ORGANIC Digital, the Glasgow-based web development agency, is to play a key role in a pilot scheme that could lead to hundreds of students being given one-on-one business mentoring.
The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) – which has campuses in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton and Paisley – is matching third-year business studies undergraduates with professionals who will give them an insight into their chosen sector.
Help will also be provided in building confidence in applying for graduate-level jobs and developing interview skills.
A pilot project, in which Organic Digital is one of a handful of participants, will determine if the scheme is to be rolled out across UWS.
Organic’s managing director Graeme Kerr said he would be giving his own time for a day each month to guide the allocated student.
“My university life gave me the tools to start building my own business and I am pleased to be able to give something back,” added Kerr, who studied marketing at Strathclyde University. “Our firm is an ideal introduction for students, who may have excelled themselves in the theoretical side of business and marketing, to the day-to-day reality of the working environment.”
UWS is modelling its scheme on a similar initiative at Edinburgh Napier University, which supports more than 150 students in a variety of sectors.
A spokesman for UWS said: “The links between our institution and employers have always been strong and cordial. Organic is pioneering new techniques in the environment of digital marketing and advertising and is exactly the sort of business in which our students can gain valuable real-life experience.”
The initiative comes as Organic said it was finalising a number of new contracts.
It confirmed that it was on track to more than double sales in the coming year to £400,000.
The firm, which was founded in 2006, recently secured fresh funding and had its franchise scheme accredited by the British Franchise Association.