In collaboration with award-winning social mobility charity upReach, Beck Greener sponsored a programme offering a week of in-person funded work experience for university students from under-represented sections of the community looking to pursue careers in the IP sector.
Beck Greener welcomed 3 students (Imperial College London Biochemistry undergraduate Mathura Rasiah, UCL Chemistry undergraduate Farhia Abdi and Imperial College Physics undergraduate Leon Windett) to our London office from 8 to 12 July 2024 for professional work experience, to level the playing field for university students from under-represented sections of the community.
Work experience can often be inaccessible due to additional costs incurred, such as travel, accommodations and purchasing professional clothing. Research from the Sutton Trust shows that the cost of carrying out an unpaid internship in London is equivalent to £1,019 per month. To alleviate this financial challenge, upReach cover travel costs, accommodation, support the supply of professional clothing and provide a programme completion bursary – making the work experience as accessible as possible.
In-person work experience is one of the most powerful interventions for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to fulfil their career potential, with 92% of upReach participants who formerly completed a Professional Experience Week going on to make a successful graduate or internship application in the next cycle.
Mathura Rasiah commented “I had an invaluable experience at Beck Greener, a leading Intellectual Property (IP) law firm. Initially, I had limited knowledge about this area of law, and it was fascinating to learn about the different forms of IP: patents, trademarks, designs, and copyright. I had an amazing time at Beck Greener and highly recommend anyone interested in IP to spend time at this remarkable firm”.
upReach’s Professional Experience Weeks not only provide Associates with access to a week’s work experience, including covering all participation costs, but also provides preparatory training for participants to prepare for their first professional work environment. This covers professionalism, networking and tips on how to make the most of their work experience.
As well as developing specific knowledge of their sectors and the work of their host firms, the placements also provide meaningful opportunities for Associates to develop their networks, skills and commercial awareness.
Beck Greener’s Partner Catherine Jewell commented: “The Xperience placement is the flagship event in our STEM: Branching Out project, which aims to encourage and support students in discovering how STEM subjects can open doors to a wide variety of careers. We aim to help plug the skills gap by inspiring and encouraging young people, especially those from under-represented sections of the community, to consider careers in STEM sectors and introduce them to some of the many and varied roles available in Intellectual Property. The Xperience placement is a key part of our project, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to work on this with upReach.”
As part of their theory of change, upReach takes a double-benefit approach: working in collaboration with top employers to raise awareness of the importance and impacts of social mobility, while supporting young people to achieve their career-potential by removing socio-economic barriers.
