IT companies urged to take on paid interns

SCOTTISH IT companies are being urged to offer paid work experience to computing students to help fill a growing skills-gap and tackle the country’s youth unemployment crisis.

The “Let’s Get Paid” initiative aims to match small firms with students who have the right skills to work for them.

During its first year, more than 1,000 students have registered with the scheme, with nearly 200 being allocated paid internships.

Companies taking part have to pay recruits at least the minimum wage but many have chosen to offer higher rates of up to £20,000 a year.

The E-placement Scotland programme, which is organising the placements, is run by trade body ScotlandIS, the E-skills UK sector skills council and Edinburgh Napier University.

Polly Purvis, chief executive of ScotlandIS, said: “The placements have become like extended job interviews. Our team works hard to match the skills the students have to the needs of the companies.

“A lot of students have gone on to get either part-time work from the firms or even full-time jobs when they leave college or university.”

Student Alex Macrae, who landed a job after six months working with No Need For Mirrors (NN4M), said: “Being offered a full-time job has been incredible. On the placement, I was given valuable work to do – it was tough – but I had a lot of help.”

Lorraine Howard, founder of NN4M, said: “It is critical for small companies that a recruit fits in well with the team. Working with undergraduates is great, we find they adapt quickly and fit in with the company in a very short space of time, although a time commitment from the business is necessary to get the best from the student.”

Scotland’s IT sector already employs 100,000 people and contributes about £4 billion a year to the economy. Projections suggest a further 40,000 jobs will be created in the sector in the next five years.

Sally Smith, E-placement Scotland’s project director and head of Edinburgh Napier University’s computing school, said: “With record unemployment and a growing skills shortage, our message is that the IT sector is buoyant and it is hiring.”

Purvis said the scheme appealed to small firms in particular which don’t have the resources to go on university “milk rounds” to recruit graduates.