EMGRAD

Objective

The company recruited Sachin Surti (BA Hons Product Design) and Emi Sokolova (MA Design Innovations) through De Montfort University’s Graduate Internship Programme. NSI Ltd were initially looking for a graduate with very specific skills to plug a short term gap in their production but after interviewing some of the candidates they found that Sachin and Emi could offer another dimension. Instead of offering a short term solution to NSI Ltd’s design output the graduates could offer a much improved way of supplying visual presentations both to company clients and internally. Through the intern’s experience of 3D drawing they were able to provide production staff with more precise illustrations of the finished goods.

Benefits to the company

Both Sachin and Emi were from very different degree disciplines to other graduates employed by the company in the past (usually Graphic Designers). This meant both candidates offered different skills to what NSI Ltd had previously considered. Sachin and Emi’s 3D design knowledge, in particular, has been of great advantage to NSI Ltd. Production staff had a much clearer vision of the required output from the illustrations that Sachin and Emi produced.

'I would say the scheme works very well for both parties and gives the business an opportunity to see what skills are available in an environment and be able to utilise those skills in a cost effective way. The scheme also gives graduates an opportunity to show their benefit to a business in a way that they wouldn’t otherwise get the opportunity to do so. I would highly recommend the scheme to anyone and would be happy to get involved with similar schemes in the future’

– Nick Kehoe, NSI Ltd

How have the interns benefited

‘Taking part in the internship scheme has been a great experience as this is my first true insight of the design industry. As well as learning new skills, I got to put my knowledge and creativity to practice. Getting work approved by clients and later seeing it realised is the best feeling for any designer and I am thriving on it. By the end of the internship, I will have had 6 months experience working in the field and therefore better prospects for my career, as well as the practical experience. I think this scheme is very beneficial both to students and employers and it is a great way to kick start your career or equally trial potential employers’

– Emi Sokolova

Outcome

The internship is been valuable for both the graduates and NSI Ltd. During the remainder of the internship, the company will work closely with each intern to see if a role can be developed to fit with the business needs and either of their skills. If such a role cannot be developed the internship will have resulted in both graduates gaining experience in their chosen area to enhance their future career prospects. The company will also have benefited by working with graduates from different design disciplines.