Providing industry placements in rural and remote areas

Businesses in rural, coastal and remote locations know how hard it can be to recruit staff. Offering industry placements to students can be a great way to find new recruits locally and from surrounding areas.

Rural businesses can face two main challenges when it comes to offering placements; travel and the lack of local providers involved in T Levels. Here are a few ideas on how to tackle them.

Challenge 1: Travel. Students may need to travel some distance to get to work

Things to consider when looking for a solution:

• Give students a range of travel options by finding out how current staff get to work.
• Provide accurate, up-to-date public transport information – for example, bus routes and timings.
• Match the hours of the placement to public transport timetables and, times when lifts or car-sharing are available.
• Consider the pattern of the placement. For example, students may be able to access weekly travel cards on public transport when you offer a block placement rather than one day per week.
• Give students advance notice by including information on travel and transport arrangements in the placement role description. 
• Consider offering more than one placement. The students may be able to build their confidence by travelling together.
• Reimburse all or some of the costs of transport.
• Consider giving the student a short work trial, so that they can test the journey and timings before signing onto the placement.
• Talk to your T Level provider – they have experience with students travelling long distances and may have creative solutions, including local initiatives such as bus or scooter schemes.

Challenge 2: No local providers deliver T Levels or industry placements

Things to consider when looking for a solution:

• Tell your providers that you’re keen to be involved and ask if there’s any way you can contribute for now. Industry placements are new and will grow significantly over the next few years.
• Let local young people know that you’re happy to offer an industry placement. For example, using local contacts, Facebook groups, and placing cards in local shops could be a great way to find students who travel to study, but would prefer a placement nearer home.
• Go regional – plenty of students travel to colleges and sixth forms some distance from where they live.
• Keep an eye on the T Level provider list. It changes frequently as new providers are added.

If you're interested in offering an industry placement, your first step is to get in touch with T Level schools and colleges near you.