Music is the future and the past for history graduate

A passion for music and history has led to a Teesside University graduate helping a much loved North East community music venue put together a strategic plan for expansion.

History graduate Naomi Jenkins was delighted when she was successful in landing an internship with community interest company Humantics which runs The Forum in Darlington.

And Naomi is one of eight graduates from Darlington who have found either work or a placement through Teesside University initiatives in the first month of 2013.

Allison Mckay, Director of Humantics, is delighted with the contribution Naomi has been making: 'We are an important community hub in Darlington, offering a lot of services and facilities based around music – everything from live music nights to accredited music courses, special band nights for young people aged 14 to 17 to Music with Mummy toddler groups.

'We are putting together a strategic plan for The Forum’s future and have been able to use Naomi’s research expertise to examine new markets for the company and how best we can expand and use the building. This is something we couldn’t have afforded to do without Naomi and the support from Teesside University.'

Based in an old Victorian school on Borough Road in Darlington, The Forum was a privately owned music venue until two years ago when Humantics was formed to manage it as a community hub. It is now a stable business at the heart of Darlington and an asset to the community.

Alison explains: 'Our ultimate aim is now to secure investment to enhance and extend this historic building so we can offer a lot more services to the community. The plan we are working on with Naomi’s help is vital so possible investors can see the value of what we can offer and the potential. This business plan is key for the future of The Forum.'

Naomi, 32, was already a fan of The Forum before she had the opportunity of an internship: 'I love history and music and The Forum is a brilliant venue. You are in an historical building where the first headmaster, Abel Grundy, is said to still walk the corridors after he was knocked down and killed by a horse and cart – and you can see the next big thing in modern music such as Kitten and the Hip who are due to play at The Forum after playing Glastonbury this year.'

Teesside University offers a number of routes to employment for graduates, from subsidised internships lasting between 3 and 6 months to longer-term projects aimed at delivering strategic business change that provide companies with both a talented graduate and access to academic know-how.

All schemes are designed to help new graduates gain vital experience in the workplace while also helping employers with recruitment and bringing in new skills and new thinking.

For more information email business@tees.ac.uk. Of the other seven graduates, three have permanent employment in Darlington at:

• Echo Graphics • Niven Architects • Design 365 A further four graduates are on three-month internships at:

• e3 Design • Fantome Line Post Production • International Paint Ltd • Durham County Records Office

Notes

Teesside University is a supporter of the Foundation for Jobs campaign, the joint initiative to tackle youth unemployment led by The Northern Echo and Darlington Borough Council.

The Graduate Recruitment and Placement project is open to SMEs in the North East and offers supported internship opportunities lasting between 3 months and 2 years. It serves to connect SMEs with graduate level skills needs with recent graduates, providing recruitment services, technical support from specialists based in the University and a subsidy to support the costs of employing graduates during the initial period of their employment. The project will support 365 SMEs across a range of sectors in the North East and aims to create 210 jobs.

The DigitalCity Innovation and Growth project aims to support the development of a vibrant and sustainable digital sector in the Tees Valley. The project, which is a part of a wider initiative, first developed by the University over nine years ago, offers support to graduates in exploring and developing new digital products and establishing their own businesses. In addition, it provides training, support and networking services to businesses operating in the digital sector and those from other sectors seeking to take advantage of this growing market. Alongside this support, the project offers six month placements to SMEs in need of digital, IT and creative graduate level employees. The project will support the creation of 66 new SMEs, deliver support to another 191 local companies and create 162 new jobs, providing 96 placement opportunities to local graduates.

The DigitalCity Innovation and Growth and Graduate Recruitment and Placement projects are part financed by the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.gov.uk/browse/business/funding-debt/european-regional-development-funding

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