Benefit from the Leonardo Programme with Gecko Programmes
The European Union’s Leonardo Programme provides vocational training opportunities between member countries across Europe. This benefits employers who are able to take advantage of the skills and experience of qualified graduates from other countries at no financial cost.
Gecko has already helped a wide range of employers. From companies with very few staff to multinational concerns, the benefits are clear to see. Our feedback is positive because we place the right people in the right companies.
Graduates who come to us for placements have a broad range of skills, but typical areas of expertise include marketing, website development (e.g. graphics and programming), finance, management, office administration, cultural animation and of course language skills (native tongue speakers and specialist linguists).
The Leonardo Programme provides the ideal conditions for a textbook win-win situation. Graduates want to gain work experience and cultural experience in a country other than their own. In return their host employer gains a valuable team member without incurring any expense. It’s not just the skills that the graduates bring to the workplace that counts either. One recurring theme that we hear is how having someone from a different culture and with different ideas can have a positive effect on work colleagues.
Suffice to say that the main question we are asked at the end of an internship is ‘When can we have somebody else?’
How to apply
Participants are expected to work for a minimum of 25 hours per week for the duration of the placement, typically 11 weeks.
All accommodation and living expenses are paid through the EU’s Leonardo Programme and the interns are supported in the UK by Gecko staff. UK organisations taking people on placements incur no expense.
If you can give them this opportunity, simply contact us. We will carry out a needs assessment so that you and your intern will be suitably matched. After that we will produce a concise plan outlining the requirements of both the host company and the intern so that all parties understand the programme of work for the duration of the placement.
So confirm your interest and let us do the rest!
TESTIMONIALS
Employer: Women of Wolverhampton, Chris Irvine
“Sofia Alambre dos Santos Charola had a three month gradate intern placement with WOW from April to the end of June 2011 and I can confirm that during that time she was most useful to our organisation and was a delightful person to work with in every way.
While she was with us, WOW made use of her undoubted talents by asking her to design posters and other publicity material and to re-design our e-bulletin, the website and the WOW logo all of which was of great use to our organisation. The redesigned logo went to the WOW Board and there was a very positive response whilst WOW has used publicity material Sofia designed to good effect. Her input in this area will be greatly missed”
