The document summarizes a case study of a graduate internship program run by Teesside University (TVU) in the UK. The program placed 290 graduates in 10-month internships with local employers, with a 93% completion rate. It helped address high graduate unemployment rates by giving graduates experience and breaking the job experience catch-22, while providing employers with benefits. The program strengthened university-employer partnerships and knowledge sharing through its rotating knowledge transformation cycle of university-intern-employer. It recommends other universities replicate the program website, assign employer account managers, and partner with business brokers.

1. Author:
Venue:
Date:
Stimulating entrepreneurial
features
Jerry Allen & Chris Birch
ISBE Conference
4th
November 2010
Try before you buy:
A case study of graduate internships

2. Outline
• Pilot study 2009 (growth unemployed
professionals)
• Graduate unemployment
• TVU response
• Results
• Discussion
• Recommendations

3. Graduate unemployment
• 22,000 (2009)
• Lost talent pool
• Government
responses
– Feb 2009 ECIF
– Dec 2009 Internships
• Speed of delivery

4. The TVU response
• 8 week paid internship
• 3 courses (2 wks)
– Vodcasting
– Presentation &
Communication Skills
– Enhancing your career
• 6 wks with employer

5. Results
• 290 interns in 10 months
• 93% completion rate
• 3:1 applicants /projects
• 38 full time jobs created
• 130 satisfied employers
• Employer engagement

6. Discussion – Employer/graduate
• Bleak horizon for graduate employment
• Spiral of psychological decline
• Break the ‘job experience’ conundrum
• Employer benefits (Weible 2010)
• Span the academic vocational divide
• Knowledge transformation cycle
(university/intern/employer) Carlile & Rebentisch
2003)
• Partnerships - new employer led models

7. Recommendations
• Web page
www.tvu.ac.uk/fsintern
• Employer Account Manager
• Accurate data management
• Check interns still available
• Take Business Brokers with
you
• Be realistic about your reach