Student Enterprise Intern
Job Description
Main purpose
To promote and develop enterprise and employability activities, skills and values to Loughborough Students,
working in partnership with University Student Enterprise staff.
It is anticipated that the Intern would create a valuable direct channel to students through peer-to-peer
communication of enterprise and all its benefits. The Intern will be able to exploit existing opportunities and
create new means to enable the Students’ Union to drive the student enterprise agenda forward. Working
under the guidance of the Head of Student Development in the Union in collaboration with the Student
Enterprise Manager in the University Enterprise Office, the role aims are:
 to raise awareness and promote all extra-curricular enterprise activity amongst Loughborough
University students.
 to develop and co-ordinate a series of enterprise events, competitions and new projects designed to
stimulate enterprise among the students.
to ensure all aspects of student enterp rise and employability are an active part of
student life at Loughborough University.
Reporting to:
Head of Innovation Development with a “dotted line” to the University’s
Student Enterprise Manager
The Intern will be required to report on their activities, and time spent on various activities and submit a
record of how many students they have dealt with and contacts they have made. Fortnightly meetings will
also be required to maintain regular updates.
The current range of student enterprise activities include: Skill development events in the form of workshops
 Competitions including the University’s Think Big Business Ideas Competition, a major event in the
student enterprise calendar (there are 3 rounds involved in the competition).
 Student Enterprise Forums – which introduces Inspirational speakers to the students
 Global Entrepreneurship Week – an international initiative in November that celebrates enterprise in all
its forms, a week of events open to all students
Key purpose and activities
1.
To organise, promote and develop a programme of student enterprise events by:Building on the existing programme and working closely with the University’s Student Enterprise Manager
(Marina Pickles) who has access to funding for these activities through the Enterprise Office and the
Glendonbrook Centre for Enterprise Education.
 Developing the programme including booking speakers/trainers
 Working with the Students’ Union’s Events team to organise and manage these events to the highest
standard in the Students’ Union and elsewhere on campus.
 Using social media and other media to promote the events and developing lively electronic and
social media records of the events and student reaction to them e.g. YouTube and Video Blogs.
 Keep accurate records of attendees, develop and deliver student enterprise surveys.
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Working with the Union marketing team, develop strategies to engage a broad demographic of
Loughborough Students including International and Post Graduate students.
Assist with the Think Big Awards ceremony at the end of the summer semester.
Develop ideas for new competitions or challenges, e.g. Dragons’ Den type elevator pitch
competitions and attracting participants to the competition.
Research external business competitions and student enterprise opportunities, both regional and
national
To work with Student Enterprise Manager to develop a range of promotional initiatives to engage with the
students.
Devise innovative marketing initiatives and possible sponsorship opportunities.
Attend Fresher’s’ Bazaar and open days on campus with Student Enterprise Manager to promote student
enterprise activity.
Work with the Student Enterprise Manager to promote Global Entrepreneurship Week and organise
speakers, book venue and catering.
2.
To support student enterprise groups such as Enactus and others by:Advising and assisting with accounting and financial procedures
Advising and assisting with organisation of events including health and safety aspects
Promoting and assisting with recruitment using Union and University media and social media.
Promoting the development of new groups and initiatives. Encouraging groups within Rag, Action and
Media to undertake activities in a way that would support and promote and enterprise and employability
agenda.
3.
To promote and support Loughborough Student involvement in local, regional and National
competitions and initiatives by:Compiling a comprehensive schedule of all such initiatives.
Agreeing with student groups and the University Student Enterprise Manager which of these to prioritise.
Promoting student engagement with these initiatives using Union, University and social media.
Arranging for support and advice for students through building a panel of mentors and advisors from alumni
and University academic and other staff, working with colleagues and DARO.
4.
Promote and develop opportunities for Student to practice entrepreneurship and social enterprise
by:Developing opportunities for students to market their ideas through opportunities such as
 Stalls, shops and nights with the Students’ Union.
 Other opportunities within the campus working with University departments and
tenants.
5.
Developing personal skills and training others by;
Attending training and conference and keeping up to date with new technologies as market trends change
Supporting and undertaking training programmes for student groups.
6.
Team working
Working as part of the Student Development team you will be expected to assist colleagues during peak
times when possible and can expect support from them in return.
Pay
LSU Scale 3 Point 7, currently £15,658 p.a. pro rata.
Tenure
The appointment is strictly for one year; we will encourage and assist you with future career development as
far as possible.
Benefits include contributory pension scheme, enhanced statutory holidays, staff discounts and access to
University facilities.
Opportunities for Intern Development
As an intern at LSU we would aim to by the end of your internship provide you with training, developed skill,
new network, increased social capital and enhanced job prospects.
Hours
A minimum of 35hrs per week, full year. Regular office hours will be agreed with the Head of Department
but a substantial degree of flexibility will be needed.
Enterprise at Loughborough University
The University uses the following definition of Enterprise:
academic engagement with business, public and voluntary organisations to create social, cultural and
economic impact through knowledge exchange.
In this intentionally short definition, ‘business, public and voluntary organisations’ must be interpreted
broadly and includes private, public and charitable sector organisations, public service providers at the point
of delivery (e.g. individual schools and hospitals), local, regional and national government, NGOs and
community bodies. In many cases, these organisations will be independent of the University but importance
is also attached to University support for the formation of spin-out businesses and social enterprises by our
staff, students or recent graduates.
Social, cultural and economic impacts arising from academic (especially research) activity enhance the
reputation of the University. These impacts are generally associated with innovation, defined broadly, which
has a key role to play in promoting growth regionally, e.g. through our Science and Enterprise Park, and
beyond.
Knowledge exchange mechanisms include placements, graduate recruitment, programme sponsorship,
postgraduate and short course training, licensing, consultancy and research collaboration including
secondments (2-way), putting partnerships with business, public and voluntary organisations at the heart of
the enterprise agenda.
Approach
A high degree of flexibility is required as the work is very wide-ranging. The Union makes heavy use of IT and
most tasks involve use of networked computers and membership relationship management software and
social media. The post therefore requires someone who is at ease with IT and keen to develop further skills
as required.
The Students’ Union is a rapidly changing organization. All staff are encouraged to contribute to their
department’s development plans and to the Union’s Strategic Plan. Staff are required to welcome taking on
new tasks and challenges which are within their capabilities as the needs of the organisation calls for them.
Staff must promote and support the role of student officers and volunteers and give priority to working in
partnership and developing students’ skills and opportunities.
Standards
Loughborough Students' Union aspires to the highest standards of service and friendliness from our staff.
The busy and diverse work of the Union requires the post holder to be highly adaptable, flexible and able to
work under pressure, whilst maintaining a high standard of professionalism especially in relation to work
practices, confidentiality and integrity. We also expect staff to maintain at all times a friendly and cheerful
approach to colleagues and clients.
The Union is committed to providing staff with excellent training and personal development opportunities,
and has made the public commitment to continue working towards the Investors in People standards.
Equality & Diversity
Loughborough Students’ Union is committed to encouraging a community in which all individuals may
contribute as fully as possible without fear of discrimination or harassment. We will not tolerate
discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender or sexuality, race nor any other factor that has no
bearing on a candidate’s ability to fulfil the functions of the post. Where appropriate we will make
reasonable adjustments to the working environment. This policy extends to the execution of the Union’s
services. We make considerable efforts to ensure that all our members can fully enjoy the facilities and
services of the Union.
Ethical and environmental considerations
Loughborough Students’ Union been recognised as one of the UK Greenest Students’ Unions and by the
Sunday Times as the UK’s Greenest small organisation. We encourage all staff to work in ways that reduce
our negative environmental impact and to our highly ethical standards. We are always keen for staff to
contribute to our achieving these aims.
Loughborough Students’ Union invests in its people
Loughborough Students’ Union believes that its most valuable resource is the people who work within it.
The Union is committed to the development of all its employees and actively encourages people to grow and
develop within their jobs. We achieved recognition as an ‘Investor in People’ in February 1997 and we are
constantly working to maintain the national standards of training and development in this initiative.