HR partnership boosts students and Council
Tuesday 10 July 2018
A PARTNERSHIP between Salford University and the City Council is allowing students to get a first-hand look at the world of work.
One student from the Business School has been employed on a 12-month internship within the Council’s Human Resources (HR) and Organisational Development (OD) departments, after completing a project aimed at helping the council.
The aim of the partnership is to improve the student experience, develop the HR Management degree and enable the City Council to ‘tap into’ the University’s knowledge base and develop its talent pipeline.
Georgiana Matoianu was one of a group of final-year HR Management students who took part in the innovative initiative, which was launched last September.
As well as having the opportunity to visit the council and meet with the City Mayor, the initiative enabled the students to see the activities of an HR and OD function at first hand.
The partnership has enabled the group of undergraduates to put their theoretical knowledge into practice as the council identified seven key project areas before they were asked to choose one as the topic of their final-year assignment project.
The standard of the student project proposals was exceptional and it was Georgiana who finally secured the work placement.
She said: “It’s been fantastic. I’m really looking forward to implementing the findings of my research when I start my placement and to work with the council’s HR and OD team, which has clearly embraced the values of the organisation in developing this programme.”
However, the initiative isn’t just benefiting the students. It’s also supporting delivery of the council’s ‘Great Eight’ key strategic priories, whilst providing the organisation with fresh thinking around key projects on the council’s HR and OD agenda and helping to attract high-calibre individuals to the organisation and profession. The partnership is ongoing and so every year a third year HR student will get the chance to attain the position with council.
Commenting on the initiative’s success, Salford City Council’s Assistant Director of HR and OD Sam Betts, said: “It’s rewarding to see the results of this strategic partnership with the Business School. Together, we’ve provided an important practical element to the final year module of the HR Management course to help students decide if HR and OD is really the area for them. In addition, it’s providing us with fresh thinking that will reinvigorate our service and add value in Salford.
“Georgiana’s proposal was outstanding and we’re looking forward to her joining our team to implement the great ideas that were generated after her presentation at the final workshop. We’re also looking at making this an annual programme and will continue to ‘co-create’ the curriculum by broadening the scope to include other business areas.”
Senior Lecturer Dr Chris Doran said: “This is exactly the kind of project that the University is keen to get more involved with as part of our Industrial Collaboration Strategy. We are working with all kinds of industries to benefit both our students, who gain a unique insight into the world of work, and the business themselves who get access to the latest skills and knowledge that our students can provide.”
Find out more
Sam Wood
0161 295 5361
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