Questions and Answers

What is the role of the Employer Engagement Team?

The Employer Engagement Team (EET) is part of the Careers and Employability Service, at the University of Chester, and links local, regional and national employers with students, graduates and academic colleagues. The team also makes introductions to wider university colleagues, enabling access to facilities, research, apprenticeships and much more, supporting a wide range of employer-university interactions.

What benefits does the EET provide for local employers, students and graduates?

Benefits for employers

Employers benefit by being able to:

• Advertise job vacancies for free on the University’s fully GDPR‑compliant CareerHub platform, including part‑time jobs, internships and graduate‑level roles
• Recruit talented students and graduates across a wide range of subject disciplines, supported by a team that understands the employer’s needs
• Host Chester Internships, offering short‑term paid project work undertaken by motivated students or graduates who bring fresh ideas and up‑to‑date knowledge to their organisation/business
• Engage with students directly on campus, through careers fairs, and experiential learning within the curriculum. This enables employers to build their brand presence within the student community and to promote their employment opportunities
• Benefit from more than 20 years of University of Chester expertise in work placements, giving access to structured, university‑level placement experiences aligned to industry needs.

Benefits for students and graduates

Students and graduates gain:

• Employment experience through part‑time work, internships and graduate jobs
• Professional skills development, confidence building and industry awareness from real‑world work placements and internships
• A direct connection to employers, via events, fairs, and on‑campus employer engagement, which helps them to explore opportunities and build networks.

Why should local employers get involved?

Local employers are urged to join the many others working with us.

The University actively encourages local and North‑West based opportunities to match the preferences and needs of its student community. This gives local employers a strong recruitment pipeline and helps them build brand loyalty with potential future employees from the University.

What kind of roles/positions are students employed on as part of work placements and UniJob? How have they been able to help local employers?

Work placements

Work placements, across sectors including charitable organisations, legal companies and SMEs, typically involve:

• Four to seven week placements during the spring term
• Minimum 140 hours of experience
• Students undertaking specific professional, university-level placements where they contribute to day‑to‑day workplace operations in local and national organisations.

Work placements help employers by giving them:

• Fresh ideas and input from students with subject‑specific knowledge
• Support on short‑term projects
• Additional capacity during busy periods.

Placements for Masters including MBA (Master of Business Administration) students (up to 30 weeks) can also support organisations on more extended, strategic or developmental work.

How students help employers

Through internships, part‑time roles and placements, students have helped employers by:

• Bringing new skills and perspectives aligned with current academic learning
• Taking on meaningful tasks that support organisational development
• Contributing to real‑world projects designed by employers, especially through Chester Internships and work placements.

What kind of feedback have you had from students, graduates and employers who have received support from the team with graduate jobs, work placements, and internships?

Students, graduates and employers reaffirm that:

• Work placements provide "successful and rewarding university-level experiences" for both students and employers, supported by a structured matching and guidance process
• Chester Internships help students and graduates to become more employable, enhance their CVs and help them to build professional networks.

To hear more from students and employers, take a look at press releases and blogs from our website:

University launches new Grad Launch Internships programme for local employers and charities

Over 700 students kickstart their careers at University of Chester’s Part-time Jobs Fair

My University of Chester Experience: Future Ready

From Lecture Hall to Veterinary Practice: My Placement Experience

What is the best way (or ways) for local employers to find out more about what the Employer Engagement Team can offer?

Local employers can find out more here or by contacting the Employer Engagement Team at:

Telephone: 01244 513066
Email: employers@chester.ac.uk

We look forward to making new connections with employers and businesses.

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