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More funding for an extra 75 graduate interns has been secured so even more companies can benefit from the skills and talents of a recent graduate at low cost and with low risk. The internship project which is part of the national initiative, Backing Young Britain, aims to help both local companies and graduates looking to gain valuable work experience. So far we have matched a number of suitable graduates with a broad range of local companies. Whether you are looking for help with a specific project or just want to see how a graduate could fit into your business, an internship could be the way forward for you.
The internships are already proving to be successful for both business and graduates. Luton-based electrical engineers and contractors, Instalec, hired recent graduate Animesh Chowdhury to help them develop new advertising and marketing initiatives to increase their market share and allow them to break into new markets. During his placement, Aminesh also assisted in the development of the company website to ensure it provided up-to-date information for prospective clients.
Our internships last between eight and twelve weeks and graduates can come from any UK university. The graduates are paid the national minimum wage and the employer is subsidised by the University to reduce this cost significantly. Funding is provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
For more information about the internship project or to secure a graduate for your company click here.
Frustrated that you can’t rib your Spanish counterparts about the thrashing they got against Switzerland in the World Cup? Make it your mission to speak to your foreign business contacts in their language and see how a bit of friendly banter could improve your relationships. You could be fluent in a host of languages by the next World Cup by registering yourself now on a commercial language course at The Knowledge Hub.
From Spanish to Italian, Mandarin Chinese to German, we offer a wide range of business-focused language and cultural training courses for companies or individuals. So whether you’re a complete beginner, want to polish up your school languages or hone your finely tuned language skills, we can provide the course that can help you compete more effectively in overseas markets. Our language courses are offered on a bespoke basis which allows us to create a tailored language course to meet your business needs. Our courses also include cultural coaching to help you avoid any unnecessary faux pas.
Courses are delivered at our Luton and Bedford campuses and are organised based on demand. They can also be delivered in-company to a group of employees. If you’d like to score a goal for international relations, register your interest or find out more about our courses click here.
If you’ve got a bright idea for a new business and need to develop it into a real commercial model, The Knowledge Hub can help you find your inner entrepreneur, provide support and advice from experienced businesses coaches and turn your idea into a real business success.
Twelve lucky South Bedfordshire entrepreneurs will be selected to receive free support and advice on how to turn their idea into a business concept at a Concept Day as part of the Venture Academy Series. From target markets and potential competitors, to creating the products and services themselves, the entrepreneurs will be given advice on a range of business disciplines to enable them to fully consider their ideas in the real commercial world.
The Business Concept Day takes place on 8 July at Putteridge Bury Campus, Luton and the delegates will be coached by the University of Bedfordshire’s Innovation Director, Wesley Randle, and Clive Haywood, Principal Consultant at the University of Bedfordshire’s Knowledge Hub.
Entrepreneurs whose ideas can be turned into businesses will be invited back to the Investment Readiness Day to perfect their ‘Elevator Pitch’ followed by Deal Day, at which participants will meet a team of investors. There will also be a chance to learn more about the wide range of business support schemes and events offered by the University of Bedfordshire’s Knowledge Hub and other local and regional agencies. Many of these have been specifically created to help small and growing enterprises acquire the skills and knowledge they need to grow.
Applicants will need to supply a 120 word synopsis of their business idea and thoughts on the business concept. For further information and to find out how to submit your entry, click here or contact us on 0800 328 5334 or email us on knowledge@beds.ac.uk
Ecostyle
Ltd picked up the Business
Innovation Award, at the inaugural FSB Bedfordshire Small Business Awards on
27 May, held at Luton Hoo.
The awards honoured small businesses that had excelled against a range of measures and performed well under the recession of 2009. The competition was open to all businesses with fewer than 50 employees based in Bedfordshire.
We were proud to sponsor the Business Innovation prize which was awarded to Luton-based Ecostyle Ltd for their educational renewable energy kits. Their demonstration models, used to promote awareness and understanding of renewable energy encourage the production of energy from sustainable sources. The runner up prize was awarded to locker storage company, Lockertek.
Eamonn Keenan, Associate Director here at the Knowledge Hub said: "We were very impressed by Ecostyle's commitment to renewable energy and to the importance of helping young people understand the issues. Their models of wind turbines and solar panels really make the technology easy to understand. This is a business based in Luton that manufactures locally, so the local economy benefits too."
Innovation is not as high tech as some people may think – it is not just about new products but also new business processes, new approaches to market and new services. And it is a key area of activity for us . We offer businesses access to training, events, academic expertise, technology and research, to help them to innovate and achieve sustainable growth. Initiatives such as Innovation Day, at which Simon Hall, Director of Ecostyle Ltd was a guest speaker, provide delegates with the skills they can take away and apply to their businesses.
We’re delighted to announce that Wesley Randle has joined us as Innovation Director for the University of Bedfordshire. Innovation is a key area of activity for the University and Dr Randle is tasked with enabling local businesses to access the help they need in order to innovate and achieve sustainable growth.
Dr Randle’s work in innovation acts as a catalyst for inward investment to the area through an exciting and innovative range of services, thus adding to the economic fortunes of the region. The University offers businesses access to training, events, academic expertise, technology, research, scientists, consultants and graduates. Initiatives like Innovation Day and our innovation clinics can assist businesses from any sector and they will benefit from the skills they are able to take away from these events.
Before joining the University of Bedfordshire, Dr Randle read Applied Biology at Bath University whilst undertaking an industrial placement at GlaxoSmithKline PLC working on human cord blood and toxicology models.
Dr Randle went on to achieve a PhD in Bone Tissue Engineering at Imperial College (University of London) where he generated intellectual property from his research, which was subsequently published in peer reviewed journals and won internationally recognised awards. One of these publications* was recently selected as a seminal article to be re-published in the second edition of “Advances in Tissue Engineering”. During this time he consulted for NovaThera Ltd and went on to join the company in Business Development, progressing to Programme Director in 2007. He completed an Executive MBA at Cranfield University in January 2010.
Dr Randle’s role is supported by EEDA and Luton Borough Council.
