£3m graduate service launches in West Mids
More than 200 West Midlands businesses are set to benefit from a new graduate placement service part funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The scheme will provide 1,200 internship opportunities across the region.
West Midlands universities will enter into partnerships with small businesses in the region through the project, which received £1.6m in ERDF investment.
The funding will be matched by the region’s universities and the private sector. The three-year service will look to keep graduates in the region, with a long term goal of boosting business performance.
The new scheme will be led by Graduate Advantage (GA) and managed by Aston University.
Aston will be working alongside nine other higher education institutions – Birmingham City University, Coventry University, Keele University, Staffordshire University, University of Birmingham, University College Birmingham, University of Warwick, University of Wolverhampton and University of Worcester.
Mark Foley, Director for European Programmes at Advantage West Midlands, said: “ERDF funding is vital to the development of the West Midlands. Supporting small businesses and creating jobs are key priorities and schemes such as this are excellent examples of how the funding can benefit the region as a whole and also the people and businesses living and working here.”
