The Department of Economic Development is seeking undergraduates to participate in the 2014 STEP scheme, which places second or penultimate year undergraduates with local companies to undertake work on skill-centric projects, for eight weeks, during their summer break. Typically, around 30 projects per year are undertaken.
Minister for Economic Development John Shimmin MHK commented:
‘The Department is committed to helping young people reach their potential and help find the right career for them. Participating in the STEP scheme enables undergraduates to apply the learning from their degree course and complement that with new workplace skills which can be valuable when they go on to seek employment.
‘Vision2020 has identified that we will require more skilled workers over the next few years to help drive economic growth so schemes like this are an important way for our local students to start engaging with the world of work.’
Students participating in the programme will receive a tax and National Insurance free training allowance of £210 per week as well as the opportunity to work on a genuine business project.
The closing date for student applications is 9th April 2014. Projects from local organisations can be submitted up until early June 2014. Application forms can be found at http://www.gov.im/categories/working-in-the-isle-of-man/step-scheme/
Any undergraduate or local organisation requiring information on STEP should contact Sam Birchall at the Department of Economic Development by telephone on (01624) 682383 or by email at Sam.Birchall@gov.im
Further information on STEP:
STEP is a UK-wide programme which has been administered by the Department for the Isle of Man region for over a decade during which time more than 230 projects have been successfully completed.
Each student is carefully matched with the specific needs of a local company and at the end of the eight weeks the students present their projects where they compete for the prestigious title of ‘Most Enterprising Student’.
Last year the award went to Penny Crookshank who completed an Environmental/Capital Impact Analysis for Colas Holdings Ltd. Other projects in the past have included e-Business, marketing, production and design and environmental audits.
Students are able to conduct research, analyse information, think objectively and report results clearly, as well as provide physical and practical solutions to challenges. They can work with minimal supervision to advance a project by delivering real tangible benefits and add value that exceeds the modest cost of their employment - £210 per-week - funded by participating organisations.
Each placement will be co-ordinated by local businessman, Ian Moncrief-Scott, who has been involved with the scheme for a number of years.
STEP used to stand for Shell Technology Enterprise Programme. Some years ago Shell withdrew sponsorship but the programme organisers decided to keep the abbreviated name.
