BUSINESS Link Kent promoted its own scheme by taking two work-placement students during the summer.

The business advice agency operates the STEP scheme, which matches the skills of local undergraduates to specific business or technological projects in the county.

Laura Wheaton, 24, of Higham Lane, Tonbridge, and Ben Howe, 21, of Vines Lane, Hildenborough, were taken on for two months to tackle two separate projects under the STEP scheme.

Ben, who is studying Geography and Management at Leeds, was given the task of setting up the processes for the European-funded project: Sustainable Eco-Enterprise Programme – to aid the Project Delivery Manager in running the project efficiently.

He said: “My work involved database collation, writing questionnaires and letters, business and stakeholder profiling, as well as drafting an induction pack for anyone new to the scheme and conducting a critical analysis of the project.”

Laura chose to work with Business Link Kent because her project matched up well with her Marketing and Business course at University College of Northampton.

She was responsible for producing a marketing report and plan for the next 12 months to raise awareness in Kent of the STEP programme itself.

She said: “I’ve learnt a lot of business skills from this project – writing reports for a company requires different skills from writing essays at university and I’ve never actually written a marketing plan before.”

Both students praised the STEP programme, saying they would recommend to it to their peers.

Keith Casson, Business Link Kent’s innovation and technology adviser, said: “STEP is a win-win situation for all parties involved.

“By matching highly-skilled undergraduates with local businesses for challenging projects, the students get an opportunity to experience the real world of work and develop their expertise. The businesses benefit tremendously from their innovative ideas.”