Rebecca Christian Louboutin Bags Holland was determined not to spend yet another summer break from university working in a shoe shop. So during her second year at Bristol University she began seeking work related to her chemistry course.
During a visit to her university careers centre, she came across Shell Technology Enterprise Programme (STEP). The scheme, which is funded jointly by the government and Shell UK, gives more than 1,500 students a year an opportunity to go on a project-based work placement with a small business prior to their final year. Most placements take place in July and August, but some are available throughout the year and the length of placements can be flexible.
"The point of STEP is to try and bridge the gap between small businesses and universities," says Bill Abraham, one of the programme's directors. "Many undergraduates don't realise that you get a lot of responsibility quickly in a small business which means there is more scope to have an impact."
Rebecca made such an impact during her nine-week placement that she won't be forgotten in a hurry. At Shipley Europe, a supplier to the electronics industry, she introduced environmentally friendly materials to the company's manufacturing systems, potentially saving the firm at least 30,000 in capital costs. Her efforts won her STEP's 'Most Enterprising Student' award.
Rebecca was paid the same amount of money she would have earned working in the shoe shop, but says she gained so much more working at Shipley.
"It gave me the confidence to say I have an idea and it can work. Prior to that I was at college learning information for exams but not applying it," she explains.
Recent research conducted by Warwick University and the University of Stirling found that STEP students are twice as likely to find work on graduating. This certainly proved true in Rebecca's case. She landed a graduate trainee position with Nestle UK in York and is now in the second year of the programme.
STEP also runs STEP Solution, which offers students a chance to do placements in small or medium sized electronic engineering companies, an industry with acute skills shortages.
Talentladder is another scheme which matches graduates to companies offering good quality work experience. Set up last October, Talentladder provided its first intake of students with work experience opportunities at Easter. Owen Roberts was one of around 20 students who did a placement.
"I wanted experience in a large organisation as I had only ever worked in a bar or small catering companies," says Owen, who worked for Accenture, the consulting firm.
Owen spent three weeks helping one of the company's managers analyse financial data.
"The experience offered a very good insight into the operations of a large organisation," recalls Owen, who is in the second year of a computer systems engineering degree at Warwick University. "I worked in the same office with six people who were constantly communicating and solving problems as a group. I learned how they worked together Christian Louboutin Outlet as a team.
Owen got valuable work experience and earned 7 an hour. "I got a chance to explore career opportunities and earn more than the 3.50 an hour I would get working in a bar," he says.
Owen made a positive impact at Accenture and will be going back for a nine-week stint in the summer. "This time I'll be managing my own project which will involve working on a website."
Not all work placements run smoothly. Bill admits that a few students each year fail to complete the STEP programme.
He puts this down, by and large, to employers expecting too much and students failing to communicate their unease. Nor does it help, says Bill if students fail to pick up office skills quickly.
"During the first few days of a placement a student needs to learn the phone and email system, how to use the company's database and computer. It all helps to gain acceptance among the team," he advises.
http://gatewaynews.org/match/member/blog_post_view.php?postId=58635