Greater Manchester businesses offered funding to go global with International Student Programme

Greater Manchester businesses keen to expand into global markets now have the chance to benefit from an international postgraduate student placement thanks to new funding.

The International Student Programme, delivered by GC Business Growth Hub, in partnership with the University of Manchester, now includes 20 additional match-funded placements for postgraduate students from the university.

Placements will take place over 12 weeks this summer and have been made possible by grant funding from the UPP Foundation Civic University Commission, won by Dr Sylvia Lomer and Dr Miguel Lim from the Manchester Institute of Education. The charity tackles some of the biggest issues facing the higher education sector.

The programme connects small to medium businesses with the untapped talent of international postgraduate students studying in the city. Placements can help to focus an SME’s internationalisation strategy, as well as improving their linguistic and cultural knowledge in new territories.

Students will be matched with businesses based on their area of study and the unique requirements of the role by GC Business Growth Hub, part of The Growth Company and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Businesses who take on a postgraduate international student through the programme will also benefit from having access to the full range of GC Business Growth Hub services and support.

Richard Jeffery, director of business growth, The Growth Company, said: “This new funding provides a great opportunity for businesses in Greater Manchester that want to tap into new talent and grow into new international markets.

“Postgraduate students have the skills, enthusiasm and unique perspective to provide a real boost to local SMEs who need that relevant knowledge to shape their international strategies.

“There’s no substitute for local knowledge and experience and having an international student on placement can be a real competitive advantage. Places are limited, so any business considering expansion in the global marketplace should get in touch as soon as possible to find out how they can benefit from this programme.”

Dr Miguel Antonio Lim, Lecturer in Education and International Development at The University of Manchester, said: “With the upcoming introduction of the post-study work visa for international students we’re delighted to partner with GC Business Growth Hub to support our international students and small-and-medium enterprises in Greater Manchester.

“With the support of the University of Manchester’s Careers Service, the project aims to explore how universities and businesses can better work together to maximise the positive economic and social impact of international students.”

Expressions of interest from SMEs in Greater Manchester are welcomed via:

• www.businessgrowthhub.com/international-students

The closing date is 16 February.

This and other GC Business Growth Hub projects are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub project designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester.

The Hub is also supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester local authorities.