How an online internship platform helped students to upskill during the pandemic - Pioneering People podcast

Daryll Morrow, co-founder of Udrafter on Pioneering People podcastDaryll Morrow, co-founder of Udrafter on Pioneering People podcast
Daryll Morrow, co-founder of Udrafter on Pioneering People podcast

On this week’s episode of the Pioneering People podcast host Morven McIntyre is joined by Daryll Morrow, co-founder of Udrafter, a micro internship platform.

After graduating from university Daryll struggled to find a job, which led him to set up Udrafter - an online platform that allows students to complete paid internships that complement their degree choice.

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When asked how much of his own experience of a student seeking employment he took into the business Darryl says: “I was my own customer persona. I know that mindset and the uncertainty that you have in your head. Albeit when I was a student there wasn't a global pandemic.”

Listen to the full episode here:

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Udrafter partners with small to medium sized enterprises who can access a pool of talent to select a candidate to complete paid work placements from anything between 2 and 50 hours. Candidates will be given points based on their work, alongside comments which are added to their online portal.

During the onset of the pandemic, as businesses were freezing recruitment and internships were less widely available, Udrafter partnered with the University of Aberdeen to create the Digital Draft, a three-day event which involved 13 businesses.

When asked what makes it different from other platforms such as LinkedIn, where connections can endorse each other’s skills, Darryl says: “We wanted to create a platform to validate student skills, award them badges, create a points-based system so that whilst a student wasn't maybe doing micro internships in the current platform they could be upskilling.

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Finally, on the long term goal for the business, he says: “Matching students with experience opportunities to help them in their careers but also helping businesses find a solution that really contributes to the circular economy.

"Someone who graduates who has used Udrafter eventually might get promoted or start their own company and use Udrafter to find a student. It's this cycle."

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