Step-Up: The Programme

Step-Up is an exciting new paid internship and skills training programme for current final-year students and recent graduates from the University of Brighton and University of Sussex.

Joining Step-Up will allow you to participate in a unique series of employability-skills workshops, ending in a six-week paid internship with a participating small to medium sized business (SME).

The majority of SMEs will be local, in Brighton or the surrounding area.

Internships can begin anytime until mid-October 2021.

We particularly welcome applications from students and graduates with any disability.

What's on offer?

A Step-Up internship will give you invaluable work experience at graduate level straight after finishing your course, helping you to stand out from the crowd, and providing you with unique opportunities to kick start your career.

According to the Federation of Small Businesses, SMEs account for 99.9% of all private businesses, of which there were 5.9 million nationally in 2019. They also account for three fifths of the employment and around half of turnover in the UK private sector. This means there are plenty of jobs for graduates in these innovative and growing companies.

On the programme you will benefit from gaining access to learning materials around a suite of five employability topics prior to a paid, six-week internship in 2021.

The learning material topics have been designed in collaboration with local employers, to ensure that by taking part in the Step-Up programme you will be equipped with key skill-sets desired by SMEs. You will develop your confidence, as well as develop high-level skills in:

  • Understanding Professionalism
  • Creative Thinking
  • Problem Solving 
  • How to Become a Self-Starter
  • Communicating with Confidence
  • Being Resilient.

SMEs will be going through a parallel suite of workshops to help them prepare for the Step-Up internships too.

Support throughout the programme

The Step-Up team will guide and support you through the programme, together with an expert team of Careers professionals. 

Email the Step-Up team at stepup@brighton.ac.uk

Check out other career opportunities

The Step-up programme is co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England. Grant Reference: 04S18P02524

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The benefits to you

  • An opportunity to secure a six-week paid graduate internship
  • Find out about exciting jobs with SMEs 
  • A chance to secure a highly-skilled graduate job with a local company
  • Make connections, and kick-start your career.
Step-Up logo

Step-Up Website Student FAQs

Am I eligible for Step-Up?

To be eligible you must be a 2020 or 2021 graduate. You must also have proof of UK residency at the time of applying to the programme

When will the internships take place?

Internships can begin anytime until mid-October 2021.

Which companies will be offering internship?

We expect the internships to be with a range of SMEs (small and medium enterprises) working in a variety of sectors.

How is COVID-19 affecting delivery of the programme?

The Step-Up team is working hard to plan for all possible scenarios. Currently all workshop sessions are scheduled to be delivered online.

Step-Up is underpinned by the cross-cutting themes of Sustainability and Equality and Diversity

Our project is committed to minimising its environmental impact, and to sustainability in its wider sense, to help individuals and communities achieve their potential in ways that protect their futures and encourages economic growth. Read our Sustainability Plan (pdf).

Our project is committed to celebrating and valuing diversity, promoting equality of opportunity, and challenging to eliminate unlawful discrimination. Read our Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Plan (pdf).

Check out other opportunities on our dedicated Careers blog