Welcome to War wick
An Employer’s Guide to Placements,
Internships and Work Experience
The Benefits of
Employment Experience
Part-time
Mentoring
Short-term
contract
Voluntary
work
work
Project
work
Employment experience, such as placements,
internships and work experience provide
valuable benefits to both individuals and
employers.
Employment experiences offer students a valuable insight into
the world of work and help prepare students and graduates
for the transition to employment. Placements, internships
and work experience are also a useful way for those students
wishing to enter your sector, to gain a real insight into your
business and then make informed career choices.
Summer
placement
Internships
For organisations, the benefits of offering
employment experience to students include:
Year out
Course-based
placement
Placements
• improving the skills of new entrants to the industry
• raising the profile of career opportunities available within
your organisation
• gaining fresh ideas and an external perspective from a
student who can then potentially take on the project
WHAT IS WORK
EXPERIENCE?
Work
shadowing
• increasing short-term resource
• developing management skills for existing staff
• meeting and informally testing potential future recruits
• gaining enhanced standing, including fulfilling corporate
social responsibility, diversity and Government agendas.
“
Our Warwick student had
enthusiasm to learn and
keenness to impress, resulting
in some valuable input to us as
a business."
Adrian Jones, Partner
Gambit Corporate Finance LLP
Types of Employment Experience
Different types of employment experience can be offered by
employers to students, ranging from short-term work experience,
through to 3 month internships and year-long work placement
programmes.
Resource short
term assignments
or project-related
work in a flexible
and cost effective
way
Below is an overview of the different employment experiences organisations
can offer Warwick students, which we can also help you fulfil:
Work experience
Placements
Course-Related Placements
• Work shadowing - usually a few
days or longer, typically unpaid
• 12 month work placement
- this can be assessed, paid work
which is part of a student’s
course or form a student’s gap
year
• If you are offering to host
students and graduates
on course-related work
experience, we can put you
in contact with our relevant
academic departments
• Voluntary work - working
for charities, offering valuable
experience supporting social and
welfare issues
• Work-based project – such as a
specific piece of work linked to a
department
• Part-time work - undertaken
during term-time
• Short-term assignments project based work for a student
or graduate, typically 3 months in
length
Internships
• Easter/Christmas internship typically 2-4 weeks in duration
• Summer internship typically 8-12 weeks long, between
July and September
• Short-term work placement
- for example, project-based
work for a graduate, from July
onwards following graduation,
typically 3 months in length
Mentoring
• If you are unable to offer
work-based experiences to our
students, you may wish to offer
student guidance and practical
advice about a career in your
sector on a one-to-one or group
basis, either as a stand-alone
session, or as part of a longer
mentoring process
• Courses at Warwick which
currently include industrial or
work based placements during
the academic year include:
Chemistry; Life Sciences;
Engineering; Accounting
and Finance; International
Business; Theatre Performance
and Cultural Policy Studies
• French, German, Italian and
Hispanic Studies departments
also look for overseas
placements in countries where
these languages are spoken
Gauge the calibre of
a graduate’s work
both as a short
term resource and
a prelude to longer
term employment
Gain an insight into
the latest thinking in
a specific business or
technology area
Opportunity
to build strong
links with Warwick
WORK EXPERIENCE,
Experience the
fresh ideas and
new perspective
that a graduate
will bring
how will I benefit
as an employer?
Harness the services
of a highly educated
individual who
is enthusiastic,
motivated and
keen to learn and
contribute to your
company
How We Can Support You
Our Placement Learning Unit (PLU) has been created to help
employers develop and fulfil placement, internship and work
experience opportunities for Warwick students.
The Placement Learning Unit team is experienced in working
with employers to promote work experience opportunities that
offer real value to both employers and students.
We can help you design the role and arrangements so that they
match both your needs and the needs of our student population.
We are also able to help you to shape your work experience
opportunity based on best practice in your particular industry.
Preparing students for work
We support students in preparing for work experience, so that
when they arrive on their first day with an employer, they are clear
about their personal objectives for the placement, know how to
behave in a work environment and are aware of what to expect in
the workplace. Some of our students and graduates may not have
worked in the UK before, so we help them to overcome any cultural
barriers.
Warwick Managed Internship Schemes
The Centre for Student Careers & Skills offers a number of funded
internship and student bursary placements across the academic
year. These programmes will vary depending on external funding
and support available. All students and graduates joining these
programmes will also benefit from support and guidance offered
by the Centre for Student Careers & Skills to ensure they are gaining
maximum benefit from their placement and so results in a good
learning outcome.
Our specific internship programmes include:
The Warwick Graduate Internship programme offers you the
opportunity to engage the services of a recent Warwick graduate
for a period of 4-13 weeks between December and March each
year, with no costs incurred. Employers benefit from resource for
short term assignments or project related work in a flexible and
cost effective way. This programme enables employers to gauge
the calibre of a graduate’s work, both as a short term resource and
a prelude to longer term employment, risk free. It also enables
employers to experience the fresh ideas and new perspective that
a graduate will bring, along with an insight into the latest thinking
in a specific business or technology area.
The Green Steps Sustainability and Leadership Programme
offers employers the opportunity to provide a 15 day internship
to students based on a sustainability or environmental initiative.
Students will have undertaken intensive sustainability skills and
leadership training at Warwick to ensure they deliver real value to
the organisation.
Useful Information
For advice on best practice and
the design of work experience and
internships we recommend the
following guides:
Undergraduate Work Experience
Bursary Scheme
Work experience placements or internships have increasingly
become an established stepping-stone to employment for
students and graduates starting their careers. However, some
opportunities are unpaid. Students who decide that taking on
unpaid work is a valuable opportunity may be eligible to benefit
from the support of the bursary scheme that will contribute
towards their funding.
The Law
The CIPD * guidelines explain that the rules for the National
Minimum Wage (NMW) apply if the arrangements are such that
the intern counts as a worker rather than a volunteer.
The guidance says, ‘If someone is expected to undertake ‘work’ for
any organisation, they are entitled to be paid the NMW – even if
there is no written contract in place. However, the issue of whether
an intern classes as a ‘worker’ is made more complicated by the
fact that, in some circumstances, they could instead be classed as
‘volunteers’ (who are under no obligation to perform work, have no
contract or formal arrangement and have no expectation of and
do not receive any reward for the work they do besides having their
expenses reimbursed), in which case the NMW legislation does not
apply.’
There is a specific exemption in the NMW legislation for students
undertaking work as part of a university course, such as a work
placement year during a sandwich course, and there are also
different rules for people working for charities.
The CIPD recommends that, as a minimum, reasonable travel
expenses for interns should be covered and suggests that there
is a strong case for paying a bursary or salary that is equal to
or better than the NMW, particularly if the internship lasts for
three months or more.
* CIPD: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development - ‘Internships that
work’. This document also includes a simple Internship Agreement template.
• UK Department for Business Innovation and Skills ‘Best Practice Code for High-Quality Internships’.
Advertising Placements,
Internships and Work Experience
We offer all employers the opportunity to advertise placements,
internships and work experience opportunities free of charge
to Warwick students through our student and employer-facing
portal called myAdvantage.
You can advertise your positions by uploading these to your
myAdvantage account. Students and graduates will then apply
to you directly.
Support from the Placement Learning Unit is available to
employers in relation to advertising, managing and undertaking
placements,internships and work experience.
The Placement Learning Unit also works closely
with Warwick’s Employer Connect team who
are able to advise employers about raising your
profile on campus and the wide range of services
available to you to attract Warwick students.
Registering your organisation on myAdvantage
only takes a few minutes.
To register please go to: https://myadvantage.
warwick.ac.uk/employers
Employing Students
Whilst employment experience offers clear benefits to
you as an employer, there is also a need to be aware
of the responsibility that offering work experience
entails. The Placement Learning Unit can guide you
through all the steps in the process to ensure you gain
the most from the opportunity and meet the required
responsibilities.
Employers need to ensure that employment
experience opportunities do not:
 exploit individuals
 restrict social mobility
Advertising Tips
Ensure that the employment experience opportunity:
 satisfies our vacancy advertising policy and the law
regarding the National Minimum Wage
 has clear aims and objectives, an induction, and
appropriate management and supervision
 offers genuine learning opportunities to the student and
that the content of the work is appropriate for graduatelevel applicants
 provides an opportunity for the student or graduate to
gain a beneficial insight into your sector, organisation or
workplace
 allows students time off to attend job interviews or
complete study requirements as necessary
 replace entry level jobs for graduates and others
 contravene current employment or National
Minimum Wage legislation.
Employment experience opportunities should be
paid positions, unless the student or graduate is not
a ‘worker,’ as defined by National Minimum Wage
legislation.
If the terms of the experience are such that the
student or graduate is performing as a ‘worker’, and
the placement is not being carried out as part of a
further or higher education course, then the National
Minimum Wage should be adopted throughout the
duration of the placement. In all cases, reasonable
and pre-agreed expenses should be reimbursed.
 is reimbursed appropriately. Think about how much you
are going to pay the student - be competitive. Pay a bit less
than you would a graduate but more than the National
Minimum Wage.
For further advice and information on the current National Minimum Wage legislation, please see:
• Department for Business, Innovation and Skills:
www.bis.gov.uk/policies/employment-matters/rights/nmw
• GOV.UK:
www.gov.uk/your-right-to-minimum-wage
International Students
Over one quarter of Warwick’s student population
are international students keen to gain relevant work
experience, both in the UK and overseas.
UK employers need to be aware of the following guidance
when employing international students:
»Students working during their studies
During their studies, students studying a degree-level
course or above with a Tier 4 visa, can work part-time up to
20 hours per week in term-time and work full-time during
their vacations.
»Graduates working after their studies
Following graduation, students may apply for a Tier 2 visa
which enables them to work in the UK for up to 3 years.
A more detailed summary of the current visa options for
international students and graduates can be found on our
International Office website:
www.go.warwick.ac.uk/immigration
“
It’s no secret that Warwick produces
some of the very best graduate talent,
year on year. We make every effort
to attract that talent earlier through
our various internship programmes
knowing that their drive and
professionalism is easily comparable
to a graduate level employee."
Dave Andrews, Graduate Recruitment
Accenture
“
Hosting a Warwick University student, who
was interested in gaining work experience
in our organisation was particularly helpful
because of her desire to learn and acquire as
much experience and practical knowledge
as possible."
Sarah Batten, Assistant Curator
The Cartoon Museum
Placement Learning Unit
Warwick’s Placement Learning Unit was established in
February 2012 to support employers in developing and
fulfilling employment experiences. We support students in
sourcing and preparing for employment experience, with
the aim of enhancing their employability skills.
Contact details:
Placement Learning Unit
Centre for Student Careers & Skills
t 024 7615 1882
e placementlearning@warwick.ac.uk
w go.warwick.ac.uk/careers/employers