Nurturing home grown talent
24 Jun 2015
How Manchester Graduate Internship helps our students – and how it can help you
Manchester Graduate Internship Programme (MGIP) has successfully placed more than 700 graduates in a variety of organisations and local businesses, 250 at the University, since it started in 2008. And it has proved a tremendous experience all round. In this new series, StaffNet takes a look at why – and how it can help you.
Rowan Mataram’s internship has been one a surprises – all good ones.
Rowan, 23, who graduated with a BA in Drama in 2014, worked for International Relations Assistant Karen Badat.
“The entire job is fantastic and this is a surprise!” she says.
“Karen is probably the best and most caring and involved staff member in the entire University; she really cares about my experience and also the student experience in general – so I am learning a lot from her about how to manage people, which is a surprise.
“Getting a grasp on how huge the University is, and all the cogs that go into such a big machine was also a surprise – especially because I studied here and had never considered how vast the University is.”
Rowan helped to organise and deliver January and September Orientation, and even led on the January Orientation and specific events in September, which are part of Welcome. This entailed liaising with external organisations and internal staff members, helping to recruit and train Student Ambassadors, make materials and online application forms, reading applications, delivering training and line-managing through events. She has also worked on an Arrival website and various presentations and worked with different parts of the University to ensure that the needs of international students are met.
Her fresh ideas, closely related to the student experience that she had just graduated from, and new skills such as using social media and online tools, made Rowan a valuable team member.
She adds: “I have got so much out of my MGIP experience. Being a valued member of a professional team, and a key part in the organisation of such a big event is an incredibly useful experience, and one that will definitely benefit me when looking for future work.
“I have gained large-scale events management experience in a professional setting, as well as day-to-day office skills, and a clearer understanding of the differences in communication to different audiences.
“The skills and experience that I’ve gained through my MGIP have developed the skills I already had, however the key element is that they are now in a professional setting – which is much more tangible thing to discuss in interviews or applications for future employers.
“I now feel much more confident and able to apply for the type of jobs that I thought I wanted to go into when I graduated, and all the experience – whilst not in the same sector – is completely transferrable.”
MGIP has also been a hit with colleagues hiring interns.
Rowan’s line manager Karen says: “The graduate interns have all brought something different to the role and we have benefitted greatly from their very recent understanding of the student experience at Manchester. They all have different skills and our project has grown and been enhanced by their different and distinct input.”
Mike Mercer, Head of Student Services Delivery, adds: “The advantages are numerous; all the admin is carried out by the MGIP team so all the hassle of contacting candidates before and after the interviews is taken away. The MGIP team also completed the initial sift so we only looked at applicants with relevant experience.”
More information
For information on how to recruit an intern, visit: