Internship case studies
Read about the experiences of two employers who recruited through our graduate internship scheme. Please contact us if you would like to discuss the support we can offer to help you recruit a graduate intern.
Kallikids Ltd
Zoë Craven, who graduated with a degree in Retail Marketing from the University of Brighton applied for a Graduate Internship as a Marketing Assistant with Kallikids Ltd. Kallikids Ltd helps parents to find quality family activities. Zoë found out about the role through the University of Brighton’s Vacancy and Events Service, which promotes jobs and internships to registered students and graduates.
Her internship role covered all aspects of working in a new business, and she was taken on with Kallikids after the internship with a full time contract and salary. The experience has given her great confidence in terms of putting her education into practice. Her responsibilities include copywriting, marketing materials, updating the website and video, and she has lead responsibility for direct marketing. Zoë will be adding further to her technical skills by studying a MA Marketing (Branding and Communication) at the University of Brighton in September.
Karen Bach, director of Kallikids, said: “I would highly recommend recruiting a graduate intern through the University of Brighton Careers Service. They were highly professional and gave me a great shortlist of candidates. Once we had recruited they were excellent at following up with both me and the graduate to make sure everything was going smoothly.”
A graduate intern can bring new skills, fresh ideas and a different perspective into your organisation on a short term basis, or become a valued long-term employee. This might be for a specific project, or to increase your capacity at a certain time.
Internships are cost-effective and flexible and can also be very useful if you are looking for full-time employees, as the internship phase offers you the opportunity to develop the graduates’ capabilities within your business.
Search Seven
Through the University of Brighton Graduate Internship scheme, Ashleigh Rose-Harman secured a paid marketing and PR role at Search Seven, a search engine marketing company. Search Seven work with a range of clients boosting their ratings in search engine results and also build and manage paid advertisement campaigns.
The role has required Ashleigh to use her writing and communication skills gained from degree level study, whilst she built PR skills and learned vital search engine marketing tactics. She developed on and offsite content for clients, researching and creating blog posts for the Search Seven site based around the latest industry trends, as well as promoting her work through various social media channels.
The internship has challenged Ashleigh to develop her creative skills and further her knowledge. Being set achievable goals has allowed her to track her progression, and in turn built her confidence within her skill set. She says: "I feel I have proved I can translate my knowledge successfully in a professional environment, and am ready to begin building my career in today’s challenging job market."
Gavin Willis, Managing Director at Search Seven said: “The internship programme has been fantastic for Search Seven. We are only a small, emerging digital agency, but we are committed to working with local talent, and the internship programme has helped us to source the very best talent around. Ashleigh (our intern) has been great for us, and has adapted well to the challenges that a digital agency faces; hitting her goals and excelling in many areas. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the internship programme to other local companies.”
The University of Brighton Graduate Internship Programme offers companies access to as many prospective candidates as possible. Not only does it benefit our graduates but also ensures the best possible match for the company. Ashleigh studied at Roehampton but like many others, is keen to live and work in Brighton and the surrounding area.
