Internship scheme gives graduates Time2Grow

Two graduates who signed up for a University-backed internship programme became ‘class acts’ when they were matched with a local online learning company, leading to full-time jobs for both.

Emmanuel Ofori-Attah – who is currently studying for his PhD in computing – and Amber Miller – who is a Graphic Communications graduate – went on to career success after joining the Time2Grow Graduate Internship programme.

Time2Grow matches local businesses with skilled UON graduates to work on a project to help an organisation tackle their most challenging problems. The University employs the graduates and funds 60% of the cost of their employment with the organisation.

Emmanuel and Amber were selected by Spokes Education, who had a busy period on their immediate horizon. They needed a quick, low-risk way to bring new talent into their company, whilst also giving graduates quality work experience in the process.

First up was Emmanuel who worked on a range of e-learning projects as well as helping out with internal jobs such as developing a video and photo library. He also completed a full project, creating an online course for a national charity.

Of his time at Spokes, Emmanuel said: “I was very happy and felt blessed to have the internship. I really learnt a lot and enjoyed working with the team; it was a great experience and really changed my perspective about office jobs. I thought they would be busy, strict environments with little interaction. But I was proven wrong. I learnt new skills every day, such as leadership and how to better communicate.

“I know without a shadow of a doubt those skills have helped me integrate very well with the company I am currently working (Web Seller Pro) where I am employed as a Junior Web Developer.

“In a world where experience is just as important as a degree, Time2Grow gave me the opportunity to grasp that experience in an actual working environment. The plus side was that I also got paid! The program is great and other students should definitely look at getting the edge on other post-university job seekers, too.”

Emmanuel Ofori-Attah.

Emmanuel’s internship was so successful Spokes decided to recruit another intern, which is how Amber joined the team.  She went on to become Spokes’ first dedicated graphic designer, bringing with her a number of skills that were missing from the team.

She worked on projects such as designing brochures, posters, infographics and animation characters. Amber is now a full-time member of staff at Spokes and said: “I have autism and had struggled to get any form of employment after graduating as sometimes people see the condition before the person, so I was really happy to get the internship with Spokes. It’s a great programme, I just wish I had known about it sooner!”

Phil Spokes, Director of Spokes Education, added: “We were so impressed with Emmanuel’s work that we were completely decided about working with another University graduate; both Emmanuel and Amber proved to be such valuable members of the team. Being part of Time2Grow has helped us to grow as a company; so much so that in the last 12 months, we have gone from a full-time staff of three to 11.”