NEXT-STEP Experience Internships - NXI

How does NXI work?
We match students who are looking for real-world experience in a particular field with companies and organisations who have work in that field.

How would a company get a student intern?
By completing an application form stating clearly the fields the student would be exposed to and the type of work involved.  The company does not select the student; they are allocated according to appropriate matching criteria by the NXI. Students and companies apply throughout the academic year, though there are fixed time periods when students can start their internship.

How would a student get an internship post?
By completing an online application form stating clearly their fields of interest, motivation and career intentions. The university also matches their grades and particularly any outstanding additional field specialism indicators. NXI selects and matches students based on meritocracy, especially looking for role dedication, team building qualities and technical achievements. A pipeline of students is collated with time-frames allocated for the internship duration throughout the year. These are designed to be outside of the student’s own academic term times, which vary between degree courses.

What types of internship are available?
Internships can be unpaid or paid experiences. Paid experience is of course the most popular! However some firms have unique access that students are looking for. For either of these there are 3 experience levels: Shadow, Apprentice and Partner levels. These levels are appointed to student candidates by a dedicated University manager, who selects them by motivation, experience factors, grade levels and general professional conduct. Shadow internships do not engage on any live system and are there to observe and assist workflow, provide utilisation and build experimental solutions. Apprentice levels work and contribute to experimental and live solutions with the observed check-ins by the company mentor. Partner level interns are already experienced at developing and testing pre-sign-off solutions. Each of the three levels awards the student with “Practitioner in training” certificate from the university, for professional conduct and successful completion of the internship. In all levels, all IP and materials belong to the company.

Why are there these three levels?
This is an educational methodology, based on decades of problem based learning, called "See one, do one, teach one". It is the method of choice in medicine, law and engineering where it comes to practitioner training. In newer practices, it also mimics the scaffolding, discovery and invention approach.

When and how long is an internship?
Students work outside of term time.  The internships are of a fixed duration; 4, 6, or 8 weeks (although special cases can be taken into consideration). For the duration of the university-company internship, the internship student cannot work for more than a set time frame out of term time or on any other internships without prior notification and amendment of the agreement.

What does the company have to provide for the student?
Students have dedicated technical mentor at the company who is responsible for the appropriateness of the internship and its materials.  All insurance, risk and security of data and technology is the liability of the company alone. The student can choose to work on the internship at the university sites while they are still university candidates, so a permanent location is not needed to host them. Note that these NXI internships do not contribute towards any course grades though academic projects via other mechanisms may be created from the works of interns.

What role does NXI play during the internship?
The company pays the university for arrangement of the intern regardless of paid or unpaid internships and whether or not the student is based at the university premises.  Students have access to materials and staff at university but not contradicting educational licenced software agreements.  The internship is a training scheme run by the university with a dedicated manager for correspondence and payment.

How does a company pay for the internship?
There are two parts of the payment structure; Administration and support fees and payment to the students, both paid in advance of the internship. Taxation policies must also be adhered to.
Administration and support fees plus tax are payable to the university, in all cases. A schedule of fees is provided by the university finance teams that maintain the students in their respective faculty.
If the internship is a paid internship (in most cases it will be), the company will pay the student plus tax through the university finance teams that maintain the students in their respective faculty.