Sunderland Software City

Matt Jenkinson and Darren Jarret from DaMtech, Nickola Gray, Internship Development Manager, University of Sunderland and intern Paul Armstrong

A Sunderland graduate has secured a six month internship with a leading IT support business. 

Paul Armstrong, 24, joined DaMtech through the University of Sunderlands Graduate Internship Scheme, after achieving a degree in business computing.  

DaMtech, based at the North East Business and Innovation (BIC), deliver IT support to over 140 businesses in the North East and have just recently moved into office space four times the size expanding for storage as well as to add to the team. 

Directors Matt Jenkinson and Darren Jarrett joined the university scheme, aimed at helping graduates find employment. They worked alongside Nickola Gray, Internship Development Manager throughout the recruitment process, Darren said:

“Our partnership with the university and Nickola has been great, the whole process was straightforward. Nickola has been so helpful and it’s fantastic to know that we remain in contact, keeping an ongoing dialogue during the internship period.

“I would highly recommend any local businesses to join the university’s programme. The main benefit we found was the costs saved on the recruitment process. Wanting to take on more staff can be very costly for small businesses that may not have the funding readily available to advertise a vacancy so the scheme really helped.

“It also enables us to evaluate the intern for full time employment ensuring that we have the best candidate for the job.”

Paul added: “With the help of the university all my hard work has paid off and it feels amazing to have a foot in the door to begin a career in my chosen field. I really enjoy being in an office environment and every day is so different. I have already designed websites for a variety of different businesses from a dance teacher, a lawyer to even a private investigator.  

Nickola Gray, Internship Development Manager at the University of Sunderland, said: “Working with the team at DaMtech has been fantastic. They are exactly the type of organisation the Graduate Internship Scheme was designed to help. A regional organisation, looking to expand, and keen to support and develop a new Graduate as they take their first steps on the career ladder.”

Recognition for the success of the University Graduate Internship Scheme was announced when European Regional Development Funding (ERDF)  (£897,056) was extended for a further two years, providing another 150 graduates with the opportunity to work with a variety of small-to-medium private sector organisations across the North East.

For information, contact the Graduate Internship Team, at internships@sunderland.ac.uk, call 0191 515 3315 or email Internships@sunderland.ac.uk