Made Smarter relaunches digital internship programme to support Lanca

Made Smarter has relaunched its highly successful Digital Technology Internship programme to help Lancashire manufacturers tackle the growing digital skills gap and accelerate innovation.

The government funded scheme connects digitally capable students and recent graduates with SME manufacturers to work on real-world technology adoption projects.

The reboot follows the overwhelming success of the first phase (2019–2022), where nearly half of interns secured permanent jobs.

UK manufacturers are facing unprecedented workforce pressures, with 92 per cent expecting skills gaps and over 52,000 job vacancies in the sector. The cost of inaction is mounting with an estimated £7.7bn a year in lost productivity.

These challenges are compounded by reduced immigration, an ageing workforce, and underperforming training pipelines.

To explore these challenges in more depth and share insight on how the internship programme is addressing them, Made Smarter has published a new white paper: Digital Internships: How Made Smarter helps SME manufacturers tap into tech talent. The free guide offers a deep dive into the digital skills shortage in UK manufacturing, how the programme works, and the real-world impact it’s having on both businesses and students.

Made Smarter's Digital Internship programme helps manufacturers address immediate resource needs and long-term skills development, while offering students career-defining experience.

Interns - ranging from second-year undergraduates to postgraduates and recent graduates in fields like data science, robotics, digital design, and engineering - are matched with manufacturers undertaking live digital projects. These may include helping to develop digital roadmaps, or implementing software or hardware solutions.

Internships are flexible (part-time or full-time), paid, and come with support from Made Smarter’s expert advisers.

For SME manufacturers, Made Smarter’s digital internship programme offers immediate, practical support from digitally skilled interns who bring fresh thinking, cutting-edge tools, and the latest technologies into the business.

It provides a low-risk way to trial digital solutions, while helping companies build future talent pipelines, strengthen sustainability and inclusion efforts, and forge valuable partnerships with universities and research institutions.

For students and graduates, internships offer hands-on experience and real-world application of academic skills, professional development, enhanced employability, networking opportunities, and a clearer path into a career.

Among the manufacturers to benefit from the internship programme is Sustainable Smart Technologies, an IoT solutions provider based in Rawtenstall.

The company was matched with Kamran ‘Kammy’ Nawaz, then a student at the University of Manchester, who joined the business to support a range of technology projects before securing a full time role as Operations Manager, overseeing its largest and most complex installations.

Niamh Allen, managing director, said: “Kammy’s internship turned out to be the ideal gateway to discovering exceptional talent.

"His placement gave us the chance to assess his skills, mindset, and work ethic in a real-world setting, with the flexibility and reduced risk that the funded internship model provides.

"His growth into a leadership role showed his adaptability and commitment, and the programme itself fostered collaboration, innovation, and mentoring within the team.

"For a small but growing business like ours, it was an incredibly effective way to build capability and bring a long-term asset into the company.”

Another company benefiting from the scheme is Mantle Packaging Machinery, a food packaging machinery manufacturer in Clitheroe.

It utilised the expertise of Naga Gurudatta Kataru, a Master’s student of business analytics and big data at the University of Liverpool, who helped implement a game-changing inventory management project.

Laura Sieczkowski, director, said: "The digital internship programme added real value to the implementation of this new technology and we would thoroughly recommend other manufacturers take advantage of this opportunity."

Donna Edwards, programme director for Made Smarter, said: “It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the impact our Digital Internship Programme has had - bringing fresh energy, ideas, and digital know-how into manufacturing businesses across the North West.

“Phase one showed just how powerful this model can be, not only helping manufacturers embrace new technologies and improve productivity, but also giving students and graduates that all-important first step into the industry.

“With national funding now in place, phase two is set to go even further - offering more opportunities for businesses to access fully funded support, and for young people to gain meaningful, paid experience that can kickstart their careers.

“This is about building confidence on both sides - giving manufacturers the skills to take digital forward, and developing the next generation of talent to drive the future of UK manufacturing.”

Since its inception in 2019, Made Smarter has supported over 2,500 manufacturers in the North West, providing access to expert digital advice, technology adoption roadmaps, and workforce development opportunities.

To find out more about digital internship opportunities visit: madesmarter.uk/adoption/internship-programme/