With leading universities in the city, SME owners know there is amazing young talent out there. But it doesn’t always translate into graduate employment.
To smooth the path, Liverpool John Moores University is meeting businesses half-way with a new Graduate Growth Scheme – which shares the costs of a graduate over a trial period, giving SMEs time to consider if and how a graduate would benefit the business.
With £50k of pilot project funding, LJMU is supporting around 25 internships with interest already from transport planning, marketing, sport coaching, and business development in the city.
LJMU is prioritising relationships through the Chamber of Commerce and the Combined Authority’s Growth Platform to reach SMEs who are ripe for the boost a top graduate can offer.
“Graduates really do want to stay in Liverpool after university, so there is plenty of supply of talent if businesses recognise the opportunity,” said Danielle Anderson, Head of Employer Engagement at LJMU.
She acknowledges that even the most ambitious SMEs can remain cautious about the costs and liabilities associated with hiring, particularly when their business is new or still establishing itself, and she calls the Graduate Growth Scheme, a bridge from university to productivity.
“We have some brilliant examples of how connecting talent with forward‑thinking employers strengthens both our students’ futures and the wider Liverpool City Region.”
The project is now open for submissions and is open until, Sunday 8th March 2026. For more information, contact internships@ljmu.ac.uk
Gavin meets Abu
One business getting the inside track on the city’s graduate talent is tech consultancy GoodShip, founded by Gavin Sherratt, formerly of Mashbo.
Gavin Sherratt took software developer Abubakr on trial via the Graduate Growth Scheme
The Liverpool digital and innovation agency helps organisations harness technology and ran a tailored course at LJMU – the AI Activator – for students hungry to find out how AI could shape their careers. Students in marketing, arts, business, engineering, and computer science were shown how their creativity and AI skills could work in business context but, more importantly it put Gavin in touch with potential collaborators, including software developer and final-year student Abubakr Abdulraheem, from south Liverpool, who has now joined Gavin’s team as innovation and growth associate.
“Working on the AI Activator alongside my studies gave me practical exposure to tech, business, and real-world problem solving at the same time,” he says. “It showed me how technology and business can work together in a meaningful way.”
Gavin Sherratt says creating the programme with LJMU has been helping to shape the business and gave him a real insight into the talent and knowledge coming through the university.
