FOR EMPLOYERS

The Graduate Acceleration Programme (GAP) provides the opportunity for employers to benefit from the fresh enthusiasm and the additional skills that graduate talent can bring in completing a business improvement project or a piece of work, while providing them with the opportunity to position themselves as an employer of choice.

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For more information please refer to the Document Download ‘Your Questions Answered’, or please click one of the links below to jump directly to the answer to that question.

What’s next?

To register your interest, or to enrol on GAP, please complete the forms 'GAP 1' and 'GAP 2' and then send to employers@gapni.com, or for more information, please call Lyndsey McKee on 028 9046 0606.

• Why was GAP developed?
• What does GAP look like?
• Are there any costs involved?
• What are the benefits?
• What types of organisations can be placement providers?
• What are my responsibilities?
• Are all graduates eligible to take part in GAP?
• What is the recruitment and selection process?
• How is GAP different from other graduate programmes?
• What about job substitution?
• If placements are unpaid, how will you ensure that graduates are not exploited?
• What qualification will a graduate be undertaking?
• What if any problems occur?
• How do I contact the GAP Team?

Why was GAP developed?

Across the UK, graduate vacancies have fallen drastically and are now approaching levels not seen since the 1991 recession. In response to this situation, Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster have worked alongside Business in the Community to create a programme centred on providing graduates with meaningful work experience and a valuable qualification in a time they may have otherwise been struggling to gain employment. GAP is supported by the Department for Employment and Learning under the Steps to Work programme.

What does GAP look like?

GAP is a work placement programme, lasting up to 26 weeks, in which graduates will complete a project or piece of work, alongside studying for a Graduate Certificate with either Queen’s University Belfast or the University of Ulster.

Placement providers must decide with the graduate(s) the number of days and the times that they will be required to be on placement (graduates must complete a minimum of 30 hours per week on a placement, inclusive of allocated course time).

The placement must be flexible enough to allow graduates to complete the study requirements of the Graduate Certificate, which in some cases will be offered in-block by the universities. For example, one week a graduate could complete five days at their work placement, and the next week, they could complete two days at university and three days at their work placement.

Given that GAP will be delivered through Steps to Work, graduates must actively seek employment throughout the duration of their placement. The implication is that a graduate may gain employment and therefore will leave before the end of the 26 weeks. If this happens, it is anticipated that the GAP Team will place another graduate within your organisation if desired.

Are there any costs involved?

If you participate in GAP you will not be required to pay any fees.  GAP graduates may be eligible to receive their current rate of benefit and an additional weekly training bonus/top-up.  However, we do require that you cover all work-related travel expenses incurred by the graduate. 

In addition, we are exploring the option of providing GAP graduates with a grant for expenses, so there is a possibility that we may ask placement providers to make a voluntary contribution up to £1,500 towards this.

What are the benefits?

GAP will give placement providers the opportunity to:

• Benefit from the fresh enthusiasm and the additional skills that a graduate can bring
• Utilise graduate talent to complete business improvement projects or a piece of work with specific deliverables that will result in added-value for their organisation
• Benefit from an employer subsidy if their organization offers permanent employment to a GAP graduate
• Position their organisation as an employer of choice
• Demonstrate their organisation's commitment to the wider community in addition to contributing to a sustainable future for Northern Ireland

What types of organisations can be placement providers?

Graduates can undertake placements in organisations of all sizes throughout Northern Ireland, in the private, voluntary, and public sectors.

What are my responsibilities?

All placement providers are required to provide a meaningful work placement that is properly supported and conforms to legal requirements. The project or the piece of work must equip graduates with employability skills and behaviors, with the overall aim to enhance their job prospects.

For further information, please refer to the document attached ‘GAP2 - Placement Provider Agreement’, which details all of the responsibilities for placement providers.

Are all graduates eligible to take part in GAP?

Yes, all graduates are eligible to take part, as long as they meet the following criteria:

• Graduates must have a full degree award
• Graduates must be eligible to meet Steps-to-Work conditions

In addition, we ask that all graduates applying to GAP are hard-working, enthusiastic, and committed to making their work placement a meaningful experience.

What is the recruitment and selection process?

We will ask all placement providers to complete the form GAP1 - Placement Opportunity, detailing information about their organisation, the project, or the piece of work that they would like a graduate to undertake and whether they are supplying an application form or accepting CVs.

Placement opportunities are vetted by the Universities and are then stored on our system.

Once this is completed, the GAP Team will share this information with graduates who have been approved to go on the Department for Employment and Learning’s Steps to Work programme. Graduates will then apply for their preferred placements.

Our ability to match you with a graduate is determined by the skill-set and preferences of the graduate and the type of work placement they are seeking.  Once we find a suitable graduate, we will contact you immediately.

It is the responsibility of the placement provider as to how graduates are shortlisted, and/or interviewed, and/or selected. It is our expectation that the organisation's usual selection procedures will be applied, although there is provision for the GAP Team to organise block interviews and provide interview rooms if requested.

Once the placement provider selects a graduate, they would be expected to contact the graduate directly to offer the placement and also notify the GAP Team of the outcome.

The graduate will enter the Steps to Work programme and the placement will commence as soon as possible.

How is GAP different from other graduate programmes?

Although there are other valuable graduate programmes, all parties involved in developing GAP thought that it was important to offer graduates a more comprehensive range of provision, from which they could select the most suitable programme.

In addition, the numbers on these graduate programmes are finite and therefore, many graduates will struggle to find a placement, especially given the current recession.

Furthermore, GAP is distinct in that it is a university-led programme that focuses on improving the employability skills of graduates and offers the opportunity for organisations across all sectors to benefit from graduate talent.

What about job substitution?

It is important that you do not use a GAP graduate placement as a substitute for a current job vacancy or to replace the work of an existing member of staff.

If placements are unpaid, how will you ensure that graduates are not exploited?

We are committed to working with placement organisations to ensure that GAP offers genuine opportunities to enhance the employability and career prospects of graduates. We can provide guidance to placement organisations about how to set up and how to get the best out of a work placement.

What qualification will a graduate be undertaking?

Graduates will have the choice (subject to availability) of completing a Graduate Certificate at either Queen’s University Belfast or the University of Ulster.

A Graduate Certificate, as the title suggests, requires a degree as a prerequisite for entry.

As soon as a graduate has accepted a work placement opportunity, they are required to register for one of the following qualifications:

• Queen’s University Belfast: Graduate Certificate in Organisation and Management
• University of Ulster: Graduate Certificate in Professional Practice

These certificates were especially designed for GAP, with the aim to inform and complement the graduate’s work placement whilst enhancing their employability skills.

Given that a degree of flexibility is required to complement the work placement, some modules will be offered online, supported by seminars and others in block realease.

The certificates will take approximately six months to complete, although provision will be in place for graduates to complete the qualification if they find employment before the end of the 26 weeks.

What if any problems occur?

Should an issue arise in the course of the graduate placement, please contact the GAP Team for guidance.

How do I contact the GAP Team?

For more information, please contact the GAP Team:

GAP
Business in the Community
Bridge House
Paulett Avenue
Belfast, BT5 4HD

T: 028 9046 0606
F: 0870 460 1731
E: employers@gapni.com