Summer Skills Placement Programme
Registration closes on 28th November
Eligible students will have receive emails from Careers with information about how to sign up. Please check your email preferences on your Careers Portal Profile are set to receive emails from 'Careers Service'.
Eligibility Criteria
Open to 2nd Year* Undergraduates with one or more of the following characteristics:
- Registered with the Disability & Neurodiversity team
- Black Heritage
- Financially supported/low income backgrounds
- First generation at university
- Care-leavers
*and eligible 1st Years with an integrated placement year as part of your course (e.g. year-in-industry/business).
If you're not eligible for this programme, explore the range of support on offer on the Careers Service webpage.
If you believe you are eligible but have not yet received an email please contact us at CareersPlacements@rhul.ac.uk
How to sign up
Eligible students can get started straight away here! (this link will open the Careers Portal and take you to the online Pathway). The sign up activity closes on 28th November.
If you're curious and your questions aren't answered below, you can book an appointment to chat with a member of the Placements Team.
How do I get a summer placement?
Part One: Pathway
1. Start on the Summer Skills Placement Pathway – a virtual series of careers-learning activities designed by the Careers team.
2. The Pathway has 5 simple Levels to complete and is easy to fit around your schedule because you can do the activities anytime that suits you! Just make sure to complete them by their deadlines (the first one is 28th November).
3. The Pathway runs from October to March 2025, offering flexibility around your studies. You get tailored, in-depth feedback on your CV and a short video interview.
Part Two: Placement
1. Make applications! Completing the Pathway grants you access to opportunities sourced exclusively for programme students. You get application support from the team.
2. Placements are either 2 or 4 weeks and take place in the summer vacation between June – September 2025. You can only do one placement.
3. You’ll get a monetary grant and your completion of the programme is included on your degree transcript.
You’re supported by the Placements team throughout the whole process, from registration to placement completion.
Why should I do the programme?
Click here to watch A Message from Your SU VPs, Maddie & Liv!
Did you know, 90% of employers prefer their candidates to have work experience?*
This programme is designed to prepare you for real-life applications after graduating, setting you up for future success!
A short placement will help you figure out what you do - or don't - like about a job, what skills you need, or routes you could take such as further study. Get an insight to a particular industry, to try out a role, network, put your skills into practice, and get valuable experience to add to your CV.
Past students have said:
"The CV feedback provided valuable insights into how I could improve my CV and effectively present my skills and experiences to potential employers. The feedback and guidance received helped me understand the expectations and preferences of recruiters, allowing me to tailor my CV to stand out in a competitive job market."
“I feel more confident and have a clearer idea of what I want to do in the next steps of my career journey.”
"I feel more equipped and confident finding and applying for jobs."
"The insight into what the job consists of has helped me identify what skills will be useful to develop to make myself standout from others when applying for graduate schemes."
Students consistently rate the experience 4 and 5 stars for work-place skills development, confidence in their application and interview skills, and confidence in their next steps after graduation.
What is the Pathway, and what work is involved?
The Summer Skills Placement Pathway is one of the Careers Pathways available on the Careers Portal, designed and delivered by the Careers team.
Split flexibly over Terms 1 and 2, you’ll spend a few hours working through activities to develop your CV and master your video interview technique, as well as accessing a suite of extra resources and materials to boost your employability.
You get in-depth, tailored feedback on your CV and interview technique
(you’ll have lots of chance to practise before submitting a final recording, so don’t worry about it!).
As long as you complete the mandatory activities by the deadlines, you can easily manage ithe programme around your existing workload.
Completing the Pathway (around February 2025) gives you access to apply for placement opportunities sourced exclusively for students on the programme.
Timeline of the Programme
What are the deadlines?
Download: Pathway Levels and Deadlines for Students (pdf)
FAQs
You don't need any previous experience to take part, you just need to complete the online Pathway. This means you’ll get to apply for exclusive placement opportunities sourced by the Placements team in your area of interest – we tailor this programme to you as much as we can.
Placement criteria:
- UK based
- 2 or 4 weeks in duration (part-time available to fit around other commitments such as paid work)
- take place in the summer vacation so there is no disruption to your studies
- remote, hybrid or in-person
- awarded a grant of £400 or £650 depending on duration
- public travel expenses are also covered
- Placement providers do their best to tailor the role and work to your interests
- You can only do one placement, and will only receive one grant amount.
Completing the programme means the voluntary module will be displayed on your degree transcript.
Please note placements cannot be guaranteed, but you are welcome to source your own opportunity and have it count on the programme provided it meets criteria.
If you complete the Pathway, you'll gain access to opportunities sourced and advertised by the Placements team from March 2025.
You'll get application support and the team can assist with facilitating any reasonable adjustments or other requirements to enable your participation in this programme.
The Placements team facilitate the application process but it is ultimately up to the employer hosts to select successful candidates.
While placements cannot be guaranteed, you do have the option to find and submit a self-sourced placement to count on the programme.
Yes!
You’ll have the chance to tell us what sector and roles you’re interested in exploring, and we do the sourcing for you. We've worked with companies across all sectors, and our hosts do their best to tailor the experience to your interests, meaning you get a much more hands-on and in-depth experience.
Placements on this programme are typically hosted by employers from Small to Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) which include local and national companies, and many which are London-based. We source opportunities with you in mind, so we can seek a placement for where you will be based over summer.
Some hosts are Royal Holloway alumni, so have a great understanding of your current student experience, and can help guide your steps beyond the placement.
Many of our programme students go on to further paid work with their placement company and report higher levels of confidence in securing roles after graduation.
Read case studies from students and employers!
"I feel a lot more prepared and confident now I have proper experience in an industry that is quite difficult to get into." - Film & Television student
The Placements Team are on-hand throughout the programme for support.
A range of resources are available on the Careers Moodle, and we encourage you to speak directly to Royal Holloway's Wellbeing team for further guidance.
During the programme, you will have access to request reasonable adjustments for the video interview submission, as well as during the placement applications stage. You will receive guidance on how/when to declare disabilities and the Placements Team are able to faciliate conversations with placement hosts that will enable you to get the most out of the experience.
Please contact us at any time if you are unsure about any parts of the programme, or if you may need specific assistance that is not mentioned here.
Email: CareersPlacements@rhul.ac.uk
Please contact the Placements Team at CareersPlacements@rhul.ac.uk.
Alternatively, the Enterprise & Careers Hub in the Davison Building is open Monday to Friday between 10am to 4pm and can be emailed at Careers@royalholloway.ac.uk
Celebratory & Networking Event
On Wednesday 20 November we welcomed past and new students in the Picture Gallery to network with each other and some of our fantastic placement hosts!
LinkedIn success stories!
Moore Barlow LLP, Richmond Office
Past placement student, Daniel, was placed at Blueprint for Better Business and invites you to get in touch if you'd like to talk to someone who's been on the programme to find out more about his experience:
Applications for the Mentoring Programme have now closed for this year.
What else does Careers offer?
The Careers Service is here to help you throughout your degree. Visit the webpage for information, advice, events, work experience and volunteering opportunities.