A STUDENT is to gain work experience thanks to a programme designed to match undergraduates with small businesses projects.

In place of the traditional student summer employment in bars or supermarkets, Leigh Wilkinson, 20, found herself working on an important finance project for a stair-lift manufacturer.

Leigh, from Chester-le-Street, is one of ten students selected to join one of County Durham's small or medium sized companies on the Shell Technology Enterprise Programme (Step).