THE University of Plymouth has launched a scheme under which employers will receive cash in a bid to tackle graduate unemployment.

The Plymouth Graduate Internship Programme (PGIP) has received a £400,000 grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

It will see the university work closely with employers across Devon and Cornwall, creating short-term paid internships for 2008 and 2009 graduates from any university in the UK.

Businesses will receive up to £1,450 towards the salary costs of the intern, plus a free recruitment service from the PGIP team.

There is no limit to the number of interns a business can have.

The positions will be developed specifically as graduate-level internships, where the intern will be given the opportunity to apply a range of skills, assume real responsibilities and develop economically valuable experience.

The PGIP programme will give employers an opportunity to expand their workforce and tap into the up-to-date knowledge of graduates.

Internships will be for a minimum of eight weeks with an expected salary of £300 per week.

The scheme is being launched against a background of rising graduate unemployment.

Last November it was reported that graduate unemployment had soared 44 per cent in a year and was at its highest for more than a decade.

Research by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit showed nearly one in 10 students who graduated from university in the summer of 2008 were out of work the following January – nearly double the rate for the year before and the highest since 1995-96. The HECSU warned that students who graduated in 2009 faced an even tougher struggle to find work.

Emma Hewitt, head of knowledge transfer and business development at the University of Plymouth, said: "Our new internship programme will offer employers in Devon and Cornwall an opportunity to recruit talented graduates free of charge and access funding up to £1,450 towards the salary cost.

"Our dedicated recruitment team will be delighted to hear from graduates interested in these exciting opportunities, which we hope will enable them to progress their careers in the South West."

Internships will be available across a range of sectors and different types of organisations, with a particular focus on low-carbon, digital, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, professional and financial services, engineering construction and marine.

They will provide a flexible alternative to traditional graduate schemes, which can run for more than two years.

PGIP offers the graduates practical, hands-on experience of 'real-world' employment – in their chosen industry where possible – and the chance to take up the opportunities which exist in Devon and Cornwall.

For information on the internship programme call 0800 0525600 or email enterprisesolutions@plymouth.ac.uk.