Summer Skills Placement Programme
***Applications for 2023 have closed. If you are currently a First Year, please look out for commnications about applying in Autumn Term 2024.***
Get a 2 or 4-week placement in summer 2024 and a grant up to £650
Eligible students will receive communications - please check your email preferences on your Careers Portal Profile are set to receive emails from 'Careers Service'.
Complete a Pathway of Careers activities and you could secure a short placement in a sector of your interest, with a grant of £400 or £650 depending on the duration. Public travel expenses are covered too.
Completion of this programme will appear on your degree transcript.
What's it all about?
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Create a professional, industry-standard CV
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Interview tips & video practice
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Tailored, in-depth feedback from the Careers team
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Practical careers resources and support
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Secure a short placement in summer 2024, and up to £650
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We collaborate with local and London-based companies to tailor work experience to you
Whether you've got clear career goals or no idea where to start - start here!
You must be a 1st or 2nd Year Undergraduate with one or more of the following backgrounds:
- Registered with the Disability & Neurodivergence team
- Black Heritage
- Financially supported/low income backgrounds
- First generation at university
- Care-leavers
If you're not eligible for this programme, check out the range of placement support on offer on the Careers Service webpage.
Explore the range of Careers Pathways available on the Careers Portal.
How do I get a summer placement?
Start with the programme's Pathway – a virtual series of employability-boosting activities designed by the Careers team. (You'll receive link via email).
The Pathway has easy-to-navigate Levels with activities such as CV Webinars and Video Interview practice, with tailored, personalised feedback from the Careers team for you to hone your skills and techniques.
Over Terms 1 & 2, you'll need around 8-10 hours to do the virtual activities, offering flexibility around your studies. Complete them at a time that suits you - just make sure to do so by the deadlines.
Complete one level to unlock the next.
Once you’ve completed the Levels, you’ll gain access to apply to exclusive placement opportunities advertised by us directly to you.
PLUS: you'll have access to a dedicated Moodle course with a suite of extra resources and guidance for your career aspirations.
The Pathway is designed to prepare you not only for your placement but for real-life applications after graduating, setting you up for future success!
Open the drop-downs to find out how the Pathway can benefit you:
Learn how to present and evidence your skills effectively and talk about your experience to potential employers.
"The feedback and guidance helped me understand the expectations and preferences of recruiters, allowing me to tailor my CV to stand out in a competitive job market."
With content and tutorials created by our Careers experts, you'll build your professional CV and get personalised, in-depth feedback, with extra tips and techniques for future too.
With the rise of remote working, more employers are conducting virtual interviews as part of their recruitment process. You'll get to practice with innovative software Shortlist.me and get in-depth feedback from our team.
"I had never done a video interview before and having the steps and advice all clearly explained was invaluable. Having a practice video interview was very helpful as it helped me to work through my nerves around the process,"
- Placement student with Beachy Books
You’re supported by the Placements team throughout the whole process, from registration to placement completion.
The programme provides you with guidance to enter the workplace and how to get the most out of the experience, as well as tips for your LinkedIn Profile, and what to do next.
If you need support such as reasonable adjustments, the team can assist with arrangements. The Pathway and Moodle course have also been designed to be accessible and provide tailored support - if you'd like to discuss anything with the team to help/improve your experience, please contact us.
How much time does the Pathway take?
Over the Autumn and Spring Terms, you'll invest around 8-10 hours of your time. Your success in the programme depends on your effort, so the more you put in, the greater the rewards. The tasks are spread out so there will not be a large amount of work to do in one go – as long as you complete the mandatory activities by the deadlines, you can easily manage it around your workload.
Placements in a range of sectors
You must have competed the mandatory activities of the Pathway to be able to apply for placements. 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. Students consistently rate the experience 4 and 5 stars for skills development, and the feedback is fantastic. Don't take our word for it, see what others who've participated have to say about the experience:
Experience life on placement with case studies from students and employers - Download the Booklet Here (we recommend using a Chrome browser):
Student & Employer Testimony Booklet
"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
Celebratory & Networking Event
Thursday 9 November 5 - 7pm in the Picture Gallery
Watch our Reel from the event here.
FAQs
Almost 25% of graduates are recruited through employers' work experience programmes.
This programme can boost your employability and help you stand out from the crowd. Many of our programme students go on to further paid work with their placement company or go on to secure graduate internships and jobs with confidence in the career they're pursuing.
"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."
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.
All eligible students will receive an email from the Careers team to their College inbox with instructions about how to sign up.
The Pathway will be open from 12 October.
Please check your email preferences on your Careers Portal Profile are set to receive emails from 'Careers Service'.
Contact us if you do not receive an email about the programme by this date, but feel you are eligible to apply: CareersPlacements@royalholloway.ac.uk
Completing the Pathway means you’ll get to apply for placement opportunities exclusively sourced for this programme.
The team will source placements in your area of interest. (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).
Get an insight to a particular industry, to try out a role, network, and put your skills into practice. Explore what you might want to do in the future and get valuable experience to add to your CV.
We work with local companies as well as London-based SMEs (small and medium enterprises), and some placement hosts are Royal Holloway alumni!
Key details about placements:
« 2 or 4 weeks in duration, full or part-time
« Take place in the Summer vacation so there is no disruption to your studies
« UK based
« Remote, hybrid, or in-person
« Displayed on your degree transcript
« Awarded a grant of £400 or £650
« Any public transport costs are covered
« You can self-source a placement to count on the programme
Experience Life on Placement with case studies from students and employers - Download the Booklet Here (we recommend using a Chrome browser):
Student & Employer Testimony Booklet
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You can start the Pathway from 12 October and sign-up closes on 4 December.
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You'll spend approx. 8-10 hours over Terms 1&2 to complete the Pathway. All mandatory activities of a level must be completed to unlock the next, so ensure to allow enough time to complete each level before its deadline.
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You can expect to complete the Pathway by March 2024
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Apply for opportunities in Spring Term for placements to take place during the summer vacation.
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You will be able to download a timeline of the programme stages and deadlines when you join.
Successfully complete the mandatory activities of the Pathway to get through to the placement stage, where you will be able to apply to opportunities sourced and advertised by the Placements team specifically for this programme.
Alternatively, you may wish to submit your own proposal for a placement to be approved by the team. More information will be available further into the programme.
Royal Holloway recognises that some students have faced different historical and current barriers when accessing higher education and work-based opportunities. The Careers Service is committed to working towards greater equity and empowerment in the student journey. This placement programme aims to provide solutions and support in areas that may have made participating more difficult for some students; this includes a monetary award and travel expenses, the flexibility of working hours to fit around other responsibilities, with resources and guidance tailored to the needs and ambitions of the students.
“I feel more confident and have a clearer idea of what I want to do in the next steps of my career journey”
Past placement student, Daniel, 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.