University of Leeds Internship Report: How internships are key to success in Marketing

With a history stretching back to 1874, the University of Leeds is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious universities in the UK. With alumni ranging from prominent British politicians to presidents of Mongolia and NASA astronauts, its international reach is unparalleled. 

With almost 40,000 students, Leeds is among the five UK universities targeted by the largest number of top graduate employers in 2021-22. Along with Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol, it’s a top choice for employers looking to pick up the best and brightest. 

Best of all, the university pumps £1.3bn every year into the UK economy, with almost £200m going into Leeds itself. That’s not to mention the number of Leeds graduates who make a home for themselves in the city, going on to found businesses and work in the local area.

So where does Leeds stand on internships?

Drawing on LinkedIn data, we sampled 61,000 of the University of Leeds’s alumni currently working in marketing to discover just how quickly an internship speeds up the average career. Using data from the 10,000 Leeds alum who have undertaken an internship, here’s what we found.

With over 16% of their marketing alumni having undertaken an internship at some point in their career, it’s clear that the University of Leeds has a laser-like focus on employability for their students. This figure is much higher than other universities we’ve measured, and it’s likely to contribute heavily to the career success that many Leeds students go on to enjoy.

Many students take on internships during their time at university or in specific placement years. In fact, the university’s Leeds Internship Program partners with local SMEs, charities and multinational firms to secure exclusive work experience for its students. Again, this is a great way for the University of Leeds to contribute to the local Leeds economy, with students getting their first taste of marketing right here in the city!

The most interesting thing about our figures is their relationship with women’s careers.

The gender pay gap is well-documented, and while it exists for many reasons, the truth is that women are still often discriminated against in the workplace. In fact, having children and staying with the same employer closely is ‘associated with a lower risk of downward occupational mobility and also with lower chances of progression’ (Source: Understanding Society). 

That’s why it’s so good to see that from our complete figures below, women who had undertaken an internship are reaching director/CEO level at a rate almost twice as fast as women who hadn’t. And they’re outpacing men as they do it!

In short, women have the chance to make up for lost time and fight downwards career progression by taking on an internship, reaching both managerial and director levels at a rate faster than women who haven’t.

We all assume that internships can speed up someone’s career, but it’s stark to see the figures laid out in black and white. Internships have a material impact on the rate at which we progress our careers, and it’s not hard to see why.

And while internships clearly give a boost to everyone, our figures suggest that interning can particularly help women overcome the natural biases against them in the workplace. That makes them a smart long-term investment for women in marketing.

With our data in hand, we reached out to Beth Nunnington, former Leeds student and current VP of Digital PR and Content at Journey Further, to see how internships impacted her career trajectory.

We also spoke to the University of Leeds itself to get some insight into the data we found. Here’s what Dr Helen Hughes, of the University of Leeds Business School, had to say.

Check out our full findings, taken from the LinkedIn data of Leeds graduates, below.