Internship Programme extended until the end of 2020

The Summer Internship Programme led by Business Isle of Man, an Executive Agency of the Department for Enterprise, has been extended until the end of 2020 to allow for further applications from both individuals and businesses across the Isle of Man.

The programme focused on individuals aged 18 -25 was one of the first initiatives to be supported under the £100m Economic Recovery Fund that was announced by Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan MHK in his budget update to July’s Tynwald.

Following the success of the pilot programme whereby over 110 Manx students were successfully matched with local businesses, additional funding has been allocated to support a further 50 placements, with applications open until the end of 2020 and the following caveats for hosts (businesses, third sector and other organisations) in place:

• New hosts that have not previously participated in the programme will receive full wage support at a weekly rate of £256 per week for their intern
• Hosts who have previously participated in the programme and have since offered their intern full-time employment will receive full wage support at a weekly rate of £256 per week for their new intern
• Hosts who have previously participated in the programme but not offered their intern full-time employment will receive 70% of funding towards wage support for  either an extension of their previous intern or a new internship placement

Placements will last for an average of 6 weeks, with flexible options for them to run for shorter or longer periods if required, based on project availability and study commencement dates. Organisations will be matched with young people and students who are looking to gain real world work experience, build their CV and develop interpersonal skills.

John Keggin, owner of Island Escapes said:

‘As a business heavily reliant upon tourism, 2020 has been an extremely challenging year for us. We have had to adapt our business model to resonate with the local market alongside undertaking coronavirus recovery work. The programme helped us to find a fantastic match for the skillsets we required through Nick Venables. Nick was invaluable in assisting us with an email marketing strategy that will now act as a key feature of our communications as it enables us to build our database and stakeholder engagement. Undoubtedly, the programme has helped us as a business to move forward which we’re confident in turn will help us to bounce back much quicker.’

Lawrie Hooper MHK, Political Member for Business Isle of Man said:

‘Overall, the feedback received from the pilot internship programme has been fantastic from both individuals and hosts. In a business feedback survey, I was delighted to see that 70% of hosts rated the matching of their intern to their project as excellent. Most importantly, it also told us that 15 individuals have since been employed by their business host as a direct result of the positive contribution and impact they made during their internship. This re-confirmed the true value of the initiative in supporting our people and moving forward quickly towards a strong future economy.

I am therefore pleased to announce the extension of the programme which will allow for the creation of a further 50 placements. This will no doubt provide more direct opportunities for our young people to improve their employability and skills for the future, but further support businesses with additional resource to help with specific projects or coronavirus recovery work.’

For more information or to apply for the programme, please visit: www.businessisleofman.com/internships