Overview: Advantage: YOU is an intern scheme aimed at undergraduate students, postgraduate students and graduates to gain real life work experience. Through engaging with local partners and national governing bodies students and graduates can apply for a six month, one day a week placement within one of these organisations. Advantage: YOU provides interns with development experience and training in the workplace to enhance their employability in the future. Interns are supported through line management within their host organisation and mentoring support of Yorkshire Sport Foundation development officers. This allows interns to develop an understanding of the industry through in-depth knowledge of their host organisation and an oversight through the work of the CSP. Working to a specific work programme the interns gain experience of project management, partnership working and relationship management as well as role specific skills.
Insight: Advantage: YOU was developed to offer much needed capacity to small and medium sized NGB’s who often do not have the resources to reach into communities and tackle significant challenges or support individual clubs at a local level. Now, it also delivers capacity to local partners who are increasingly stretched. The capacity allows for the completion of targeted project work for these partners. The project also adds value to the learning and development of future sports development professionals. Advantage: YOU provides on the job training for students and graduates who are often lacking this experience when they reach the professional environment.
Local Leadership: Advantage: YOU as a project is entirely locally led through the needs of local and national partners wanting support in communities that are local to us. Throughout this project we have been able to be locally driven by customer needs and seek out opportunities for interns that would provide the best quality experience for them. Interns are able to develop and deliver projects with the support and guidance of their host organisation and YSF mentor to fulfil local demand and match the needs of the area.
Innovation, impact and sustainability: Advantage: YOU meets the demand of local organisations and national governing bodies whilst providing industry specific support to students and graduates improving their employability for the future. Each year we are able to recruit new students and graduates who are keen to develop on the job experience of the industry and put into practice the skills and theory they have learnt during their studies. As the number of sports graduates continues to rise there will be an increased demand for opportunities to develop skills and gain experience outside of the degree courses to meet the expectations of employers. As the project meets the demand of local partners there will be continuous capacity to fill for organisations wishing to try new projects or provide additional support to their existing workforce.
Several interns that have completed the Advantage: YOU project have gone on to work within the sector including work for national governing bodies, school sport, health and Yorkshire Sport Foundation. Other interns have returned to university to complete their studies or take on an additional postgraduate course.
30 interns have been engaged in the programme since its conception in the 2015/16 academic year.
7 of these have gone on to have full time employment in the sports sector including two who have been development officers with Yorkshire Sport Foundation.
14 interns have returned to university to complete their undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
6 of these are our current cohort of interns who are placed with national governing bodies, NHS trusts and local colleges.
Advantage: YOU intern – “It’s been great to apply what I had learnt on my course into a role. In a real job you wouldn’t get as much support as you get here. It really helps to make you ready for the real world with lots of experience in different areas that really going to help for the future.”
Advantage: YOU intern - “I couldn't recommend the programme enough. It opened many doors for me and without doubt gave me an edge and something to talk about above other candidates trying to get their foot in the door in Sport Development. Whilst a degree is brilliant for any career path, the hands on experience gained from an internship like this will add that something extra to your application”.
Advantage: YOU intern - “This has given me the opportunity to apply my learning from university in practice which has meant when I have come to job interviews I had more relatable skills and experiences to draw upon which ultimately helped me to gain full time employment in the field after my studies”.