As students prepare to graduate, many face the same question: should they stay in London to build their careers, or look elsewhere for opportunities?
At the recent ImpactLab London showcase, King's students Aimerie Chartree Doyon and Tyler Tiffin tackled that challenge head-on with a project designed to help keep skilled graduates in the city. Their proposal supports the City of London's strategic priority of attracting, developing, and retaining talent by creating clearer pathways from student internships to long-term employment.
Chartree Doyon, a Politics and International Relations major with a minor in Economics, and Tiffin, an honours specialization Finance student with a minor in Economics, focused their work on a pressing local challenge: how to retain graduating students in London as they begin their careers.
Their proposed solution is a structured internship-to-career program that offers paid placements of 4 to 12 months for final-year students. Designed with long-term impact in mind, the program would help students gain meaningful local experience, build professional networks, and transition into full-time employment while helping employers retain emerging talent.
"We wanted to have an impact on what would be available for other students and us on their job search," they shared, reflecting on their motivation as graduating students navigating the transition to the workforce.
At the heart of their proposal is a belief that meaningful work experiences are key to building both professional confidence and community connection. By helping students build networks and gain relevant local experience, the program aims to make staying in London a more attractive and viable option.
For Tiffin, one of the biggest challenges in addressing London's "talent leak" is making students more aware of the opportunities already available in the city. "A reason that a lot of people are leaving is that they just don't know about the opportunities that are available here," he said. "We need a centralized system so people know what [career opportunities] are available in London, and why they should stay here instead of just looking elsewhere."
Their work reflects a thoughtful, community-centred approach and one that considers both student needs and the broader economic health of the region.
With support from Dr. Jason Dean, Assistant Professor in the School of Management, Economics, and Mathematics, Chartree Doyon and Tiffin were given the flexibility to shape their research and recommendations. While they consulted existing research, including work completed by other Western students, their final policy recommendations were entirely their own.
They credit Dr. Dean with helping them structure their research and prepare their report for publication, ensuring their work could reach a broader audience and contribute meaningfully to ongoing conversations about London's future.
"They gave us a lot of latitude to figure out what we wanted to do and what we thought was important to address," the students noted, highlighting the person-centred and excellence-driven learning environment at King's.
As they prepare to graduate, both students carry forward not only academic knowledge but a deeper sense of responsibility to the community around them.
Their advice to fellow students is simple: take full advantage of the faculty expertise, mentorship, and opportunities available to you. Through initiatives like ImpactLab London, King's students are not only preparing for their careers but helping shape a stronger future for London.
