At the Careers Service we know students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds can face additional challenges to career thinking. This may include exploring career ideas when you don’t know what’s out there, or getting quality work experience with less developed networks.
To help level the playing field, we’ve compiled the best support and opportunities into one handy document over on mycareer.
We also send out live opportunities in our weekly Flying Start bulletin. Sign up to Flying Start now!
Here’s a taster of the support available…
Internships
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Image by 政徳 吉田 from Pixabay SME Internship Schemes – paid 4 week internships, including a source your own option. Available during term-time and holidays, full- and part-time.
- Bristol Interns in China – fully funded eight-week internship in China in summer 2022.
- Civil Service Summer Diversity Internship Programme (middle years) and Early Diversity Internship Programme (first years) – both open now for next academic year.
- Diversity focused insight weeks (first years) – most commercial sectors, open September-March for the Easter or summer holidays.
These are just a few examples. Find more opportunities on mycareer and in the weekly Flying Start bulletin.
Confused about work experience? Learn more about internships and work experience.
Mentoring & Employability Programmes
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Image by 政徳 吉田 from Pixabay Bristol Mentors – learn from a Bristol graduate in your chosen sector. Opens in Spring for the following academic year.
- upReach – mentoring with top employers, 1:1 employability coordinator, and application support. Open now until places are filled. Check the eligibility criteria first (scroll to “who do we support?”)
- Windsor Fellowship – mentoring, employability, and leadership programmes.
These are just a few examples. Find more opportunities on mycareer and in the weekly Flying Start bulletin.
Not sure if this is for you? The catch-all term “lower socioeconomic background” generally encompasses students who grew up in a low income household, have been in care or are estranged, attended a low-performing school or were eligible for free school meals, are the first in their family to go to university, and/or grew up in an area with low progression to higher education.
Widening Participation Summer Blog Series
- Extra careers support for BAME students – 9 August
- Extra careers support for LGBTQ+ students – 19 August
- Extra careers support for disabled students – September tbc