Background

The Graduate Trainee Programme was initially created with support from the Higher Education Funding Council for England to complement the UK Government's Matched Funding Scheme for Higher Education. There was a need to boost the calibre of newcomers entering the HE fundraising profession. CASE Europe devised a model which would train identified talent on the fundamental skills, knowledge and aptitude needed to be successful in the development profession and to make an impact on a university's philanthropic giving.

Funding for the scheme was allocated for a three year period (2009-12) and then extended for a further year, to 2012/13. CASE Europe now seeks supporters and university partners for the next three years of the scheme, 2013 - 2016, to train a further 24 high-calibre university fundraisers.

The following objectives were set for the Graduate Trainee Programme:

• To develop high-calibre fundraising professionals in the higher education sector
• To raise the profile of fundraising in higher education and promote its growth
• To develop the perception of fundraising in higher education as an attractive career option for talented people
• To spread best practice, knowledge and expertise in fundraising across the higher education sector

What are the results of the programme so far?

During the first three completed years of this national scheme, 20 skilled graduate trainees have generated philanthropic income through their fundraising efforts. See where these graduate trainees are now.

Currently in its fourth year, a further 7 graduates started their placements in August 2012.

We intend to train a further 24 high-calibre university fundraisers over the next three years of the scheme, in partnership with UK universities. At the end of this next phase, we will have educated over 50 fundraising professionals through this programme, representing approximately 5% of the total fundraising staff of UK universities.

The following host and secondment institutions have participated in the scheme to date:

• The University of Bristol with their co‐host University of the West of England
• Oxford University with co-host Oxford Brookes University; Ruskin College
• The University of Manchester with their co‐hosts University of Bolton and University of Salford
• Newcastle University with co‐host Teesside University
• Loughborough University with co‐hosts Wolverhampton University and De Montfort University
• University College London with their co‐host University of West London
• The University of Nottingham with co‐host Birmingham City University
• University of Leeds with co‐host York St John University
• University of Southampton with their co‐host University of Portsmouth
• King's College London with co‐host Goldsmiths University of London
• University of Warwick with co‐host Coventry University
• London Business School with their co‐host Guildhall School of Music and Drama

If you are interested in supporting the Graduate Trainee Scheme visit our Supporters FAQs page.

If you are interested in becoming a trainee or a host institution, take a look at our Recruitment FAQs page.