Partnering to build a national work experience platform

Supported by universities. Loved by students. Valued by employers.

Supported by universities. Loved by students. Valued by employers.

The benefits of work experience Better degree. Increased self confidence. Lower unemployment. Greater likelihood of a graduate job. Higher wage. Source: BIS (2013) Learning from Futuretrack: the impact of work experiences on student outcomes, BIS Research report 143, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, UK

Market failure in work experience platforms There are 2.3 million students in the UK. Only 2,600 work experience opportunities across 20 leading brokerage platforms. Mismatch between demand and supply Marketplace cannot offer scale; currently fragmented with low volumes of opportunity More of the right type of work experience needs to be supplied Diversity and social mobility concerns Source: National Centre landscape research, November 2015

BrandU addresses market failure Tinder for work-experience; innovative app-based interface. National platform as a service with a B2B model. Businesses post once and reach 167 universities and 2.3m students. Potential roll out to FE colleges and apprenticeships. Curates different kinds of work experiences.

Why universities and businesses are supporting BrandU Graduate employability at the centre of HE agenda. Platform provides volume on a national scale. Access to outcome and comparable data. Businesses Early sight of potential employees. Simplify recruitment costs and processes. Recruit from non-traditional demographics.

Together, we can make students ready for the world of work Improve student life skills by helping them develop soft skills. Increase student volunteering as a way to gain work experience. Increasing the range of sectors students might engage with. Targeting disadvantaged groups with additional support. Change the landscape of the work experience market through investment in BrandU to bring scale, innovation and longevity Harness our university connections to bring mutual benefits both for Unite Students and BrandU Home for Success mission: work in partnership with universities to help them achieve the right accommodation experience for their students BrandU mission: Offer platform as a service to all member universities to increase their work experience offering and widen it to non-member universities in due course Ensure that students bring positive benefits to the local community: with a focus on volunteering Home for Success mission: encourage students to volunteer, target of 1 million volunteering hours to be achieved BrandU mission: offer volunteering opportunities as well as internships and placements; students in our workshops reported their inclination to undertake volunteering to gain work experience Develop Life Skills in all students to enter the world of adulthood Home for Success mission: develop knowledge they will need for everyday life as a student and in the years to come BrandU mission: help students gain employability skills verified by employers (through a badge scheme, see Appendix B), as well as opportunities to build their personal brand Improve graduate outcomes.

BrandU service launch schedule Jun ‘16 Oct ‘16 Jan ‘17 Sep ‘17 Sep ‘18 Scale-up 1: App launched to university students 2: Data service increasing volume 3: Premium recruitment service to employers Prototype built

Working in partnership gives us… An opportunity to help all students get ready for the world of work. A way to bring scale, sustainability and innovation into a failing marketplace. A natural brand and mission fit for both the National Centre and partner universities.

Thank you