Department for Enterprise launches Graduate Employability Training Programme

The Department for Enterprise has launched a Graduate Employability Training Programme designed to enhance recent graduate’s employability as they enter the job market.

The Graduate Employability Training Programme comprises a two week intensive course to provide graduates with the skills required to help them get ahead in the workplace.

It is intended that the training course will be delivered at multiple points throughout 2021 and 2022, scheduled in line with demand. The Training Programme will be free to graduate applicants, with funding provided by the Economic Recovery Group.

The first course commences on 6th September 2021 and offers 20 spaces available for graduates. The training will be delivered by End2endacademy, an Isle of Man based accredited training provider in management development, lean operational improvement, project, programme and change management.

The first week of the course will be focused on skills. Graduates will gain introductory skills in key business areas, including: customer service, customer relationship management, social media engagement, search engine optimisation, basic website requirements, basic bookkeeping, compliance and GDPR principles.

The second week will focus on more general employability skills, and in partnership with some of the Island’s recruitment agencies, graduates will receive training on topics including: CV writing, mock interviews, communication, team working and presentation skills, project management, problem solving, analytical skills with Microsoft Word and Excel (intermediate-level).

The programme will be aimed at individuals who have graduated within the past two years and are currently unemployed, as well as those who are within their first six months of employment post-graduation.

Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan MHK, who chairs the Economic Recovery Group, commented:

‘The Graduate Employability Training Programme’s content was designed following direct consultation with Isle of Man businesses through stakeholder workshops and surveys delivered through the Chamber of Commerce, as well as direct discussions with a number of employers, on the wide range of skills they look for when hiring to ensure our graduates are taught all the necessary skills to excel in the workplace.

‘The aim of the course is to equip recent graduates with knowledge which will support them as they enter the job market and to support SMEs who are able to utilise this broad range of skills that they otherwise would not hire for exclusively.

‘Providing career opportunities in the Isle of Man for qualified graduates is important to ensure the Island has the skills required to meet business requirements both now and in the future.’

Peter Ginty, Director at End2endacademy, said:

‘Through this training programme we will look to provide graduates with practical base-level business skills knowledge, which is interchangeable throughout different sectors and roles which they may be interested in pursuing throughout their careers.

‘I hope this course will act as a useful tool for recent graduates to support them as they take their first steps into employment in the Isle of Man.’

The Graduate Employability Training Programme forms part of the Department for Enterprise’s Graduate Ecosystem, which includes supportive measures for graduates looking to take up employment in the Island, including the Graduate Role Incentive.

For more information on the Graduate Employability Training Programme and to enrol on the first course, please visit: https://www.departmentforenterprise.im/island-wide-initiatives/graduate-ecosystem/graduate-employability-training-programme-old/