Press release issued 20th June 2011

This project fits within our ‘Learning, Employability and Enterprise’ theme.

East Renfrewshire schools have the highest level of educational attainment and progression of any authority in Scotland sending twice the national average of school leavers to further and higher education.  Yet unemployment in the 19-24 age range has increased 2-fold since the onset of the recession in late 2008.

Working in partnership with East Renfrewshire Council, ERCET are providing a programme offering paid internships to unemployed and under employed graduates.  The programme places graduates within local organisations to carry out specific projects and to build business capacity.  As well as the obvious benefits to the individual in gaining valuable work experience putting their professional qualifications into practice, interns are making a significant contribution to the local economy by building business capacity in third sector organisations and meeting development needs.

Graduates are offered a temporary contract of at least 12 weeks and up to 52 weeks and are paid above the national minimum wage appropriate to the specific project.  Projects are both specific and time bound and allow graduates to practice their professional skills in areas that they want to work.

Existing graduates have a wide range of disciplines including – Law, Economics, Social Policy, Business, Marketing, Planning, Anthropology and Ecology.  Projects to date include:

• third sector development – marketing, communication, business planning & strategy, sponsorship & funding
• labour market and economic research
• housing – policy development, communication strategy, tenant consultation
• planning – policy development, developer contributions and community benefits, outdoor access, ranger services

We have set a target of recruiting and placing 20 graduates in local internships in 2011/12.

Graduates interested in applying for an internship position within East Renfrewshire send your CV.

For access to internship opportunities accross Scotland you should register you CV with the Centre for Social Public Policy who deliver the innovative ‘Adopt an Intern’ programme on behalf of the Scottish Governmentand with SCVO who administer the Third Sector Internship Scotland programme.  Links below

Third sector organisations in East Renfrewshire who require additional business capacity and who would like access to apply for an Intern, can submit their project proposal here. Support to help identify a potential project and submit a proposal is available through Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire.