Work Experience Week
Monday 30th June - Friday 4 July 2025
Students will not be in college during this week, so what better time to source experience of the workplace and find out what a job really looks like from the inside! Evidence suggests that students who engage in experiences outside the classroom are at an advantage when securing future apprenticeships, higher and further education and employment opportunities. Work Experience Week is designed for you to build connections for future apprenticeships, internships, and graduate roles, and use the experience to enhance your employability skills.
From 2026, university personal statements will consist of three questions, one of which will ask what a student has done outside of education. Gaining work experience or interactions with employers is a great way of doing this.
The key information you need about work experience has been delivered to students during their tutorials (w/c 31st March). You can start your work placement search using the useful links provided in the work experience tutorial and Careers Space advice pages, which include links to current vacancies. If you were unable to attend your tutorial, or would like to review the presentation, please contact your Progress Coach.
Students with specific work experience questions can speak to their Progress Coach or arrange a short meeting with Emma Greenhill, Work Experience Coordinator, via this booking page. Emma will also be offering drop-in sessions on Tuesday and Wednesdays from 2pm – 3pm at the Student Centre Helpdesk, starting on 20 May. Parents can also speak to Emma, or their child's Progress Coach, for information and advice.
You cannot start a placement without recording your placement on UniFrog and gaining final approval. This is important for health and safety and safeguarding purposes. Please see below for instructions on how to record your placement, alongside additional FAQ's.
Frequently Asked Questions and how to record your placement
How do I record my placement?
- Use the Unifrog How to Guide to help you get started.
- Once agreed with an employer, you MUST complete a Unifrog placement form.
- List Emma Greenhill as the placement coordinator and wait for approval.
- You cannot start a placement without final approval. This is important for health and safety and safeguarding purposes. The only exception to this procedure is placements at Cambridge University Hospitals. In this instance, please email Emma Greenhill so she can confirm the details of your placement and approve your absence.
Does my placement need to last for the whole week?
- No, this is up to you to negotiate with the employer. If they can only offer you a day or two, this can still be useful and may lead to further opportunities. You could try and find a second placement, complete an online experience or volunteer as a Student Ambassador at the college Open Evenings.
I don't know what to do for work experience?
- Consider what your interests are and how these might fit with the subjects you are taking. Use your UniFrog skills quiz and other quizzes on UniFrog to help you. Placements may not be directly available in your area of study, so think about key transferable skills. Use Unifrog subjects and careers library to explore careers and key skills required. This Unifrog Guide might help you.
Where do I look for placements?
- Firstly, Careers Space, there is a dedicated work experience vacancies page and a new opportunities section. When employers let us know about a placement, we advertise it here. You could also use Find an Apprenticeship or Indeed to find current job vacancies and use these to request work experience. The presentation from your Work Experience tutorial delivered before Easter has lots of other useful links and advice about how to search for opportunities. This is available on Teams, or you can contact your Progress Coach for more information.
I am struggling to find a placement, what help is available?
- Use the information on Careers Space and on the notice boards outside the LRC Main Entrance.
- Book a short 1-1 session with Emma Greenhill, the Work Experience Coordinator.
- Remember you may have to compromise and consider sectors related to your area of interest. For example, if you can’t find work experience for Architecture, can you approach an engineering or construction company? The skills required are very similar and may lead to contacts that connect you with companies who can offer more relevant experience in the future. Virtual work experience can also be useful. Springpod, Uptree and Speakers for Schools are just a few places to try.
What happens if I have found a placement, but it’s not during Work Experience Week?
- Placements outside of this will be approved on a case-by-case basis. You must follow the work experience process which includes approval from teachers.
- Record your placement on Unifrog Placements and contact Emma Greenhill.
- If you cannot find work experience during work experience week then use the week to complete an online insight event or short course (the work experience tutorial has useful links to help you) or volunteer as a Student Ambassador at the college Open Evenings. Remember to record any activities you take part in on your UniFrog profile.
I’ve completed a placement as part of my course already; do I still need to complete an additional placement during Work Experience Week?
- Students with the most experience will be at an advantage when applying for employment, apprenticeships or higher education. Why not see if your previous placement can offer you some additional experience or look for other related opportunities, including virtual experiences? Make sure you have recorded your previous placement on UniFrog as an activity and reflect on the key skills you gained from it by using the work experience journal.
How do I make the most of my work experience?
- Use the work experience journal throughout your placement journey and complete a post-placement reflection via your Unifrog placement form. You will be reflecting on your work experience in the tutorial after work experience week.
- Remember to ask staff at your placement if you can connect with them on LinkedIn. These connections may help you secure an opportunity in the future.
If you still need support, please click here to book a 15-minute 1-1 session with Emma, or visit her for a drop-in session at the Student Centre Helpdesk on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 2pm-3pm.
