Scoop up some fresh talent

Graduate Advantage offers FREE recruitment services to small and medium sized (SME) businesses across the West Midlands.

Our internships can vary in length from short projects to longer term roles (maximum of 12 months) and come in a variety of flavours including paid and voluntary.

To assist an SME with finding their graduate intern we offer a number of services including:

  • FREE Payroll and HR Service
  • Paid internships
  • Voluntary internships

We can find you graduates with skills in areas including: Marketing, Business, IT, Science, Design and Engineering as well as enthusiasm and a genuine desire to gain experience.

Graduate Advantage is adept in supporting high growth SMEs looking to take on graduates for the first time. We have had graduates complete internships in all business sectors with projects including:

  • developing new products
  • researching new markets and product lines
  • diversifying your customer base
  • implementing a business development plan
  • designing and launching a new website
  • analysis of production line wastage
  • assisting in the preparation of press releases and desk research
  • supporting the organiser of projects and events
  • supporting the writing of engaging company literature and website

Funded and supported by ten West Midlands' Universities, Graduate Advantage is a unique one stop shop to finding your perfect intern. Graduate Advantage is based at Aston University and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

The West Midlands is the only region in England to have this kind of service.

To be eligible for assistance from Graduate Advantage, a business must meet eligibility criteria.

Our services are only available to private sector SME businesses, registered charities or social enterprises based in the West Midlands region, subject to criteria.

 


For the purposes of this scheme an SME business is categorised as having less than 250 employees (full-time workers employed during one year with part-time workers being fractions of one full-time worker).

Voluntary internships must be on a part-time basis up to a maximum of 30 hours per week and a maximum of 16 weeks.

Companies should have an annual turnover of 50 million euros (c.34 million sterling) or less, or a balance sheet of 43 million euros (c.39 million sterling) or less.

Companies must be less than 25% owned by one or more companies not falling into this definition (for example public investment corporations, institutional investors or venture capital companies, provided no control is exercised).