Context
University of Bradford and Morrisons have an established track record of working together on a range of employability and employment activities. Through the OfS funded Graduate Workforce Bradford initiative Graduate Workforce Bradford – Careers – University of Bradford Morrisons have collaborated with Career and Employability Services (CES) to develop and offer students and graduates work experience and higher skilled employment.
To further this working partnership, Morrisons were keen to develop and deliver an internship programme for HE students. It was important to Morrisons to work with a few educational providers, however due to the strong working partnership already in place, Morrison’s agreed to prioritise four opportunities for University of Bradford students as a positive action initiative.
Action & approach
Career and Employability Services (CES) supported Morrisons in planning the internships, and at this stage a challenge was identified that related to students’ confidence in real life working environments, particularly those who were ethnic minority background and who had little or no work experience. This led to discussions around the target audience for the internships, which was agreed to be 2nd year undergraduate home students.
The CES team supported students through each stage of the application process to develop their employability skills, such as interview skills, completing application forms, CV skills and developing their confidence. For those students who successfully completed the internship, students were offered an interview for Morrisons Graduate scheme.
Morrisons provided group coaching for all students who were interested in the opportunity which offered the students an insight into working for the company and the Morrisons values. This gave students the opportunity to consider how the internship might relate to their studies and future aspirations. Morrisons also provided further coaching for those students who were shortlisted for the internship. This coaching equipped students’ with information about the interview process and expectations, enabling them to prepare more effectively for their interviews.
Impact
This was a significant opportunity for students to understand and experience the rigorous application process, while receiving specialist support from both Career and Employability Services and the employer which gave the students confidence to apply.
After successfully completing the internship, 50% of the University’s internship students successfully entered Morrisons Graduate Scheme. Other opportunities were also available as a result of the internship – one student secured a placement year following the valuable work they had been involved in throughout their internship. Of the internship experience, the student said: “Morrisons summer internship is a fantastic opportunity for ethnic minority background students to promote self-growth. My experience in Morrisons was phenomenal. My roles included: Project management, stakeholder management, and digital innovation. Morrisons as a company really care about their interns and do what they can to support and ensure that you are enjoying your experience. I was lucky enough to be offered an industrial placement in technology once my scheme was over!”
Morrisons reported positive outcomes as having improved access to their local talent pool which supports them in diversifying their workforce, gaining insight into student perceptions of their business and brand, practical delivery of real work tasks by students whilst on placements and direct applications for their Graduate Scheme.
Conclusions & advice
The project has been acknowledged by the students, University of Bradford and the employer as a success providing valuable experience and skills for the students and providing a large national company a diverse and skilled internship workforce.
The University of Bradford is now developing a marketing strategy and plan to promote and increase the number of students into the internship programme.
Work continues with Morrisons to invest and work closely with the employer to support a broader range of students who may appear less confident or have significant barriers to overcome, this will improve the inclusivity of a wider participation of students and expose a wider cohort of students to the opportunity.
