*Castletown, ISLE OF MAN, 02 December 2009* – Manx Graduates (
www.manxgraduates.im), the Isle of Man's online community for professionals,
will provide the exclusive channel for applicants to the Graduate Internship
Programme jointly developed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
and the Isle of Man International Business School (IBS).

Manx Graduates, launched last year to help link Island employers with
graduates, will provide employers with a means to promote their Graduate
Internship placement directly to a large group of graduate Manx workers. All
applications will be routed through the site.

“The Graduate Internship Programme is designed to provide recent graduates
with an entry into a career on the Island so that they might make a
long-term, significant contribution to the Manx economy,” explained Andrew
Stewart, training services manager, DTI. “The Manx Graduates website
provides the perfect channel to match candidates with placements for the
programme.”

The central component of the programme is a two-year work placement with an
Isle of Man employer, during which the participant gains valuable experience
and works on projects that provide real benefits to the employer. In
parallel with the work placement, participants study for an MBA part time at
the IBS (funded by the DTI), gaining a postgraduate degree. The Internship
Programme was devised by the DTI to help graduates who currently face a
challenging employment market to gain valuable work experience and
additional qualifications.

The MBA Business Management programme is designed to complement the
placement and involves attendance at the IBS for one day a week over a
two-year period. In addition, there is a mentoring component where an IBS
mentor works closely with participants helping them to apply what they learn
on the MBA programme to their working life and providing a link between the
employer and the IBS.

Chris Gledhill, managing director at PDMS, the software company which
designed and developed the Manx Graduates site, said, “It is increasingly
obvious that for the majority of people, well executed online services are
the preferred way to engage with the administrative tasks . Manx Graduate's
smart interface as the primary channel will save time and money for all
parties involved in the application process. This is an excellent example of
an online social network at its best.”

For more information about the Graduate Internship/MBA programme contact
Andrew Stewart, andrew.stewart(at)training.dti.gov.im or ring 01624 678151.