Three graduates employed in November 2010 have provided Guttridge with the resources to analyse, review and improve on-going processes. Whilst performing specialised research, they have also become involved in a new R & D project, making presentations to potential customers and partners.
Anushka Devaser, Edozie Nnoruka and Alex Jen Ken, all from the Leicester University Graduate Internship Program, recently graduated in subjects directly relevant to the roles they carried out at Guttridge. Within this exciting new project they had a very specialised, highly qualified and well-motivated approach to the three month projects they completed.
The whole process could not have been simpler. The roles were defined and sent to the University and advertised. The shortlisted CVs and letters of application were then sent to Guttridge for review. A number of graduates were then selected for interview by Guttridge and the successful applicants joined the company a few weeks later. The university dealt with all the administration, including payroll with no tax or national insurance costs as the internship is a training program. The graduates were responsible for their own accommodation and expenses although Guttridge did assist with locating suitable accommodation and voluntarily paid 50% of the graduates’ accommodation costs. The University staff were extremely helpful and working relationships between the company and the University were very good, as highlighted by Edward Moseley, Enterprise Learning Coordinator, Leicester University Student Development, as follows:
"Guttridge worked really hard to make the graduates feel welcome and took the extra steps of helping to source accommodation and subsidising rent costs for their graduates. This made a real difference to the graduates and ensured that on commencing the internship they were able to focus on the project in hand.
The internships have been a tremendous learning experience for the three graduates and each one of them has gained a wealth of commercial awareness, confidence and industry knowledge which has made a massive difference to their employability and career prospects. Guttridge provided a fantastic learning environment and as such had three very motivated and successful graduates who were able to offer Guttridge new ideas, perspectives and invaluable high quality resource with minimal risk and investment.”
The graduates themselves have been considerate, adaptable and have gone out of their way to fit in to the organisation with 100% effort and attendance and they have reported a huge benefit both to their career and personal development, as emphasised by Edozie:
‘The Graduate internship has given me a giant leap into the industry, exposed me to real industrial research and has also made me more marketable in the ever-competitive labour market. During my internship, I had to report my findings to the management of the company on a weekly basis and this has really enhanced my presentation skill and boosted my confidence in public speaking. In a nut shell, it was a wonderful opportunity to further develop and prove myself.’
The internship process is a very low risk, low cost method of hiring highly qualified individuals who have specialised in the areas in which you wish them to work. The short term contracts enabled Guttridge to hire graduates to complete specific projects with no commitment to providing long term employment. However, the proficiency of the graduates was such that the company have now placed Anushka within the sales department as Sales Engineer and Edozie’s contract was extended. Guttridge is also advertising within the Leicester University Internship Program for a further internship role to commence employment in June 2011.