In July we opened our doors to students taking part in our 2019 internship initiative.The scheme, set up in 2018, is designed to support the needs of Future Space businesses whilst providing valuable industry experience to future business leaders.
Over a period of either ten-weeks full time or twenty-week part time the 2019 interns developed practical business skills, networked and ultimately kickstarted their careers in the six Future Space companies which have participated in the fully funded scheme.The programme, run in partnership with UWE, enables Future Space companies to access emerging talent and to benefit from additional resource to undertake a range of different briefs which support business growth. The funding of this bespoke initiative brings mutual benefits to both the students and the companies involved.
Commenting on the programme, innovation director Laura Stevens said: “Working with a start-up hasn’t historically been the first place that students would look to gain experience, but actually we’ve found that the natural curiosity and fresh approach of new talent is a great fit with the culture of early stage tech businesses”. “The programme has been really successful to date and we are looking to broaden it to open up more opportunities in future”.
See below some images of some this year’s students and feedback on the scheme from some of our resident businesses who took part:
Pictured L-R: Mark Gilbert, Manager Director, MTJB. Rahul Ramachandran, Intern.
“We’ve done very well out of it – there’s been the opportunity to bring in fresh talent and understand if there’s a good fit between them and the business. It’s a win-win”.
Mark Gilbert – MTJB
Pictured L-R Danny Kokkinos, Intern. Camilla Fortuna Office Manager, Inheriting Earth.
“As a start-up, it’s not always a straightforward decision to fund an internship or placement. The financial support that comes with the UWE-Future Space programme makes offering an internship affordable and allows us to bring fresh perspectives into our business”
Camilla Fortuna – Inheriting Earth
“Working with a start-up you learn to be more flexible in what you are doing than with a larger company. I’d advise other students not to limit themselves to narrow definitions of jobs, as you can be curious and gain much broader experience.”
Danny Kokkinos – Intern @ Inheriting Earth
