Human Resources Division
Work experience
Advice for school-aged students requiring a work experience placement
Most schools and colleges encourage their students to have experience of the world of work before completing their education. The University welcomes young people undertaking work experience in its departments. Usually, work experience placements are found through the Cambridge Area Work Experience (AWE) system and the liaison between schools and employers is co-ordinated by Connexions. As part of this system, the Local Education Authority (LEA) provides additional personal accident insurance to cover the student against injury to herself/himself during the course of her/his work with the employer.
If you have been asked to find work experience privately, or would like to do some work experience during the summer holidays (which usually falls out of the Connexions remit), we ask that you go back to your school or sixth form college in the first instance. They will give you a ‘Students Own Placement Form’ and talk through your options with you. Unfortunately, we do not provide a work-experience finding service but, if we are made aware of a work-experience vacancy within the University, we will inform Connexions. As an alternative, you could contact the departments that you are interested in doing some work experience in directly. If you find a department happy to offer you some work-experience, then the Temporary Employment Service (TES) can provide advice to the department on how to arrange your placement. TES only provides such advice if your placement is not arranged through Connexions, including if you are an overseas student.
Once a placement is arranged, you and your parent(s)/guardian(s) should read the health and safety risk assessment and details given to you about the placement prepared for you by the department. If you are not clear about any aspects of this information, you must raise the issue with your school/college tutor or your prospective supervisor/departmental Administrator before starting.
Work that you can/cannot do
Connexions will go out and visit the department that you have obtained a work experience placement in to see if the role is suitable, conduct a health and safety risk assessment and talk to the department about child protection and lone working issues. There are legal restrictions on the type and hours of work that you are able to do, according to your age.
Advice for adults requiring a work experience placement
If you would like to undertake a work experience placement at the University, it is recommended that you identify a few departments that you would be interested in working within. One way that you can do this is to visit our department websites and contact the departmental administrators to see if anything is available. Alternatively, you can contact the Temporary Employment Service (tel. 01223 (3)32348, email temps@admin.cam.ac.uk) who can then approach the departments that you are interested in on your behalf. If you are offered some work-experience, then the Temporary Employment Service can provide advice to the relevant department on how to arrange your placement.