Co-Creating Meaningful HEI Work Experience Programmes Through Research Collaboration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31273/eirj.v13i3.2243Keywords:
work experience programmes, employability schemes, research culture, research co-creation, Gatsby BenchmarksAbstract
With recent updates to the education requirement benchmarks used by the UK’s Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted), there is a growing requirement work experience programmes in both higher education institutions (HEIs) and beyond to create meaningful experiences for students. This Critical Reflection discusses the aims and outcomes of a newly created network of HEIs in the Midlands collaborating to develop best practice for hosting work experience programmes. It demonstrates how a project-based delivery of work experience can provide an enriching experience for both participants and hosts, It discusses the use of work experience co-creation among institutions, describes how the network has delivered work experience within individual institutions, and discusses future plans for the network, describing how incorporating its learning outcomes can improve the overall delivery of work-experience placements in HEIs.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Craig Carnegie, Helena Sidgwick , Emily Birkett , Sarah Conner
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