University of Wolverhampton students went the distance recently when they snapped up internships in Malta.

Ravi Kumar, 21 from Tipton, and Kamilah Halliday, 25 from Quinton, Birmingham, applied for internships through the Santander Universities bursary scheme to enable them to get work experience during their summer break.

The two students, who are now in their final year of the University’s Video & Film Production course, worked for Paragon Europe for a two month period. They were tasked with designing, creating and filming a video to promote the Santander work placement scheme.

Paragon Europe is a leading host agency managing successful Internship programmes through various EU mobility projects such as Erasmus Plus and Youth Guarantee.

Kamilah said: “The internship was really valuable in terms of scoping out a real-life business project – we had to do a lot of research, come up with costings and liaise with our client.  It was great to put some of what we had learned on our course into practice.

“It’s my ambition to work abroad and make travel videos and this internship gave me a glimpse into how that might transfer into a career.”

Ravi said: “The course has really helped me to gain skills and make some good contacts in the industry, which is really growing rapidly in our region.  There has also been an investment in new equipment and facilities so we’re up to speed with industry standard, new technology.

“I feel confident and prepared to either open a business or to work. As long as you have the ambition, you can find opportunities like this and the internship was amazing because we produced a professional, corporate video for a worldwide banking chain as well as working for some of Paragon Europe’s subsidiary companies.”

Tracy McCoy, Senior Lecturer in Video & Film Production at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “Our excellent facilities include dedicated studios with workstations running industry standard software, a motion capture suite, a purpose-built media suite, TV studios and a sound-booth with full recording capabilities.

“There are all kinds of employability opportunities available at the University, including internships which provide vital work experience to prepare students like Ravi and Kamilah for the world of work where they can utilise the skills they are learning on their course.”

The University of Wolverhampton has strong links with Santander after signing a partnership agreement in February with the bank’s Santander Universities division who committed over £120,000 in funding during a three year period. The support will primarily focus on promoting international exchange through scholarships and travel grants, encouraging student entrepreneurial activities, and supporting employability through internships and work placements with local SMEs.

Watch Ravi and Kamilah’s offical promotional Santander video here.  Listen to their story here: