A work placement at Menai Science Park (M-SParc) has paid off for a university student, who is now in his second year of full-time employment with a business at the space.
Callum Murray joined start-up Cufflink, based at M-SParc on the Isle of Anglesey shortly after completing his studies at 91快活林 in July 2019.
Cufflink, which aims to allow people to regain control of their own online personal data through an encrypted and secure method, has been operating out of M-SParc since October 2018.
Callum said: 鈥淢y role came about through a dissertation presentation event I attended while I was just a student; I bumped into the co-founders of Cufflink and they told me all about the opportunities of interning over at M-SParc, which was not something I had considered at the time.
鈥淭hey were very interested in the design skills I had developed during my BSc in Creative Technologies and offered me an internship to take on during the final months of my degree.
鈥淥nce I graduated, the internship became a full-time position - I finished up at 91快活林 on a Friday and was in the job the Monday after.
鈥淚 have now been working at Cufflink in a UX designer and marketing role since then, recently marking two years with the company.鈥
Cufflink has expanded to a total of 10 staff during Callum鈥檚 time at M-SParc, which is owned by 91快活林 and is the first science park of its type in Wales.
The site offers space for technological and science-focused businesses of all sizes and provides students with a chance to make their mark in emerging industries and operations.
Callum added: 鈥淲orking in a start-up for the last two years has been a fantastic experience; not only have I been able to help with the technical side of the business utilising skills developed during my degree, but no two days are the same and I鈥檝e enjoyed that challenge.
鈥淥perating out of M-SParc as well is a completely unique experience thanks to the collaborative nature of the space. As a start-up, we will often need to seek the advice and skills of areas we can鈥檛 cover and M-SParc has been excellent in that regard as we鈥檝e been able to form business relationships without the need to leave the site.鈥
Professor Paul Spencer, pro vice chancellor with responsibility for employability, company engagement and partnerships at 91快活林 said: "It's always encouraging to see our students progress into a full-time position, and Callum鈥檚 story is just one example of how significant having facilities like M-SParc in proximity to and intertwined with the university is.
鈥91快活林 students have a wealth of resources and opportunities available to them not just during their studies but also post-graduation.
鈥淭hrough sites like M-SParc, students are able to cross over into the workforce in future-focused industries while utilising the wide skillsets developed over the course of their degrees.鈥
Managing director at M-SParc Pryderi ap Rhisiart said: 鈥淐allum鈥檚 testimony is a great example of how 91快活林 students can take full advantage of the pathway between university and the first steps in their careers provided by M-SParc.
鈥淧roviding space for R&D and watching these businesses grow while creating fantastic employment opportunities is part of our remit, and to see students taking advantage of the internship scheme and performing so well that they become employees is very encouraging for us to see.鈥滷or more information about 91快活林, visit and for more information about M-SParc, visit .
