Careers & Enterprise has recently launched the DU Internships which provides a stream-lined and supported process for departments within the University to employ an intern.
The internships allow departments to benefit from a flexible workforce and get additional support from skilled students whilst allowing students to undertake graduate level work experience, via a focussed short-term project or opportunity making use of skills learned during their degree.
In conjunction with HR the scheme offers, a quick, centralised, and supported process for departments recruiting student interns. To get involved, please visit: durham.ac.uk/internal/careers/password/staff/duinternships/
Careers Advisor Adelle Fairclough
Careers Adviser Adelle Fairclough recruited an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) intern, and reported: “Our EDI intern facilitated welcome sessions and update sessions between Durham’s student association executive committees and the Careers & Enterprise team, enabling students to recognise that equality, diversity and inclusion are of the utmost importance to our team and the service we provide. The EDI intern actively promoted over 200 diversity focused events and 70 positive action initiatives/diversity-focused vacancies directly to the student groups, in addition to playing a lead role in raising awareness of the Student Employability Fund. One of the most significant impacts of the post in the last academic year was the coordination and hosting of a LGBTQ+ careers insight panel”.
Emma Shearer, Marketing Officer, recruited a number of students as marketing interns:
“They worked really well as a team and were creative in their ideas as they were not bogged down in hierarchy or processes and procedures, which was refreshing.”
Alexandra McNinch, Faculty Placement Manager for the Business School, highlights the benefits of recruiting a number of interns: “Having three interns across the placement team was great for setting more meaty projects that we don’t have time for and one intern on their own may have struggled with… They were able to divide the tasks out and play to their strengths.”