Agenda item

Rise Graduate Internships

It was moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Isobel Bowler, that this Council:-

(a)       welcomes the success of the present Administration’s RISE graduate scheme which has so far filled 28 graduate interns into 24 businesses;

(b)       notes that many students undertake internships shortly after graduating and that internships offer a great way to get a ‘foot in the door’ after graduating, get training, test out potential future employers and get experience on your CV;

(c)       welcomes that the RISE internship scheme brings together graduates, who want to work hard and do great things, with Sheffield-based businesses who appreciate an injection of energy and new ideas; 

(d)       firmly believes that the scheme will not only give opportunities to graduates but will also provide local businesses with an opportunity to attract graduates to a range of sectors crucial to the growth of the local economy, including engineering, professional and financial services, creative and digital industries, to name a selective few;

(e)       notes that over 700 applications were received for the graduate internships and thanks all applicants, recognising the extremely challenging economic climate in gaining employment following graduation, noting the high levels of graduate unemployment;

(f)        welcomes the positive comments from local businesses about the scheme including the comment from one participant, ‘‘We found the RISE experience provided us with the confidence to invest in an intern with the objective of providing permanent full-time employment. The whole process from the initial advisory meetings, the communication and collaboration throughout the screening stage and the continued support, was and is invaluable to a small business such as ours. We have been involved in other apprenticeship and work experience schemes in the past and the RISE initiative has been by far the most professional and feel it provides great value to businesses in the region.”

(g)       is therefore extremely disappointed that the main opposition group voted against welcoming the scheme at the two previous Council meetings and believes that this is the latest Liberal Democrat betrayal of students;  

(h)       is delighted to confirm a further intake has now been approved, aiming to get a total of 50 RISE internships into Sheffield’s small and medium enterprises by the end of the year which have been funded from the Keep Sheffield Working Fund, meaning a further 21 internships with 21 businesses have been secured for the second round of the programme; and

(i)        directs that a copy of this Motion be sent to Sheffield University Students Union and Sheffield Hallam University Students Union, the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Federation of Small Businesses.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Ian Auckland, seconded by Councillor Colin Ross, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after the words “That this Council” and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

(a)       laments the appalling legacy of unemployment, particularly among 18-24 year olds, left by the last Government;

(b)       supports all measures to help young people in Sheffield into jobs, including the Sheffield Apprenticeship Programme, Rise Sheffield, the City Deal, the Youth Contract and University Technical Colleges;

(c)       welcomes news that the Sheffield City Deal has already created 370 apprenticeships across the city region;

(d)       however, notes reports in The Guardian newspaper that other city regions have outpaced Sheffield with Greater Birmingham and Solihull having already established 1,351 apprenticeships and Greater Manchester having  outperformed their own target by creating 2,755 apprenticeships;

(e)       furthermore, believes that as this Administration gives to business with one hand it takes away with the other;

(f)        notes, in particular, the following as examples of the anti-business sentiments held by members of the ruling Group:

(i)        rejecting a proposal by NEXT to locate a new department store in Sheffield, and providing a lukewarm reception to the proposal for an Ikea superstore;

(ii)       failing to hold the full MADE entrepreneur festival in 2013;

(iii)      hiking some city centre parking charges and increasing the hours of operation, damaging city-centre businesses;

(iv)      ignoring appeals from traders in Millhouses for additional parking over the Christmas period and opposing plans to re-introduce free Christmas parking in the city and district centres; and

(v)       attempting to ban ice cream vans more than 5 years old;

(g)       regrets that these policies have seen the Council criticised in The Star newspaper by business leaders for “closing its doors to business” and having “lost touch with the business reality of the 21st century”; and

(h)       calls upon the Administration to drop their anti-business rhetoric and work with the local business community to ensure the city maximises the potential of the City Deal and supports a generation of young people into work.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived. 

The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried, as follows:-

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

(a)       welcomes the success of the present Administration’s RISE graduate scheme which has so far filled 28 graduate interns into 24 businesses;

(b)       notes that many students undertake internships shortly after graduating and that internships offer a great way to get a ‘foot in the door’ after graduating, get training, test out potential future employers and get experience on your CV;

(c)       welcomes that the RISE internship scheme brings together graduates, who want to work hard and do great things, with Sheffield-based businesses who appreciate an injection of energy and new ideas; 

(d)       firmly believes that the scheme will not only give opportunities to graduates but will also provide local businesses with an opportunity to attract graduates to a range of sectors crucial to the growth of the local economy, including engineering, professional and financial services, creative and digital industries, to name a selective few;

(e)       notes that over 700 applications were received for the graduate internships and thanks all applicants, recognising the extremely challenging economic climate in gaining employment following graduation, noting the high levels of graduate unemployment;

(f)        welcomes the positive comments from local businesses about the scheme including the comment from one participant, ‘‘We found the RISE experience provided us with the confidence to invest in an intern with the objective of providing permanent full-time employment. The whole process from the initial advisory meetings, the communication and collaboration throughout the screening stage and the continued support, was and is invaluable to a small business such as ours. We have been involved in other apprenticeship and work experience schemes in the past and the RISE initiative has been by far the most professional and feel it provides great value to businesses in the region.”

(g)       is therefore extremely disappointed that the main opposition group voted against welcoming the scheme at the two previous Council meetings and believes that this is the latest Liberal Democrat betrayal of students;  

(h)       is delighted to confirm a further intake has now been approved, aiming to get a total of 50 RISE internships into Sheffield’s small and medium enterprises by the end of the year which have been funded from the Keep Sheffield Working Fund, meaning a further 21 internships with 21 businesses have been secured for the second round of the programme; and

(i)        directs that a copy of this Motion be sent to Sheffield University Students Union and Sheffield Hallam University Students Union, the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Federation of Small Businesses.

(Note: 1. Councillors Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Anders Hanson, Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Alison Brelsford and Trevor Bagshaw voted for paragraphs (a) to (f) and (h) to (i) and against paragraph (g) of the Motion and asked for this to be recorded.

2. Councillor Robert Murphy voted for paragraphs (a) to (f) and (h) and (i) and abstained on paragraph (g) of the Motion and asked for this to recorded.)