Common questions about Marketing industry placements

T Level industry placements give Marketing students the chance to apply their learning in a real working environment, while giving employers fresh ideas, additional capacity and a way to develop future talent.

In Marketing, placements can support areas such as campaign planning, content creation, customer research, social media, events, market analysis, communications and multi-channel marketing activity.

Below are some of the most common questions employers ask – and how schools and colleges can support you to make a placement work.

What if we can’t offer a full-time, long-term or regular placement?

That’s not a problem. T Level placements are designed to be flexible. The required 315 hours can be delivered through:

• One or two days a week across several months
• Block placements at suitable points in your marketing calendar
• A blend of blocks and day release
• A placement split across more than one employer, where this gives the student a coherent experience
• Some remote hours, typically 20% but more where this reflects your working practice and the student can be properly supported
• Employer-set small team projects or other agreed delivery approaches, where these meet the placement requirements

Your school or college will help you design a model that fits your business, your team and the type of marketing activity you can offer.

Do we need to be a marketing agency or have a large marketing team?

No. Marketing placements can work in agencies, in-house marketing teams, small businesses, charities, public sector organisations and many other settings.

You do not need a large marketing department. Many organisations have useful marketing activity that students can support, such as social media, customer research, newsletters, website updates, campaign planning, event promotion or content creation.

Placements are based on the tasks the student completes, not the type or size of your organisation. The school or college will help make sure the placement is relevant to the student’s Marketing T Level and suitable for your capacity.

What kinds of tasks can students do?

Tasks should help students apply their learning and build confidence in real marketing activity. Depending on your business, suitable tasks might include:

• Researching customers, competitors or markets
• Creating customer personas
• Drafting social media posts, blogs, newsletters or campaign content
• Supporting email marketing or website updates
• Helping plan events, promotions or product launches
• Collecting and analysing marketing data
• Supporting brand, campaign or audience research
• Preparing presentations, reports or content plans

Students should not be expected to lead major campaigns on their own. Start with clear, structured tasks and build responsibility as their confidence and understanding grow. For inspiration, click here to see examples of typical tasks for each T Level.

Can the student work remotely for some of the placement?

Yes. Students can complete some placement hours remotely where this reflects the employer’s working practices, the tasks are suitable, and the student can be properly supported.

Remote hours should usually be used for no more than 20% of the placement where possible, so that students spend most of their time working face-to-face with an employer.

Remote tasks might include:

• Drafting content
• Researching competitors or target audiences
• Preparing social media schedules
• Analysing campaign data
• Creating reports or presentations
• Joining online meetings or check-ins

Remote work should still include clear tasks, deadlines, feedback and regular contact with a named supervisor. The student should also have the right equipment, be able to work independently, use online communication tools, and have a suitable environment to work from.

Our marketing work involves brand guidelines, client information or sensitive data – is that a problem?

Not necessarily. Many marketing roles involve confidential information, brand rules or customer data. These can usually be managed with clear planning.

You can:

1. Brief the student on confidentiality and data protection
2. Set clear boundaries on what they can access
3. Use anonymised or sample data where appropriate
4. Focus on lower-risk or internal tasks at first
5. Agree who will review work before it is shared or published

The school or college will help you plan tasks that are useful, safe and appropriate for the student’s level of experience.

Can students publish content on our behalf?

They can support content creation, but you should have a clear approval process before anything is published.

For example, a student might draft social media posts, blogs, newsletters or web copy, but a member of your team should review and approve the content before it goes live.

This gives the student valuable experience while helping you maintain quality, brand consistency and appropriate oversight. Feeding back the changes you make before publishing will also help the student understand what effective, appropriate content looks like.

Can a student support live campaigns or events?

Yes, where the tasks are appropriate and well supervised.

Students can add value by supporting campaign preparation, event promotion, audience research, content scheduling, data capture or post-campaign review.

For live campaigns or events, it is helpful to give the student a clear role, explain deadlines and build in time for feedback. They can contribute without needing to take responsibility for high-risk or business-critical activity.

We are very busy – do we have time to supervise a student?

Supervision is important, but it does not need to be complicated or full-time.

There should be an overall named supervisor or mentor responsible for the placement, but the student does not need constant one-to-one supervision and day-to-day support can be shared across the wider team. Schools and colleges can help by providing:

• A simple placement plan
• Suggested tasks and objectives
• Guidance for the student’s supervisor or mentor
• Regular check-ins during the placement
• Support if anything needs adjusting

Many employers find that students become more independent once they understand the organisation, the audience and the tools they are using.

Can we host students from other T Level routes?

Yes. If your organisation can offer meaningful tasks linked to another T Level subject, you may be able to host students from different routes.

For example:

• A Digital student could support website updates, analytics or content systems
• A Business and Administration student could support events, customer service or project coordination
• A Legal, Finance and Accounting student could support finance, procurement or compliance activity

The school or college will help make sure the placement is relevant to the student’s course, learning goals and progression aims.

Can we support students with additional needs?

Absolutely. Schools and colleges will work with you to plan appropriate support. This might include:

• Adjusted hours or duties
• Extra check-ins or buddy systems
• Use of assistive technologies
• A tailored support plan
• Clearer task instructions or routines

With the right planning, many students with additional needs thrive in marketing settings and contribute positively to teams.

What if things don’t go to plan?

Even well-planned placements can need adjusting, and that’s completely normal. Your school or college is there to support you.

Whether it’s adapting tasks, re-setting expectations, changing the placement pattern, or pausing and restarting the placement, you’re not expected to manage challenges alone.

Top tips for a smooth placement

• Keep communication open between you, the student and the school or college
• Treat the student like a new team member – set clear expectations and offer feedback
• Start with simple, structured tasks before building up responsibility
• Agree an approval process before any content is published externally
• Speak to your provider early if anything needs adjusting

How do we get started?

Speak to a school or college that delivers the Marketing T Level. They’ll work with you to:

• Design a placement model that fits your organisation
• Identify suitable students
• Agree appropriate marketing tasks
• Advise on supervision and remote hours
• Provide guidance and support throughout the placement

Whether you’re a marketing agency, a small business, a charity or a larger employer, there’s a flexible way to get involved. Click here to find a T Level school or college near you.