Can you describe the aims of your 'organisation' in three words?
Internships for self-starters
You founded enternships.com in 2009 while at university, what or who inspired you?
Whilst the platform launched officially and I incorporated the company in 2009 (a year after graduating in 2008) www.enternships.com started as a simple listing service which I set up whilst studying at the University of Oxford where I was President of Oxford Entrepreneurs, one of the largest networks of student entrepreneurs in Europe.
Companies were approaching me to advertise opportunities as they were keen to reach entrepreneurial candidates. Over time, it became evident that more and more small companies wanted to reach students and, with no proactive marketing, word of mouth led to more than 160 placements being advertised on this very simple listing site.
I realised that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle to find talent and lack the recruitment budgets of blue-chip firms to undertake the traditional milkround' and decided something had to be done. Enternships provides these companies with visibility on campus and serves as a central place for start-ups to reach out to talent.
How have things changed since that launch both in organisational and industry terms?
We launched at the start of the youth unemployment crisis. Graduate unemployment is at an all time high and students and are looking for ways of gaining experience and accessing work opportunities.
All too often students fall into a graduate job, often into the City as all they are exposed to is jobs in banks, law firms, accountancy firms and so on. However, for many, those roles are simply not appealing but there is a lack of awareness of the alternatives and, right now, there are far fewer of these roles available.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovationITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job lossesNews With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
Government’s ‘Humphrey’ AI tool helps local authorities cut costsNews The Minute tool, part of the Humphrey AI assistant, is being trialled at 25 councils
-
The UK government hopes AI will supercharge public sector digital transformation – IT leaders aren’t so sureNews Research from SolarWinds shows public sector transformation is progressing at a snail's pace despite IT leaders pushing for rapid improvements.
-
Starmer bets big on AI to unlock public sector savingsNews AI adoption could be a major boon for the UK and save taxpayers billions, according to prime minister Keir Starmer.
-
UK government targets ‘startup’ mindset in AI funding overhaulNews Public sector AI funding will be overhauled in the UK in a bid to simplify processes and push more projects into development.
-
UK government signs up Anthropic to improve public servicesNews The UK government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Anthropic to explore how the company's Claude AI assistant could be used to improve access to public services.
-
US government urged to overhaul outdated technologyNews A review from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found legacy technology and outdated IT systems are negatively impacting efficiency.
-
Government urged to improve tech procurement practicesNews The National Audit Office highlighted wasted money and a lack of progress on major digital transformation programmes
-
Government says new data bill will free up millions of hours of public sector timeNews The UK government is proposing new data laws it says could free up millions of hours of police and NHS time every year and boost the UK economy by £10 billion.
