Two master’s students secured their ideal jobs through our Graduate Internship Scheme.

When Hans Luchoo and Stephen Brown graduated last year, Britain was in deep recession. Both wanted to stay in the region, but knowing it would be tough to get their foot on the career-ladder they turned to the University’s award-winning careers service for help.

Also contacting the careers service was Maurice Olum, an entrepreneur and owner of Solumac Ltd, a Stockton-based company specialising in software development and web-based applications. He was looking for a couple of graduates to help build up his business.

They were put in contact with each other by Jan Harris, business adviser in the University’s careers department, who recommended the Government-backed graduate internships.

The Government internship scheme was launched earlier this year and is supported nationally by the Federation of Small Businesses and by a number of universities, including Teesside.

Hans came to Teesside from Mauritius to initially study for a BSc (Hons) Computer Studies followed by the MSc Web Enterprise, while Stephen, from Hartlepool, completed the MSc Visual and Web Applications.

So impressed with the graduates
Mr Olum said: 'We’ve had graduates on placement before, but I was so impressed with Hans and Stephen that I offered both of them permanent jobs when their ten-week internships finished. The scheme gives businesses financial support from the University, so it was easier for us to offer the placements to graduates looking for paid work experience.

'Hans is working on web development and helping us to market the business, while Stephen is a great computer programmer and has been helping us to develop lots of tailor-made applications for clients. I’m very impressed with both of them and delighted we were able to employ them full-time.'

Hans, 28, said: 'The placement really fitted in with what I’d studied during my master’s. I was able to put the skills I’d learned into practice. Internships offer a good opportunity to continue learning and develop skills while gaining vital experience working in the role. I found it a very positive experience.'

Stephen, 41, said: 'I was seeking a new direction and decided to complete the MSc part-time. In the past I’d completed schemes designed to help get people back into work, but I found the internship was really tailored to what I was aiming to do. It offers a chance to gain vital work experience while developing the skills you’ve learned at university.'

Jan Harris, from the University’s careers service, said: 'I am really pleased that graduates are able to access this programme to increase their employability. The Graduate Internship programme allows us to help graduates of the last two years to attain work experience which may lead to a permanent job.

'The University’s careers service has the Matrix Quality Standard, which is a National Quality Standard achieved by organisations delivering information, advice and guidance services for learning and work.'

Solumac recently won a contract to provide Social Media training to Voluntary community groups in the North East. The course is geared towards informing organisations of the fast growing social media tools that can be utilised to help organisations achieve their targets. Areas covered include Tees VALLEY, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. Please visit our section under Social Media to find out more about our workshops.

Maurice Olum of Solumac limited was appointed as one of three North East ICT Champion, alongside Carl Chapman (Camsent Limited) and Lewis Atkinson (Community IT Academy).
The North East ICT Champion task is to form of mapping of what ICT support is available to voluntary and community groups and organisations from Local Infrastructure Organisations.
This will be a national mapping and give us an idea of the full remit of support available across our sector and more importantly inform you of where you can find it.
In addition, the champions will be conducting case studies on around 10 dedicated ICT Support organisations (of subtly different shapes and sizes) who sustainably have provided support to our sector for some time and in a respected and valued way.
Back again to trusted people who know how you work and how to help you.
The idea with this is that the case studies will provide learning about how to work with and support our sector.
They'll say what support is offered and why their clients and customers return to them, they'll cover what the people do not do and why that is (recycling etc).
More information about the ICT Champion work can be found on the Vonne website.

We at Solumac do not just work hard but also play hard. Come and participate alongside our events suitable for families, couples and individuals. See www.events4fun.co.uk for further details.

Maurice Olum of Solumac limited did a presentation titled "North East ICT Champions – How can your organisation benefit?" where he explained the impact of North East Champions to Voluntary communities in the North East.
The event was to celebrate the role of Digital champions in the North East and showcase some of the achievements of individuals who have gone through the programme.
The Digital Champions community programme within Digital Discovery Route (DDR) supports NE Community, Charity and Voluntary groups develop their understanding of technology and build confidence in leading developments within of digital learning in their own communities.
Please visit www.digitaldiscovery.ning.com for further information.

Maurice Olum of Solumac did another presentation alongside Andrew Samuel of Vonne to communities based in Tees Valley, informing them of the progress to date on his role as North East ICT Champion. The presentation mainly focussed on a recent survey he conducted to asses Information and Communications Technology (ICT) requirements for voluntary groups based in Tees Valley. With nearly 200 respondents the survey provides a worthy read in terms of important ICT issues affecting these organisations as well as some useful recommendations. The full survey report can be downloaded from www.vonne.org.uk/policy/sectorissues/ict.

Maurice Olum was honoured to receive an Award for Business contribution of the year 2006. This was in recognition of his support to individuals and organisations in the Tees Valley community. This is an annual event and this year the event will be held on 1st October 2010 at Middlesbrough Town Hall. Visit www.tasteofafrica.org for more information.

Solumac believes in supporting the local community and participate in various charity activities. The Princes trust is one such charity and Solumac was involved in fundraising to help support Princes Trust Initiative. Amongst their objectives is to hel build confidence in young people and support them in creation of projects and businesses to help them achieve their goals. Why not get involved -visit www.princes-trust.org.uk.