Neil Jones was contacted by Staffordshire University with an exciting opportunity to work with HaulTech as a graduate intern to develop software.
About Neil
Neil Jones graduated from university and went on to complete a PGCE, later finding that it was not for them. They worked temporarily as an IT technician at a school in Kidsgrove until they were contacted on LinkedIn by Staffordshire University with an exciting opportunity to work with HaulTech to develop a new software.
This opportunity was part of our university’s 'Staffordshire Digital Innovation Partnerships' (SDIPs) programme.
SDIPs is a university programme designed to bring together our students and graduates, local businesses, and university academics to collaborate on a project with the goal of developing a digital innovation for the business and giving students/graduates valuable paid work experience to enhance their future employability.
About the placement
HaulTech is a Staffordshire-based business which offers IT solutions for a variety of industries, and Neil was hired as a graduate intern to develop an app compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows.
Support received
Neil had frequent contact with academics who had expert knowledge of software engineering. The academics were available to support Neil with any concerns or issues such as implementing a feature or getting the programme to work a certain way.
Placement outcome
After completing the 5-month internship, HaulTech found that Neil was a brilliant asset to the team and offered them a full-time position as a Software Engineer.
Staffordshire Digital Innovation Partnerships (SDIPs) is a collaborative project between Staffordshire University and Staffordshire County Council; funded by Staffordshire University, Staffordshire County Council and the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020.
I would definitely recommend an internship because it gave me the perfect route for the industry that I wanted to be in. It [a placement] also gave me a lot of support that one would not receive when applying for a job.