Students
Benefits
In today’s competitive job market, having a degree isn’t enough and gaining work experience and training related to your degree is so important for your future career success. A summer placement is the chance to apply the significant knowledge and skills you have gained during your studies in the real working environment. Employers are looking for applicants to have that added extra and work experience is a great way to get the added extra, ultimately making you stand out! It’s never too early to apply for a placement and the summer placements we help to promote are open to 1st-4th year students.
Access to high quality work placements can significantly impact on the career intentions of women undergraduates studying STEM subjects. Placements encourage women to enter STEM careers, develop their skills and build their self-confidence. Placements also provide an opportunity for women to establish new professional and support networks and gain experience of different organisational cultures and working methods.
One of the key aims of the CareerWISE project is to improve employability through the promotion of high quality placements that develop both the technical and soft skills desired by recruiting employers. The top 3 skills gained by Careerwise placementees are technical, effective communication/self-presentation and self-management/organisational skills. These are the top 3 skills reported by employers as lacking among job applicants
Outcomes
Through Careerwise, students have greater access to STEM industry opportunities, increased awareness of STEM occupations and increased employability skills in preparation for entry to STEM employment.
Careers Support
Careerwise is not just a placement promotion scheme. Women students who successfully obtain a placement (after an open recruitment process by the employer) will also receive excellent careers advice to help safe guard your transition from education to a successful STEM career. This includes mandatory attendance at our pre and post placement workshops.
The pre placement workshop provides students with various tools and techniques to make the most of their placement and how to maximise training and learning opportunities whilst on placement. The post placement workshop explores the student’s future job search in line with their passions, values and strengths and enables student to capture and translate any new learning to your CV and at future job interviews.
Research shows that high quality placements combined with good careers advice and support, increase the likelihood of women applying successfully for STEM roles.
Eligibility Criteria
To apply for a work placement via the Careerwise portal you must be:
- Female/identify as a woman
- Matriculated at a Scottish University or College
- Studying a science, technology, engineering or maths related subject
- Eligible to work in the UK – Tier 4 Visa
How to apply:
- Complete our short online application
- Attach your cover letter
- Attach your CV – it’s that simple!
Students who wish to be notified when the 2020 placements are open for applications should join the Equate Student Network. Students registered with our student network will be notified first when the Careerwise placements open for applications.
Applications Timeline
Round 1 of applications for summer 2020 placement opportunities will open around 11th October 2019 and will close on 14th January 2020.
Round 2 of applications opens on 10th February 2020 and will close on 30th March 2020.
Employers will aim to make all placement offers to the successful students by end of April 2020.
Students who make one or two tailored applications are more successful at obtaining a placement, compared to those students who make numerous generic applications.
Download our student resource containing useful information on what you should include in your cover letter and CV.
Student who do not qualify to apply through CareerWise (e.g. are not women studying STEM subjects) can still apply for the same opportunities through other placement promotion websites or directly to the employer.
