First Insight Week

Returning for 2020

Following its successful launch, The University of Manchester Careers Service is growing its work-shadowing initiative to help Greater Manchester based businesses find new talent plus help our students develop their employability skills and gain an insight into different roles, organisations and sectors.

We are interested in hearing from companies who would like to provide our 1st year undergraduate students with an insight into their organisation and sector/industry. The insight, lasting one or two weeks, will predominately be an unpaid work experience and work shadowing opportunity to provide students exposure to a work environment. A short project could also be incorporated into the experience.

We are currently sourcing work experience opportunities to take place during the Easter vacation (30th March - 20th April).
The work experience opportunity should be for one week (or a maximum of two weeks).

If you would like to participate, please complete a Work Experience/Project Outline Form and send it ‌to recruitment@manchester.ac.uk by the 12th February 2020.

The benefits of First Insight Week to your organisation

• Raising the profile of your company/organisation amongst students.
• Insight into how students (and potentially graduates) can contribute to your organisation.
• An opportunity to spot talent early.
• Completion of a short piece of work that might otherwise not get done.

Alongside the work experience/work shadowing activities, what kind of project work could the First Insight Week include? Examples of projects students could undertake:

• Researching and planning an event, producing a programme or outline.
• Writing copy for a promotional activity, eg, an event or a product launch.
• Developing video content.
• Researching target clients or markets.
• Writing social media copy or proposing how to improve your social media presence.

What are the benefits for students?

• Insight into a particular sector or industry of their choice or curiosity.
• Widening their understanding of a variety of work roles in an organisation.
• “Workplace familiarisation”, eg, what’s expected, dress codes, etiquette, networking.
• An opportunity to impress plus an additional experience for their CV.

What do I need to do?

1. Consider what work experience or insights you are able to provide.

2. Is there a short piece of work a student could complete during the week? If so, the work should be achievable in the time, of value and be relatively challenging for the student.

3. Consider who will mentor the student for the week. We ask that the student is allocated to a team member who can direct the student’s work and be a “go-to” person when needed.

4. Ready? Complete our Work Experience/Project Outline Form and return to us for consideration by the 12th February.