King's College London

Following its launch in summer, we're reflecting on the first term of Insights - our innovative work-related learning interventions.

The programme enables employers a number of ways to engage students and researchers and takes place both in-person and virtually, supported by our partners, Practera.

Insights is directed towards undergraduate students in their final year (with a parallel stream for PhD students) with its main purpose to offer students an opportunity to develop their confidence through work experience, employability skills and to make a positive impact in their future careers by gaining an insight into different sectors, roles and cultures.

In autumn, a group of final year undergraduates from across our nine faculties had the opportunity to visit a number of organisations based in London. Following remarkable feedback from both students and employers, we encourage employers to offer business treks as a unique opportunity to connect with our students in a bespoke, direct, and relaxed environment.

• Scotiabank offered a networking breakfast with graduate analysts; a welcome presentation to the company; a spotlight session on capital markets and corporate banking; a session on tips for applications and key skills to develop and even organised a King’s College London alumni panel.
• The King’s Entrepreneurship Institute offered a very dynamic visit with an ice breaker focusing on communication, followed by an overview of the fantastic opportunities that the team offers to students. This have the students an idea how they can also apply for different internships and help founders develop their start-ups.

In their feedback, students felt grateful and highlighted how these opportunities are eye opening and interesting. Employers were delighted to promote their businesses while connecting with these students from under-represented backgrounds and contributing to social mobility.

 

What is a business trek?

A business trek is a work-related opportunity where a group of final year undergraduates from across our nine faculties visit your company’s premises. This is a great chance to showcase your organisation’s culture, engage with King’s students and connect with them by immersing them in your office environment.

What is the profile of the students attending business treks?

Our business treks are aimed at final year undergraduates from across our nine faculties and from under-represented communities with UK Higher Education.

What should students expect from the visit?

With the support of King’s Careers & Employability, employers have the flexibility to put together a relevant agenda for the visit, ensuring this will be a meaningful experience for both employers and students. Each visit is planned ad-hoc, usually on a Wednesday afternoon, and usually lasts between two and three hours including a variety of activities at the employer’s discretion.

A sample of the activities that your company may consider including are:

• an office tour;
• networking opportunities;
• a presentation of the sector and typical roles and duties;
• exploration of your internal staff networks;
• usual events and work experience offered;
• a chance to meet current interns, placement students, graduates, or King’s alumni working in your organisation.

We provide a stipend to our students in consideration of transport and lunch.

How do I participate in other work-related opportunities?

Our Insights Programme offers meaningful work-related opportunities to either final year undergraduates or PhD students from under-represented communities within UK Higher Education. These extracurricular activities give them an opportunity to explore different sectors and broaden their network and horizons while boosting their confidence.

These opportunities are designed to be short and include: business treks; virtual micro internships; work-shadowing; bespoke events and consultancy projects. The Programme is aimed to be as inclusive as possible, and we actively encourage and welcome students from traditionally under-represented communities in UK Higher Education to participate.