Summer students deliver the goods
Posted on 22 October 2010
Harrogate-based Bettys and Taylors Ltd and the Food and Environmental Research Agency (FERA) at Sandhutton each hosted six students recruited through the University’s Student Internship Bureau.
Set individual projects that were designed to deliver long term benefits for their hosts the students also gained valuable work experience and income to help to fund their studies. Both employers have held events to review and celebrate their interns’ achievements.
Interns at Bettys & Taylors were involved in a range of tasks, including cataloguing the history of the Yorkshire Tea brand, organising events for the Great Yorkshire Show and researching sustainable tea buying and African development.
Katy Squire, Communications Manager at Bettys & Taylors, said: “University of York interns are capable of delivering to a brief, and working self sufficiently to high standards.”
Students at FERA managed survey work for the National Bee Unit and helped to introduce a handheld bar coding device for managing the thousands of samples the Agency gathers each year.
It’s been a really useful and interesting experience. We’d both definitely recommend this to other students
Sarah Walkington and Catherine Johnson
Dr Sarah Oehlschlager, Resource Manager for FERA said: “The summer internship programme has been very positive for us on so many levels. We have been able to complete projects that will carry our work forward into the future and allowed us to use the skills of six bright and enthusiastic young people.”
Students Sarah Walkington and Catherine Johnson, who worked with the National Bee Unit, added: “It’s been a really useful and interesting experience. We’d both definitely recommend this to other students – the people here have been great with us.”
The University’s Student Internship Bureau worked with 17 employers this summer to provide York students with paid work experience, including larger employers, such as East Coast Rail, as well as small and start-up businesses keen to use student skills on a short term basis.
Andrew Ferguson, of the University’s Careers Service, said: “The Student Internship Bureau is an excellent way for businesses to interact with the University and enables our students to show what a great contribution they can make to the local economy.”
Notes to editors:
- Created in 2009 the University of York’s Student Internship Bureau works with employers around the UK to help them develop their businesses using the skills of York students. The Bureau offers employers flexible, low administration and value for money ways to bring in York students to address specific projects.
- The University of York has around 12,000 students in disciplines including management and accounting, computer science, electronics and the traditional academic subjects. The subject mix has recently expanded to include Law and Theatre, Film and Television. Students bring a variety of skills and enthusiasm to a range of business problems often producing lasting, tangible benefits for their host organisations. A range of case studies can be seen at www.yorkinternships.co.uk
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