Our world-class internship programme prepares university students in their penultimate year of study by undertaking commercially valuable projects in Scotland and all over the world.
The experience of being one of our Saltire Scholars will be challenging, exhilarating, rewarding, social and fun, and for many it can be life changing. We are looking for passionate candidates with the capability of being the next generation of leaders and those who can be ambassadors for Saltire programmes and for Scotland.
Our Saltire Scholars are ambitious, creative and seek to challenge themselves. Through our mission to find, fuel and spark the next generation of leaders for Scotland, we are looking for individuals who are eager to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, and are prepared to give back in return for their opportunity.
The Saltire Scholar Programme is open to all students in their penultimate year of study at a Scottish university. It is open to students from all degree backgrounds which means that whether you’re studying to be a social worker, a physicist or an accountant, you could gain an internship through the programme if you prove you have the right attitude and experience.
Applications for the 2021 Saltire Scholars Programme go live on the 14th October 2020.
Saltire Scholars work with some of the world’s most recognised brands and innovative companies. You will undertake a project of commercial significance and deliver tangible results to your host company by applying theoretical learning in a professional environment over an 8-10 week period. Scholars experience a different perspective by working in an organisation with a global focus whilst immersing themselves in a different culture.
Virtual Internships provide Scholars with the opportunity to experience working with an International Company from right here in Scotland. If circumstances mean that travelling overseas for a full summer is not possible, a virtual internship can enable you to gain that Global perspective while undertaking a project of commercial significance.
Part-time Saltire Scholars will experience working within their Host Company for an extended period of time, alongside their studies. You will have the opportunity to work on longer term projects and have extended exposure to the host company environment. You will also benefit from undertaking part-time work that is relevant to your career ambitions.
Our world-class internship programme prepares university students in their penultimate year of study by undertaking commercially valuable projects in Scotland and all over the world.
At each stage, our application process views you holistically and we recruit based on skill, ability and aspiration. The most successful applicants will draw on experiences from their work, university, volunteering and personal life. We urge applicants to think about their transferable skills and how these might be applied within an employment context. Below is an overview of each recruitment stage as well as a video which explains this in further detail. For more information, please follow the links to our FAQs.
The initial online application is a series of competency-based questions. We do not ask for your grades or UCAS points at any stage of the application.
All applications should be completed and submitted through our website. We advise that applicants seek advice from their university careers service to support their application.
Our fast-paced and fun interview process requires you to convey your skills and experience over a short time frame. You will have two 15 minute interviews, either face to face or virtually; one with a previous Saltire Scholar and one with a member of the Entrepreneurial Scotland team. For success at this stage, you should be confident in reasons why you are applying to the programme and understand the skills you can bring to an employer.
At this stage you will have the opportunity to view the employers we are partnering with and read about the internship vacancies they are recruiting for.
Opportunities will be released in lists throughout February, March, April and May - you may apply for up to three roles from each list. Write a tailored CV and covering letter for each role you are interested in and the four best-suited candidates will move forward to an interview with their selected host company.
This is still a competitive stage of the process and not every candidate who makes it into the candidate pool will gain an internship position.
Well done – you’ve secured a Saltire Scholar Internship!
Now we will work with you to progress through all of the logistical and on boarding elements that make your internship possible. There’s a lot of information conveyed at this stage, so it’s important you understand what is being asked of you.
We have several expectations of you as a Saltire Scholar. You will be expected to write a blog, keep in touch with us over the summer and complete a case study at the end of your internship. You will also be given the opportunity to become a Brand Ambassador for the programme upon your return to university.
Timothy is a student at Glasgow Caledonian University about to enter his final year studying BSc (Hons) Digital Design. Having secured a Marketing Design internship with Los Angeles based host company, Moving Analytics, Timothy was one of the first Scholars in the history of the Programme to undertake a Virtual internship in 2020.
When Timothy moved to Glasgow in 2016 he described the local culture as vibrant and diverse and found that he was able to involve himself in community-based programmes which helped him to settle in and build relationships. Timothy was later provided with the opportunity to give back to those who had initially supported him by volunteering his time to assist on various multi-media projects at his Church.
Timothy is passionate about community and is inspired to encourage other young people to unlock their creativity and to follow their dreams. As a creative person Timothy feels an obligation to use his skillset to communicate culture and values whilst also positively impacting businesses and society.
When reflecting on his internship experience Timothy stated that his confidence has increased significantly and that the commercial significance of his project was very important to him when he applied. He would tell future applicants that the experiences and the opportunities you gain really are worth it and if it were not for the Saltire Scholar Programme he would still be unsure about his career path.
Elizabeth is currently studying at the University of Stirling, in the final year of her BSc (Hons) degree in Management. She secured her placement with Edwards LifeSciences as an Accounts & Tender Mapping Project Intern, and was one of the small number of Saltire Scholars whose international roles were able to go ahead in person in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic made global travel decidedly more complicated. Her internship was situated in Prague, Czech Republic, where she worked alongside another Scholar.
Elizabeth completed several projects at Edwards, such as gathering tender information by contacting the company’s distributers, and researching the various heart-surgery based charities and virtual communities that exist in over 12 different countries. Along with her co-Scholar, she was invited to present these findings to Management.
Elizabeth noted that the Saltire Scholar Programme was the ideal fit for her over other internship programmes as it is so different from other opportunities: she progressed through the recruitment as she was assessed on her capabilities and skills, not her amount of work experience.
Looking back on her internship, Elizabeth describes it as life-changing, as she was surrounded with an adaptive and innovative business culture that was pulling through the challenges of Covid-19. She would tell other students that it was one of the best decisions she has ever made, and that it was invigorating to undertake something she had never experienced before and to know that she was going to make it the best it could be.
Ennis is a student at the University of Aberdeen studying for an LLB in Law and has just entered the final year of his degree. Over the summer, Ennis secured an internship with Scottish based agri-tech firm, Intelligent Growth Solutions, as an Intelligent Grid Intern. During this role he had the chance to carry out market research from the comfort of his own home, with industry experts in the UK, Mexico, Canada and Norway. In addition, he had the opportunity to carry out an on-site visit to the company’s first vertical farm in Scotland.
Passionate about giving back, Ennis has previously spent time volunteering in Lourdes taking care of children with special needs and also worked with Aberdeen City Council, giving out free legal advice to the public.
He was first attracted to his host company due to his background in geography and interest in making agricultural systems smarter and more renewable. However he was also keen to explore the company from the perspective of a Law student and ensure he provided a great service by using his passion for learning to get to know the company inside-out.
Ennis states that his internship experience has improved a variety of his skills including marketing, mathematics, sales, politics, communication and good time management. The key deliverables that he produced for his host company will assist them in valuing the worldwide market for a new product.
Sam is a BA (Hons) Game Design & Production student at Abertay University, now in his final year, and he was one of the very first Scholars to be confirmed in the 2020 Cohort. What was an internship placement initially based at image engineering experts Crescent Inc in Tokyo became a virtual role from his home in Scotland, working closely with the company’s UK branch, DigiCast UK, as a VR Artist.
Sam’s project involved him being a trainee within the company, through which he learned about many aspects of the team’s work, from modelling, to rigging, to animation. Through this project Sam feels he has grown in many professional aspects, such as communication through Zoom calls and emails, something he previously struggled with before the internship. His understanding of many processes in the industry has expanded, understanding he sees as crucial given his career aspirations.
When reviewing his time spent as a Saltire Scholar, Sam feels extremely lucky to have been able to work with the DigiCast team, which would not have happened had the trip to Tokyo been possible. His internship has changed his outlook on himself and his ambitions. Without it, he wouldn’t be as well-rounded a creator as he is now.