Work Experience | Should we be offering more internships to uni students?

Despite the extreme rises in degree prices we’ve seen over the last decade, last year saw a record percentage of young people head off to university.

According to UCAS, a whopping 27.9% of the 18-year-old population managed to secure their place on an undergraduate course, the vast majority of which (88%) will be studying their first-choice subject.

Yet, as those who now look back fondly on their formative years at university can testify, a degree alone doesn’t always set you up for life after graduation. Work experience is a huge advantage for any graduate plunging into the talent pool for the first time. Even with vocational courses – medicine, law, journalism, to name just a few – employers sifting through applications are often looking for any additional experience that a prospective graduate has under their belt.

Specialist student and graduate job board Milkround conducted research in 2018, asking students about their career confidence and expectations. This included asking them what would help them in the job search. 55% of the 5,700 respondents stated they want more work experience opportunities and 47% said they want more industry awareness. So why are more companies not offering this?