Noteworthy - the University of Bedfordshire alumni newsletter

Are you a graduate looking for that all important quality work experience? Are you an employer? Or do you work for a company, large or small, which needs help from high-calibre graduates?

Backing Young Britain is a government initiative supported by employers, trade unions and the University of Bedfordshire.

The aim is to provide recent graduates with paid internship opportunities. This means employers get to see the best of the new talent that is available and graduates have the opportunity to apply their new skills.

With 150 paid graduate internships planned for this year, it is hoped that many Bedfordshire graduates will benefit from the scheme, either as potential interns or as potential employers.

If you are a recent graduate looking for an internship visit Graduate Talent Pool.

You can search for vacancies in your specialism and region, as well as register to apply. Internships are typically eight to 12 weeks and could be the springboard to a permanent post.

Graduate Animesh Chowdhury (Robotics & Artificial Intelligence, 2009) began an internship as a Marketing and Advertising Developer with 1A-Instalec Ltd in March 2010. This was the first internship set up under the scheme. He said: “It can be a real challenge for graduates to get a break, so this opportunity is exactly what I had been looking for.”

There are advantages for employers too - you will benefit from the skills of a top graduate. Plus, companies will receive a significant financial subsidy from the University to help reduce the cost of employing the graduate.

Employers that can offer an internship to a graduate should visit the University of Bedfordshire Knowledge Hub website or call 0800 328 5334.

Please pass on details of the scheme to family and friends who could benefit either as an employer or a graduate.

His Royal Highness, The Earl of Wessex, visited the Putteridge Bury campus in January and gained an insight into how the University is mobilising young people ahead of the London 2012 Olympics.

Prince Edward, who is Patron of the British Paralympic Association, listened to presentations on globalised education linked to London 2012.

He also launched a page on Facebook on behalf of the University.

Using the social networking site, the University wants to create a group of youngsters internationally who share an interest in the Olympic and Paralympic Games and educational success.

He also met with some of the founder members of this network who have been dubbed ‘cultural ambassadors’.

These are young people from Bedfordshire’s schools and colleges who visited Beijing in August 2008 during the Olympic Games, as part of an initiative organised by the University and the Bedfordshire Olympic Opportunities Support Team (BOOST).

Each of the cultural ambassadors will be assigned to a country and will be developing relationships electronically with youngsters and their schools and colleges.

Steve Kendall, Associate Dean of the Partnership Office at the University, who set up the Beijing visit, said: “We want to provide a link between sporting excellence and academic excellence.”

He added: “It’s about inspiring young people to succeed and to reach their potential. The Earl of Wessex has an interest in the Commonwealth, sport and young people and it all knits together well.”

Read more about the initiative on Facebook.

The University is undertaking research into minority ethnic students who attain highly at undergraduate level.

The innovative research, called Eyes on the Prize, is being conducted by the Teaching and Learning Directorate at the University.

It is part of a nationwide Higher Education Academy initiative involving 15 universities and aiming to enhance student success.

The University of Bedfordshire has a diverse student population with 46 per cent of undergraduate students classifying themselves as of a heritage other than ‘White British’.

Yet within this context, data indicates that students of White heritage are more likely to gain ‘good’ degrees of upper second class or first class honours than Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students.

The overwhelming focus of current research in education policy and practice has been on ‘underachievement’ of BME students.

The Eyes on the Prize research project will instead challenge representations of BME undergraduates as simply ‘failing’ or ‘problem’ students. It will also provide fresh insights into what generates high attainment.

Alumni who attained first class honours are being interviewed and discussion groups are being conducted with current undergraduates on how the University can contribute to student success.

A key outcome of the research will be to make recommendations through which the University can improve the attainment of its students.

If you’re a graduate of the Department of Computer Science and Technology, you could stand to benefit from a new prize scheme.

Luton entrepreneur Jan Telensky (pictured), who is Chairman and Chief Executive of SkillsTrain, has joined forces with the University and donated £30,000 to launch two awards.

The Graduate Of The Year Award (GOYA), worth £15,000, will be presented to an alumnus of the Department of Computer Science and Technology who is deemed to have made the most impact on business in five years. There will be a runners-up prize of £7,500.

The prizes are also about giving back to the University - winners will receive half of the prize money with the other half being donated to an area of support of their choosing within the University.

There will also be awards available for current Computer Science and Technology students. Called the Student Advancement Reward (STAR), the first place is worth £5,000 and the runner-up will receive £2,500.

The awards will be judged by a panel made up of distinguished individuals in business, University staff and chaired by Mr Telensky and will be presented at graduation ceremonies this summer.

University of Bedfordshire Vice Chancellor Professor Les Ebdon, CBE, said: “The University is thrilled to launch these awards and is delighted that through Mr Telensky’s generosity our students and alumni will benefit.”