A graduate from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has been pacing the corridors of power thanks to a pioneering employability scheme.
James Tasker, who studied English Literature and History, is a parliamentary researcher and assistant to Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, on a Graduate Champions placement.
Baroness Lawrence, a Labour peer, was recognised by DMU for her long fight for justice and commitment to human rights when she became an Honorary Doctor of Laws in January. She also gave an interview in front of an intimate audience in Trinity Chapel speaking about her life, her inspirations, and her passionate beliefs.
The innovative Graduate Champions scheme offers recent graduates the chance to take up a six week long internship with a leading UK organisation to enhance their CV and help them stand out from the crowd in a furiously competitive jobs market. The champions are paid the living wage by DMU and work 18.5 hours a week.
For DMU graduates, these placements bring sought-after opportunities to gain valuable insight into graduate-level work that is relevant to their chosen degree and the career path they wish to follow, while business people have free access to some of the brightest and best young talent in the UK today. Those on the scheme are paid the Living Wage by DMU.
James, currently in the fourth week of his placement, said: “I live just outside Leicester and I’ve been commuting down to London so it’s five hours of travelling every day, but it’s worth it for a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“I’m based in Millbank House, just opposite the Palace of Westminster, but on certain days my work has taken me into the Palace itself.
“There are a lot of different aspects of the role, involving speech writing for Baroness Lawrence plus reading bills and legislation and just generally seeing how the whole process works.”
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James says he has a long-standing interest in politics, and that the scheme took it into consideration when searching for placements for him.
“I went along to a Graduate Champions event in January and signed up there, but when it came to the actual process there was a section to state your interests, so I wrote politics and ended up with my dream position,” he said.
Now James is looking for ways to further his ideal career even more. “I would love to do something politics related. That would be great for me.
“There is a good chance this has definitely helped. It looks great on your CV and it gives you a taster of the career you want to go into.
“I would recommend Graduate Champions to anyone.”
The applications for the winter round of Graduate Champions, to be completed in December 2015 and January 2016, will open later this year. It is available to those who graduated from their undergraduate degree at DMU in summer 2015. Keep an eye on the DMU website for details.
Posted on Tuesday 21 July 2015