14/01/2010

Graduate Opportunity

Unemployed graduates in NI could benefit from a unique initiative, the Graduate Acceleration Programme (GAP). It offers a work placement alongside further study, and it is hoped GAP will help them secure long-term employment.

GAP will provide graduates with employability skills and the much-needed experience that is often required to get a job.

The work placement lasts up to 26 weeks, during which graduates complete a project or piece of work while studying for one of two specially developed qualifications: the Graduate Certificate in Organisation and Management with Queen's University Belfast; or the Graduate Certificate in Professional Practice with the University of Ulster.

Employers who participate in GAP will not be required to pay a wage, as every graduate on the programme will continue to receive their current rate of benefit plus an additional £15.38 per week.

(BMCC/GK)

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