3-month work placement, plus £5,000 for lucky 100

Postgraduate students at Essex University have the chance to develop their workplace skills as part of a new project.

The Knowledge Exchange Traineeship Scheme offers 100 Masters degree students the opportunity to combine intensive study with a three month work placement.

They will be paid about £5,000, in line with the national minimum wage.

Sonia Virdee, director of strategic planning and change at the university, which has campuses in Colchester and Southend, says: “We know employers are looking for people who are more work ready and that there’s been a legitimate concern that students come out of university not fully realising what work requires of them.

“We want to give students the opportunity of working with an organisation that is relevant to their studies, where they can apply their critical thinking, problem solving, self-management and also learn about how they can fit into the company.”

The scheme, costing £13.3million, has been supported with nearly £900,000 funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The rest of the cash comes from the university’s cash pot.

Another 100 postgraduate students will be recruited at the same time, to act as mentors to final year undergraduate students. They will be offered training, support and a £5,000 scholarship towards the cost of their course.

This second scheme will also allow postgraduate students to work towards an Associate of the Higher Education Academy accreditation and the Institute of Leadership and Management’s Level 3 award in Workplace Coaching.

Ms Virdee says: “We already employ undergraduate students who carry out various roles to develop their confidence and offer them work experience.

“They are enthusiastic and do a fantastic job. It’s the same for the postgraduates, who often cannot apply for funding towards their course.”

The scheme will require students to apply for a place on either scheme.

They will be assessed against certain criteria before being told if they are accepted or not.

Recruitment will take place later this year and it is hoped both schemes will enable more students from under-represented backgrounds to embark on postgraduate studies.

Ms Virdee says: “This is an exciting and interesting opportunity for the university to make study programmes much more relevant to work while retaining the academic research part.”

Deputy vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Jules Pretty, adds: “This will help develop the entrepreneurs and innovators needed to boost the workforce and the economy, as well as helping to produce the researchers and leaders of the future