Institute for Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development

We offer both student projects and student placements at Lancaster University Management School.  Both the projects and placements form a part of the students’ course of study and the main differences between projects and placements are as follows:

• Student projects usually operate on a consultancy basis and can last from 2 weeks to 6 months, depending on the course that the students are studying.  Your student(s) will work mainly at the University with visits to your company as the project dictates. Student projects undertaken by postgraduate students usually form a part of their dissertation.

• Student placements are usually based in your company. Your student(s) will work with you for up to a year, depending on the course that the students are on. Placements may form a part of the students’ dissertation.

For student projects and placements we work with a wide range of organisations. From small and medium-sized enterprises, to large corporations throughout the UK and overseas.

As our student projects are linked to academic courses we recruit at particular times of the year for each course, approximately eight weeks in advance of the project starting.  There is a timeline of when our student projects happen that you may access online.  However, we can discuss your project requirements with you to help you to decide which project(s) best meet your needs.

To view a timeline of our current student project opportunities please download our .

For student placements, you may apply at any time of year, but our students will not be available until the end of their course.  This is around June/July for undergraduates and the mid/end of September for postgraduate students.

You will gain the commitment of a group of up to seven undergraduate students or one to two postgraduate students to address an important issue for your company that you may not have the time or resources to address currently. Your students will liaise with key personnel within your organisation on a regular basis to gain the relevant important data needed to make your project a success.

Project results are delivered in the form of a comprehensive written document - either a report or a plan. We also offer you the opportunity of a verbal presentation by the student(s) that will summarise their findings in a verbal format where you will be able to ask questions and gain additional detail. Some project providers also choose to bring key colleagues along to the presentation.

You will receive the commitment and hard work of some of the most exceptional, brightest minds available in the UK today, for up to a year. Your placement student will be able to bring you a fresh perspective on your organisation and provide you with an opportunity to address a business-critical issue that you may have postponed due to lack of resources.

Placement students also afford the opportunity of up-skilling one or several members of your existing staff.  You may wish to assign responsibility for the placement student to a staff member who has shown an interest in project management or who is keen to gain supervisory experience, but who does not have the opportunity to do so currently.

After the placement has finished, undergraduate students will be returning to University for their final year, during which time they will complete their dissertation, much of which will be based on their placement experience.  Some placement providers choose to keep in touch with their placement student during their final year and some also offer employment to their placement student when they have graduated the following summer.

Postgraduate student placements happen at the end of the students’ course. If you are impressed by the work your student has completed and their commitment you may wish to provide your student with a reference for their future employers. Some companies have extended their placement students’ employment past the official placement period and others have offered their placement a permanent position.

Two-way communication is key to the success of the projects and placements.  It is best practice to form a team of two or more employees within your company to supervise the student(s) and to be part of a wider team. It is easier to manage the student projects and placements in this way as your student(s) will always have a contact within your company in order to progress their work even if the primary contact person is not available and you can share the responsibility.  If you are utilising the project or placement to upskill a member of your staff they will also most probably appreciate this additional support.

The student(s) are also supported by staff within the University for the duration of their project or placement.

Just as the students are provided with guidance from their University tutors, we will provide as much support as you need from us throughout the process. Support for placements includes assisting you with formulating a job description, short listing candidates and arranging interviews. Assistance with projects include assisting you in deciding which student project is most suitable for your business needs, helping you to formulate a project brief and providing regular updates on the progress of your student project.

We also formally monitor the projects and placements periodically once they have started but we are always available to discuss any concerns you may have or answer any questions on an ad hoc basis.

For student projects, students work in a group with others from their course on real life business issues provided by SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) and larger organisations.  Undergraduate students work in groups of between five to seven students and come from many different backgrounds.  Postgraduate students work in smaller teams of one or two. The groups are formed before the project bidding process begins so the students begin to bond as a team even before the project begins.

You may apply to have as many placement students as your resources may support. Larger companies may choose to take on several students to work independently of each other, or as a part of a project team. Smaller companies may choose to take on one student to train the student intensely with the intention of giving the student early responsibility within the organisation.

For student projects, the students give their time free of charge, but we will expect you to reimburse any out of pocket expenses the students incur e.g. travel/printing etc.  Previous projects have incurred costs of between £150 - £2,000, but this varies according to the project .  Project length, scope and even the number of students involved in the project have an effect on the overall cost of the project.  For example, projects that require substantial amounts of fieldwork or travel will attract a higher cost than a mostly market research-based project.

Assistance towards the cost of travel may be available and will be assessd on a case by case basis.

Student placements are essentially employees of your business for the placement period and we would expect them to be paid a salary in line with the type of work that they will be doing. 

For student projects you may submit more than one project brief for a particular project but please be sure that, should both projects be accepted, you have sufficient internal resources to supervise both projects simultaneously.  There is no limit to the number of projects you may apply for during the academic year.

Again, you may apply for more than one placement student, but please ensure that you have sufficient internal resources in order to manage the placements effectively.

Access our pages on student projects or student placements for more information and to find out more about the current opportunities we have available.

If you would like to discuss your requirements in more detail, contact Jo Valentine, Knowledge Exchange Officer at ieedprojects@lancaster.ac.uk or
telephone 01524 510718