Designed to give year 11 to 13 students insight into the working world in a STEM setting, this extra-curricular experience is invaluable for aspiring young scientists and engineers who are making decisions about their higher education and employment paths. However, it is not designed to take the place of work experience organised by schools during term time.
Employers provide a series of opportunities for students that showcase the nature of their work and raise awareness of alternative career paths, such as Higher Apprenticeships. They may also provide a real-world project or challenge for students to tackle. Students have previously used their work experience to study for a Gold Crest Award or complete a project based on the work carried out during their placement.
We have previously placed students for work experience during the summer at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology focusing on practical lab work, BMW Mini Plant Oxford to look at car production, and Magna Exteriors to see how engineering is applied practically in the consumer industry. In 2023, students were placed at the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History, developing professional, data, digital, communication and research thinking skills, and Milestone Infrastructure, shadowing degree apprentice and graduate engineers looking at real world civil engineering problems.
To be eligible for our STEM Work Experience placements, students must:
- be in school year 11 to 13 at the time of application.
- attend a school in Oxfordshire or Buckinghamshire (or be within daily travelling distance of a work location in one of these counties).
- be available for at least one full week during the school summer holidays.
Unfortunately, we cannot offer work placements to students in other year groups or during school term time.
Look out for news about applications for the next work experience placements in summer 2024.
To stay updated please sign up to our newsletter.
