New initiatives launched to connect employers, students and graduates

The Get a Graduate Job Scheme has been kick-started by the University to further support graduates and organisations with graduate-level, permanent positions to fill. The free service provides direct access for businesses and other organisations to a diverse talent pool and the support of the University’s Careers and Employability team to help to recruit to roles, including advertising vacancies and helping build brand awareness on its sites.

Kirsty Badrock, Employer Engagement Co-ordinator, said: “Could you recruit one of our talented graduates? If you have a role in your organisation which would suit a final year student, as they transition into the workplace on completion of their studies, or a recent graduate, please get in touch.”

Alongside this, the Business Growth Internships scheme has been introduced - part-funded internships offering a great opportunity for organisations to gain value and grow.

The initiative invites employers with a project that would be perfect for a student or recent graduate, to participate in University-run Workplace Experiences by hosting one or more students on an internship.

Workplace Experiences are the range of employer-hosted experiences consisting of internships, designed to help students and graduates become more employable.

Employers can offer Workplace Experiences to help students and graduates become more employable

New initiatives have been launched to connect employers with students and graduates from the University of Chester.

The Business Growth Internships are open to charities, non-profits, social enterprises/CICs (Community Interest Companies), start-ups, and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) based in the UK.

Kirsty said: “These internships aim to support business growth and innovation by providing specific skills and knowledge that organisations may be missing. Our interns will offer insights, creativity, consultancy, and innovation, and will contribute to or lead a project.”

The internships will welcome applications from all UK-domicile current, undergraduate students at the University, across all disciplines, and will start in May or June 2024. The intern will undertake a 191-hour placement on a full-time basis for five weeks. These internships will be part-funded by the University, with 60% paid by the University, and an employer contribution of £800 (40%). Employers are asked to get in touch to discuss any Business Growth projects they may have, by the end of March. Other fullyfunded and part-funded schemes are also available.

The initiatives are both run by the Employer Engagement Team (EET), based within Careers and Employability at the University. The EET is a specialist group of staff dedicated to providing services to employers and is responsible for enabling interactions between employers, students,