Workforce-ready, not left behind: inclusive work-based learning for sciences students

Universities often place the responsibility of securing work experience on students, overlooking how structural inequalities shape access to these opportunities. International students and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds often lack the networks, insider knowledge and cultural capital needed to source meaningful placements, particularly in non-accredited science programmes. 

Accredited degrees shift this burden to institutions by requiring formal placement partnerships, clear guidance and cost transparency, helping to level the playing field. While this is not the direct aim of accredited programmes, it inadvertently promotes greater equity by embedding institutional responsibility for work-based learning.

Non-accredited programmes offer greater flexibility to adapt curricula to current scientific developments, but there are disadvantages. Students must navigate an inconsistent and often inequitable placement landscape. Those without the social capital to self-source opportunities through networks can end up with lower-quality placements, or none at all. This reinforces existing awarding gaps and leaves many graduates underprepared for the workforce. With increasing pressure on universities to deliver “work-ready” graduates, it is important to reframe placement access as an institutional obligation. In this resource, we provide five practical suggestions on how to do this.

Take the burden off students: make placements part of the programme

While many universities offer optional year-long placements, these are often self-sourced, which unfairly advantages students with social capital, strong networks or previous experience. For students from under-represented or lower socio-economic backgrounds, the process can be demoralising – fewer opportunities, repeated rejections, and a diminished sense of belonging. This “survival of the fittest” model undermines equity and often shapes future trajectories, because placements frequently lead to job offers or further study.

To address this imbalance, universities should take institutional responsibility for sourcing and securing placement opportunities to ensure equitable access. Academic programmes must integrate these placements into the degree structure, with clear supervision, academic alignment and reflective assessment. Rather than seeing placement-hunting as a character-building exercise, institutions should view it as an opportunity to empower all learners and narrow the awarding gap.

Make paid summer placements the norm

Not all students can afford to take on year-long placements. For many, especially those from under-represented groups, financial pressures, visa restrictions or caring responsibilities make this unfeasible. Structured, short-term summer placements in research, clinical or industry settings offer a good alternative. However, without pay, they are only accessible to students who can afford to forgo summer earnings, making this more accessible to those with the privilege of being able to work for “experience” or “exposure”.

For students from low-income backgrounds, summer is often the only time they can work full-time to support themselves during term. Unless these placements come with stipends, they will continue to exclude those who need them most. Universities must work with employers and funding bodies to embed funded summer internships as a widening participation strategy to create real equity of access to work experience.

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Empower all final-year students with research experience

Final-year dissertations are a valuable and often overlooked opportunity to embed research experience into science degrees. Yet many students, especially those from under-represented groups, miss out when limited places on lab- or data-based projects are filled and they are offered literature reviews instead. While writing reviews helps develop useful analytical skills, they do not provide the practical or collaborative experience needed to understand research careers or develop confidence in laboratory or applied environments.

Universities should treat final-year projects as a core work experience provision, ensuring all students (not just the well-connected or highest achievers) can access research-based options. Regulatory bodies should benchmark this as a quality measure across science programmes. Research projects do not all need to be laboratory-based. Education-focused, computational and capstone alternatives can also deliver the objectives of quality work experience. However, substituting these with entirely desk-based reviews should not be the norm. For many widening participation students, this might be their only research experience before graduating.

Co-design curricula with industry and clinical partners

For non-accredited science degrees, the absence of formal guidance from professional bodies can lead to curricula that reflect only the academic strengths of a department, rather than the skills and competencies required by employers in research, industry or clinical practice.

To ensure relevance and graduate readiness, universities should establish curriculum steering committees or employability boards that include stakeholders from the scientific, industrial and healthcare sectors. These committees should meet regularly to advise on emerging trends, evolving workforce needs and sector-specific developments. This collaboration fosters a tripartite relationship between university staff, student representatives and industry leaders, ensuring that all parties contribute to the development of skills and expertise relevant to careers. The aim would be to keep degree programmes aligned with employer expectations and also increase the likelihood of graduates being hired by contributing industry partners.

Establish targeted peer mentoring for placement support

Beyond academic guidance, peer mentoring can offer students a relatable and accessible source of support that would be particularly valuable for those from international or under-represented backgrounds navigating unfamiliar systems. Students who have successfully completed placements are often well placed to provide insight into the application process, workplace expectations and practical “hacks” to navigate the experience. 

Organising a structured, one-to-one peer mentoring programme where mentors and mentees are matched based on placement type, research area or sector can demystify the placement journey. This tailored support can build mentee confidence, improve their preparedness and even increase access to opportunities and insider knowledge.

Embedding equitable work experience into non-accredited science programmes is not just about employability. It is also about justice and systemic reform. As universities come under growing pressure to produce graduates who are ready to contribute from day one, we must recognise that not all students start from the same place. Leaving placement sourcing to students reinforces existing inequalities, disproportionately disadvantaging international and under-represented students.

When we reframe employability as an institutional responsibility rather than an individual burden, higher education can become a truly transformative and equitable experience for all.

Shalinee Dhayal is lecturer in biomedical sciences; and Dominic Wiredu Boakye and Musarrat Maisha Reza are senior lecturers in biomedical sciences, all at the University of Exeter.

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