, Projects and Placement Manager, Employability and Enterprise Team, said: “Graduates have been placed in a range of companies in a variety of roles including Human Resources, Information Technology, Events Management and Marketing, and have valued the experience they have gained.”

One graduate intern commented said: “My time at the company has enabled me to build on my passion for creativity, as I liked learning on the job. The internship has also built on my skills in communication as I had to interact with potential clients.”

One of the employers involved, Jamie Ndah of Beautiful Communication, said: “I know how difficult it is for graduates to gain experience in the workplace. Therefore I like to give interns a chance as it's good for the graduates to gain experience within a professional environment. It’s been a great experience. The KnowledgeEast Team helped every step of the way and we gained great graduates which was a bonus.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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