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SMEs experience growth with Northumbria University internship funding

Over 130 businesses have benefitted from a package of services delivered by Northumbria University throughout 2021 and 2022, to enhance the competitiveness and growth of SMEs in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland.

Northumbria Enterprise and Business Support offers funding to facilitate graduate internships, support for new graduate enterprises, and recruitment and human resource development support for micro-businesses.

A beneficiary of the Internship Scheme is Newcastle based SmartCarbon Ltd. The business was established in 2016 by Chartered Environmentalist and carbon expert Anna-Lisa Mills to support organisations of any size or sector to calculate, report and reduce carbon emissions. It had four team members but was looking to expand as demand for its services was increasing. Northumbria Enterprise and Business Support (NEBS2) contributed to its growth plans through recruitment of Northumbria Masters graduate Anindya Chaterjee.

Anindya completed an MSc in Environmental Management at Northumbria University and was identified as an ideal candidate following an earlier student placement, where he worked with the business on a project to help The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust calculate its carbon emissions. With funding support through NEBS2, SmartCarbon was able to employ Anindya and pay his salary as an intern before offering him a permanent role on the Team.

Graeme Mills, Operations Director at SmartCarbon, said:

“This is an exciting and busy period for us as more organisations seek advice and guidance to help reduce their carbon emissions. We are working with a diverse range of organisations including large NHS Trusts, social housing providers and construction companies – all committed to responding to the climate emergency. Anindya’s experience and expertise is proving very useful as we support organisations to engage their suppliers in their next zero strategy.

Businesses and governments are realising the urgency in responding to the climate emergency and measuring your carbon is the first step on this journey. Having a talented and highly qualified graduate like Anindya is hugely beneficial for us and our clients – something that was made affordable and really simple to do through the support of NEBS2.“

Northumbria Enterprise and Business Support is also offering support to small businesses who are thinking of recruiting talent but are not yet ready to do so. The Programme enables small businesses to tap into specialist recruitment and human resource development support from university experts. It helps businesses to shape their recruitment and HR practices at zero cost through online advice, workshops, and mentoring, which is delivered by highly skilled and successful business practitioners.

Businesses wishing to benefit from funding to recruit a graduate on a 6-month internship should, ideally, apply before the end of August, though shorter internships will be considered for later applications.

For further information on Northumbria Enterprise and Business Support (NEBS2) you can visit the website at www.northumbria.ac.uk/nebs or email internships@northumbria.ac.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Northumbria University .