Bangor University welcomes extension of work experience programme

A three-year programme designed to provide tailored work experience for fulltime students under the age of 25 has been extended.

GO Wales: Achieve through Work Experience provides tailored support to eligible younger students from more disadvantaged backgrounds to get the best out of their work experience and plan their next steps.

Head of Bangor University’s Careers and Employability Service, Chris Little has welcomed the extension of the GO Wales Achieve through Work Experience Programme saying:

“We have found the GO Wales Project to be particularly valuable in providing additional support to students who face barriers to accessing mainstream work experience opportunities. We welcome this opportunity to build on the success of the project and improve employment outcomes for more of our students.”

The all-Wales programme, funded by the European Social Fund, HEFCW and higher education providers, is delivered by the universities to help students to develop and refine their employability skills though work experience, so that they are in the best situation to secure employment, training or education when they leave their course.

The programme, which started in 2016, will now complete in January 2022. To date, 655 students have been accepted onto the programme, and 351 students have been supported into work experience.

David Blaney, Chief Executive of HEFCW, said: “It has been great to see the early evidence that the programme is having an impact on students and employers. The programme’s mid-point review also underlined that the programme needed a longer time frame in order to gain momentum, given that, naturally, it can take longer for institutions to get in touch with harder-to-reach students, before discussing their needs with them. We are confident that the participating universities will continue to embed this programme in order to make a difference to as many students’ lives as possible over the coming years.”

Jane Goodfellow, Head of Careers and Employability at Cardiff University and Chair of AGCAS Cymru, the organisation for HE student career development and graduate employment professionals, said: "The GO Wales programme is a key element of our work experience provision and is a valuable way to develop a diverse range of students and skills. I am therefore delighted that the project has been extended and look forward to working with my colleagues across the HE sector to deliver this important programme."

Publication date: 25 July 2018