Talent pipeline
Work with Surrey's entrepreneurial students
Our students bring fresh ideas, energy and skills to help businesses tackle challenges and explore new opportunities.
As part of the University’s role as a regional innovation anchor, we connect emerging talent with real business needs, helping to drive innovation-led growth across Surrey and beyond.
By collaborating with our students, you gain access to cutting-edge academic insights and innovation courses that are shaping the future of industry. This unique bridge between university and business provides fresh perspectives that organisations would not otherwise reach.
Ready to build your talent pipeline?
Build your talent pipeline and support our ecosystem
Through targeted projects and short-term collaborations, you can connect with talented entrepreneurial students who are eager to apply their learning in practice. Working with our students can be a valuable first step toward a long-term placement or new partnership. You can also provide support to our programmes and events.
Solve your business challenges with iTEK
Innovation through Technological Knowledge (iTEK) is Surrey's flagship intrapreneurial programme, established with ERA Foundation funding. iTEK connects SMEs and industry partners with small student teams drawn from the cohort attached to the relevant module — for example, electronic engineering, AI and data analysis — to solve technical and product challenges. Supported by intrapreneurship training and industry-led coaching, these student teams rapidly prototype solutions to real SME challenges, producing testable, business-ready outcomes you can pilot.
In addition to addressing your challenges and delivering practical outcomes, you will help shape the next generation of talent, giving students the chance to apply their knowledge in real business settings and bring fresh ideas to life.
iTEK is embedded into academic modules and the exact structure, timing and assessment can vary between courses and cohorts. We scope each project with you to ensure the deliverables and timelines match your business needs.
Benefits to your business
- Rapid, low-cost prototyping and tested recommendations
- Access to third-year engineering undergraduates or postgraduate students, depending on the module.
- Agreed, structured outputs
- A pipeline for future talent — many projects lead to internships or hires.
Typical timeline
- Kick-off: brief scoping and team introduction
- Mid-point review: interim checkpoint
- Delivery sprint: prototype, demo, report or other agreed output
- Final handover: final deliverable and presentation
- Ongoing programme support and monitoring
Provide sponsorship and investment
Sponsor awards, projects or training to support student ventures and raise your profile with future talent.
Support student ventures through awards, project grants, training sponsorships or infrastructure investment. Partners typically benefit from enhanced employer branding and recruitment visibility, opportunities to showcase expertise at events, and the chance to support the next generation of innovators.
Support our events
Co-host workshops, hackathons and networking events.
Partner with us to run practical workshops, hackathons or masterclasses that give students hands-on skills and put your team in front of emerging talent. Event partners gain direct access to students and alumni, opportunities to present or mentor, and brand recognition across the Surrey Enterprise Hub channels and events.
Advertise a job vacancy
Post your job vacancies on Surrey Pathfinder to recruit our talented students.
Advertise internships, placements and graduate roles on Surrey Pathfinder to reach talented, motivated students and penultimate-year candidates. Posting roles is an efficient way to build your talent pipeline and convert short projects into longer placements or hires.
Professional Training scheme placement
Take on an undergraduate for a professional training scheme placement for up to 12 months to give them real responsibility and benefit from sustained project delivery across the academic year. Placements develop discipline-specific skills, produce measurable outputs for your organisation and often lead to long-term recruitment. To advertise a placement visit Professional Training scheme placement.