Overview

Graduate Programme offers students in Higher Education the opportunity to develop skills from setting up and running their own company. Graduate Programme enables students to develop attitudes and skills necessary for personal success, lifelong learning and employability.

It also helps students to gain an understanding of the potential of SMEs as future employers, and to consider self-employment and business creation as possible future career options.

>> Contact Young Enterprise to discuss the Graduate Programme

Graduate Programme

The Young Enterprise Graduate Programme gives undergraduate university students the opportunity to test-out self employment and experience the exhilaration of running their own company, giving them an insight into how their talents could be used to set up in business for themselves.

The Graduate Programme is designed for students aged primarily between 18 and 25+ on Higher Education courses covering any discipline. The students may come from a particular discipline or be drawn from a wide range of subject areas. Participating in the Graduate Programme may contribute towards a degree course or may be undertaken on an entirely voluntary basis.

The programme runs for one academic year in which time a group of graduates set up in business, raise share capital, design and make a product or service and get it to market. Each company has the support of a Volunteer Business Mentor on hand to advise and assist the students as much or as little as they need.

During their year of trading, Young Enterprise companies have the opportunity to participate in Young Enterprise Trade Fairs where they can sell their products, market their services, and so boost their sales and experience.

International Young Enterprise company trading is also supported through a free 'International Links' website which allows Young Enterprise companies from around the world to forge links, share experiences and ideas, arrange trade fair exchange visits or trade with their partner company.

There is an optional qualification for students who have run a Graduate Programme Company.

As a result of participating in the Graduate Programme, students:

• Develop attitudes and skills necessary for personal success, lifelong learning and employability, plus an understanding of how business works
• May find that the programme contributes to their chosen degree course as an accredited module and helps to put theory into practice
• Find that the activity provides an insight into many career areas, including an understanding of what it might be like working for a small company
• Gain an insight into self-employment, business creation, risk taking and coping with adversity, with advice and support available
• May have the opportunity to present their own business ideas to a panel of Business Consultants and other appropriate persons
• Have the opportunity to progress to 'assistant business volunteer', helping to deliver a Young Enterprise programme in a school, enhancing business skills as well as having the opportunity to develop mentoring skills
• Have the national/international recognition of Young Enterprise to add to the value of their CV
• Create for themselves a business experience to draw on in job applications and interviews.

>> Contact Young Enterprise to discuss the Graduate Programme