The Micro-Placements Programme is a credit-bearing module and social mobility initiative. It matches employers with students, the majority of whom are from under-represented backgrounds, in project placements with tangible outcomes. These projects last 4 weeks full time or 8 weeks part time, and run over the summer months.
Micro-Placements can enable you to add value to your business and solve real business problems. Time-efficient and flexible, students work on your project when it suits you, at low cost to your organisation.
- Benefit from students’ transferable skills and fresh insight
- Help develop students' soft skills and professional networks
- Establish long-lasting links for future employment - many students have been extended or hired as a direct result of Micro-Placements
- Give students keen to work in your sector vital work experience which could improve the quality of graduate applications.
You will also have direct contact with our diverse pool of students - the 2019 publication of the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide included rating of institutions by the proportion of undergraduate students from ethnic minority groups for which City was ranked first in London and third nationally.
Social Mobility
The Micro-Placements Programme is a great way of getting involved with outreach work and giving back to the community as part of your corporate social responsibility agenda.
We encourage students from under-represented backgrounds to apply, as approximately 60% of students at City, University of London are from a widening participation background.
Widening participation students include the following:
- Students from families where there is no previous history of higher education
- Under-represented groups
- Students from low-income backgrounds or low participation neighbourhoods
- Looked after children or Care Leavers
- Disabled students.
For more information on how Micro-Placements focuses on social mobility, please check out our AGCAS Phoenix article.
Sponsorship
We are pleased that TCS is sponsoring the Micro-Placements Programme.
Offer a Micro-Placement opportunity
Micro-Placements must focus on the completion of a project which solves a business problem and results in a tangible deliverable of benefit to your organisation.
If you don't have a specific project in mind but would like to take part, email the team or fill in the form to register your interest below and we will help you develop your project.
How to offer a Micro-Placement
Project proposals
Micro-Placements projects:
- Are self-contained projects with the aim to solve a business problem for you
- Result in the creation of a deliverable of benefit to your organisation, for example a report, whitepaper, presentation, one pager, database etc.
- Are of sufficient complexity and have clear learning outcomes
- Develop students’ employability skills including project management, communication, team work and initiative
- Are small-scale: for completion in 140 hours.
Projects can cover a wide variety of topics and can come from any department in your business. Students are exploring different sectors, traditionally outside of their degree discipline.
Students (mostly in their second year) come from our Law School, Bayes Business School, School of Communication & Creativity, and School of Policy & Global Affairs..
Examples of projects our students worked on in the past include:
- Finance and Operations project with RiverRock
- Fundraising project with Hundred Heroines
- Marketing campaign project with Forum for the Future
- Research project with LaingBuisson
- Communications project with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Marketing project with Evenbreak
- Community building CRM project with Finance Innovation Lab
You can host any number of projects, with a recommended maximum of two students per project. However, more can be allocated if there is enough work to be done to fulfil the students’ learning objectives. Please provide clear, distinct objectives and deliverables for each student to ensure a valuable learning experience.
Please submit one form per project as this will help us match the most appropriate student candidates for each opportunity.
How detailed does the project description need to be in the project form?
Please provide as much detail as possible in the project form so we can best assess whether the project is a good fit for the scheme. Students can provide more relevant and impactful cover letters with more information.
We particularly ask for detail in the following areas:
- Business question the student will answer
- At least three tasks the student will complete
- Deliverable the student will produce for you e.g. report, research paper, presentation etc
- At least three learning outcomes/objectives for the student.
Please note you will be asked for more information in the project form you will submit, for example, the address where the project will take place, person specification, confirmation of employer’s and public liability insurance.
Example project ideas
View some example project ideas.
Requirements
You will need:
- Employer’s liability insurance and Public Liability insurance
- Ideally, London-based office space (zones 1-4) and equipment needed to complete the project (although we can accept remote placements)
- If in person, ability to convert the project to be completed remotely if necessary
- Ability to cover lunch and travel expenses if the student is in the office
- Provision of a daily supervisor
- Provision of training if necessary
- A health and safety policy in place, ensuring the office complies with government guidelines.
Historically, we have found that our hosts and students prefer to undertake placements in person. In the office, students can maximise their learning and exposure to other elements of the organisation, as well as expanding their professional network.
Therefore, where it is safe to do so and as per government guidelines, students will ideally complete their project in the host’s office, subject to the relevant health and safety measures being put in place by the organisation. We also offer a blended approach where at least 50% of the student’s work is completed from the office, and the rest from home. However, we can accept 100% remote placements on a case by case basis.
Support
The Employer Engagement team is here to support you. We can advise you on your project and how you can develop it to make it most appealing for students and get the best applications.
We also provide guidance on hosting the students and how to structure your placement so both parties get the most out of the succinct experience.
We are always on hand to advise and support, and we check in with every host and student on placement via a phone or video call, to ensure the welfare of both sides.
We are contactable via micro-placements@city.ac.uk.
How students are recruited
The Micro-Placement team does all the recruitment for you, from a pool of students whom have gone through a rigorous process including:
- A mandatory workshop on CVs, applications, and Cover Letters prior to submitting applications
- Students will also be attending a pre-placement webinar and health and safety briefing prior to starting their Micro-Placement to help them make the most of the experience.
Micro-Placements are offered to students as a 15-credit module as part of their course. For students to pass the module, they must complete 140 hours of placement (minimum four weeks full time to eight weeks part time).
A benefit of having credits attached is that it further increases the students' responsibility to complete the placement and thus the module in its entirety.
Applications for placement submissions is now open for our Micro-Placement Programme 2024-2025. If you are looking to take on City students in summer 2025, please complete a proposal form:
