After a 1% rise in unemployment rates amongst the 16-25 year olds between June 2011 and February 2012, young people account for more than a quarter of the total Job Seeker’s Allowance [JSA] claimants in the city.

One reason for this may be that 40% of employers questioned said they found local recruitment unpredictable. However, taking on an intern can provide a cost effective way for employers to test-drive new recruits while allowing young people to gain vital work experience in their chosen fields.

Gary Peters, founder of BrightonandHoveJobs.com, said, “An internship can be a very rewarding experience for both parties involved”. “Employers are reluctant to take on staff without experience and potential employees are unable to get experience without a job. Internships and work experience placements can help solve this Catch 22 situation. They also allow graduates and course leavers the opportunity to convert theoretical skills learnt in education into relevant real-life work experience.”

The survey revealed that the barriers to taking on an intern include employers lacking time to implement a scheme and the need for more straightforward information on how to make opportunities available.

Gary added: “Some companies may have considered offering apprenticeships and then realised that their business does not have on-going workloads or staffing capacity to engage and support a new employee on a long term basis. They could, however, have specific projects or short term contracts to be delivered where a graduate with a sector relevant degree could add real value.”

Despite the financial climate, nearly half of the companies surveyed planned to expand during 2012 and another third are cautiously optimistic about growth.

Rebecca Duffy, Internships Officer at the University of Brighton, said, “We run an internships scheme here at the University, and we’re delighted to announce that we have also been awarded nine additional internships for small–to-medium enterprises, part-funded by Santander UK. We can help match the right graduate to the job, in areas as varied as marketing, IT, social care, engineering and design to name but a few. We also work with BrightonandHoveJobs.com to promote the vacancies to the best candidates.

Further details on how to engage an intern in your business can be obtained by contacting the University of Brighton Careers Service on 01273 642855 or careers@brighton.ac.uk