Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Leadership and Management Development

Graduate Trainee Placements

Overview

As part of the University of Warwick Graduate Scheme, the Graduate Management Trainees undertake three placements to give them exposure to a range of different areas of the University. One of these placements is in a local Small to Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) or charity, giving our local community a chance to benefit from this scheme and for our Trainees to bring this experience back to Warwick. Hear from our previous Graduate Management Trainees about their placement experiences.

Key dates

  • Placement one: October 2024 – May 2025 (internal placement)
  • Placement two: June 2025 – January 2026 (external placement in a SME or charity in Coventry, Birmingham or Warwickshire area)
  • Placement three: February 2026 – September 2026 (internal placement)

External Placements

Expressions of Interest for SME's or charities to host a Graduate Management Trainee will open from Wednesday 4th December 2024 to Wednesday 15th January 2025.

Working with and supporting our local community is very important to us at Warwick. We would like to reach out to local Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and charities in Birmingham, Coventry or Warwickshire and offer them the opportunity to host a Graduate Management Trainee, who would work in the capacity of a Project Officer.

Can you provide the experience to work on projects, create a supportive environment and enable our Graduate Management Trainees to put their project management skills into practice? In return, you will get the opportunity to have a skilled Graduate Management Trainee work at your organisation for 3 days per week, for an 8-month period, before returning to Warwick to complete the rest of the scheme. The Graduate Management Trainees will continue to be employed by (and 100% of salary paid by) the University of Warwick.

Note: we will also accept a joint application with a University of Warwick department where the Graduate Management Trainee splits their time between the two different organisations. We hope that this enables some organisations who do not have the capacity to host for 3 full days per week to apply.

Placements commence in June 2025.

Online Information Session

The Graduate Scheme team are hosting an online information session for those organisations interested in hearing more about this opportunity. This will take place on Thursday 19th December from 1.00 – 2.00 via MS Teams. We will also be joined by a previous organisation who hosted a Graduate Management Trainee so you can hear first hand about how it works in practice and the benefits it brings. No booking required, please use this link.

Criteria

  • Organisations need to be located in Coventry/Warwickshire area. For this cohort, due to the location of some of our Graduate Management Trainees, we will also consider bids for organisations located in Birmingham.
  • Must be an SME or charity and only ONE bid per organisation. We will also accept a joint application with a University of Warwick department where the Graduate Management Trainee splits their time between the two different organisations.
  • Enable the opportunity for the Graduate Management Trainee to work in a Project Officer capacity and be involved with one or more projects. Examples of experience may include: managing budgets, stakeholder management, governance/risk assessments, running marketing campaigns, planning and running events, creating and managing webpages, social media activity, and/or researching what other organisations are doing (horizon scanning).
  • The Graduate Management Trainees will spend 3 days per week from June 2025 in placement organisations so they have time to complete their qualification and still have regular time on Warwick campus. Note: they are not set days each week and we would require your flexibility.

Next steps

Step 1:

 Step 2:

Step 3:

  • The Graduate Management Trainees may contact your organisation to discuss the placement opportunity before submitting their choices. Note: it is likely that we will have more bids than the number of Graduate Management Trainees available.
  • The outcome will be communicated to everyone in April 2025.

Step 4:

  • All organisations will be contacted to let them know if they have been successful or not.
  • Successful organisations will need to sign a secondment contract agreement, complete a supplier assurance questionnaire and a data sharing agreement.
  • They will also need to attend an online information session in April 2025 where we will share further details about how the scheme will work. We require the assigned Placement Manager and Administration Buddy to attend this session.
  • The placement will commence in June 2025.

Internal Placements - University of Warwick

Expressions of Interest will open for Warwick departments to host the third placement in Autumn 2025.

We would like to offer a wide range of diverse and challenging placements, reflecting the variety of roles within Higher Education and the University of Warwick.

The Graduate Management Trainees’ placements are the key building block for their practical learning, and so it is essential that these placements are challenging and varied. The Graduate Management Trainees are at grade 5 level and as part of their development they are undertaking a project management qualification so they would need the opportunity to work in a Project Officer capacity and be involved with one or more projects. The scheme is fully funded including their salary so there are no departmental costs. We are looking for placements that are supportive and enable some project management experience (at grade 5 level).

As the scheme is funded via the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) it is essential that the placement meets the following criteria:

  • It involves working with at least one external organisation and includes an element of two-way knowledge sharing
  • It brings a social or economic benefit to the UK or beyond (not just in Warwick University and/or its students)

Next steps

Note: Expressions of interest for internal Warwick Departments to host a Graduate Management Trainee will open again in Autumn 2025

Step 1:

  • Read the University of Warwick Graduate Scheme GuideLink opens in a new window and the submit a bid form (Warwick University Internal departments only, for external organisations, please use the external bid form below).
  • Consider if you have the capacity to support a Graduate Management Trainee for 8 months and offer them the opportunity to work in a project officer role.
  • Ensure you can offer a project (or projects) involving working with another organisation and includes a knowledge exchange (this is part of the criteria for our funding for the scheme and is essential). Note: If your department has previously hosted a Graduate Management Trainee, the bid will need to be for a different project.

Step 2:

  • Complete the bid form (bids are currently closed) and email gradscheme@warwick.ac.uk 
  • The bid will be reviewed to ensure the project meets the depth of experience required and it also meets the HEIF criteria. Feedback will be shared if adjustments are required.

Step 3:

  • The Graduate Management Trainees may contact potential placement teams to discuss the placement opportunity and then submit their choices. Note: it is likely that we will have more bids than the number of Graduate Management Trainees available
  • All departments will be contacted regarding the outcome of their bid.

What Makes a Good Placement?

A successful placement is one which benefits the trainee by developing their skills, knowledge and experience, and which delivers tangible outcomes for the host department/organisation.

Good quality placements need to have meaningful projects with demanding yet achievable goals that provide the trainee with a broad, yet in-depth, experience, which meets the HEIF funding requirements.

We suggest each placement has these broad components:

  • A project/projects the graduate trainee leads which will take eight months months to complete and that has tangible deliverables and outcomes for which the trainee is responsible.
  • A series of other tasks/activities of shorter duration
  • Some day-to-day operational work allowing the trainee to contribute to the ongoing work of the team in which they are based. Placements must be challenging and varied, whilst also being realistic and achievable.
  • The Graduate Management Trainee(s) must be appropriately supported to deliver on their objectives and develop their skills, please refer to the bid form for more information on the soft skills and project management skills.

Frequently Asked Questions - check out our FAQs.

Any questions, please email gradscheme@warwick.ac.uk

Quick Links

Case studies

Graduate Scheme GuideLink opens in a new window

External Expressions of Interest FormLink opens in a new window

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out our FAQS.

Any questions?

gradscheme at warwick dot ac dot uk