Student paid work platform goes for growth

AN Aberdeen technology start-up which links businesses with students for paid project work is expanding into the central belt with the launch today of an Edinburgh office, and it plans to open in Glasgow soon.

Udrafter – launched last year by brothers Luke and Daryll Morrow– has also flagged ambitions to expand south of the Border with a focus on major cities.

The brothers’ online udrafter.com platform – short for the University Draft – enables businesses to engage students looking for paid work experience on projects from as little as two hours in duration.

Udrafter aims to allow businesses to secure highquality work at a relatively low cost without tying up staff. It has around 170 businesses and more than 1,000 students registered.

Managing director Daryll Morrow, while highlighting potential benefits of the platform for businesses, declared that “Udrafter’s mission is to end exploitation of students through unpaid internships which only fit with the wealthiest in society”.

Emphasising potential for students to boost their chances of securing fulltime work by undertaking projects for companies, he added: “The Udrafter micro-internships platform will rebalance and reshape student opportunities regardless of background or network.”

Udrafter, which raised about £300,000 on the Seedrs platform recently, has hired three employees and plans further recruitment as it expands.

Luke Morrow said: “Although the new office is in Edinburgh, we have very much got our sights on Glasgow as well and would hope to be opening an office there in the near [future] too.

“Then if all goes well the obvious next step is to expand south of the Border. One of the great things about the platform is that it’s ready to roll out really quickly whenever we think the time is right.”

Daryll Morrow, 27, said: “I attended graduate job interviews but was told I didn’t have enough experience. My brother and I kept hearing stories from friends...who had faced the same challenge.”