Transforming futures: Work experience driven by alumni support
The Warwick Work Experience Bursary has received £40,000 in generous donations to assist students financially with unpaid internships or work experience, helping them gain valuable career development opportunities and enhance their prospects.
Your support is empowering our students. Through your kind-hearted donations, you’re enabling students from all backgrounds to access work experience that will help them define their personal career path. Students can apply for awards of £50 per day, for up to 10 days per year, across multiple work experience opportunities, with a £500 annual limit. These funds can be used for a range of expenses, and help students focus on their career aspirations without the added pressure of needing to balance paid work during their placements. By supporting multiple periods of short-term work experience rather than a single long placement, the bursary allows students to experience a broader variety of opportunities, increasing accessibility and impact.
Completing work experience before leaving university offers many benefits. It not only provides students with real examples to strengthen job applications and interviews but also helps them make key decisions about their professional future. Gaining this experience allows students to focus on what they truly want from their career and gives them the skills and evidence to pursue their goals.
Through your unwavering support, you’re helping to eliminate the financial obstacles that prevent our students from accessing invaluable work experience opportunities. As of December 2024, we have 481 bursaries available to award for the 2024-25 financial year, with 15% of the funding provided by our alumni and supporters. Your generous contributions make a huge difference, allowing the program to run year-round instead of being limited to the summer –thank you so much.
Hear from our staff
“Employers expect graduates to be ‘work ready’, making work experience vital for their post-graduation success. It helps students to build employability and technical skills while exploring different sectors, workplaces and roles. Experiencing real-world working cultures boosts self-awareness, commercial insight, and confidence in career decisions. Many use work experience as a stepping stone into their chosen career, while others use their improved skills and insights to pivot towards a better fit. Ultimately, work experience bridges the gap between career aspirations and future opportunities, setting students up for both personal and professional success.”
- Kimberley Harris, Internships, Placements & Work Experience Manager
Hear from our students
“The bursary has really helped me as I am travelling in London for my work experience. The cost of the rail and the tube adds up fast and without the bursary, I wouldn't be able to afford to make it to the office twice a week. Being able to be in the office is beneficial to my aspirations as I am able to physically be in a creative environment and meet people who have made a name for themselves in the creative industries, building relationships and learning from them.”
- Media and Creative Industries student, £500 bursary
“The bursary relieved financial barriers regarding travel costs which would have otherwise made this opportunity impossible, giving me the opportunity to step out of paid work and step into my passions and career aspirations which will transform my future and have a long-term impact on lifetime goals through the prism of first-hand experience.”
- Sociology and Criminology student, £250 bursary