Going to University can be expensive and with changes to student financial support, sponsorship is becoming an increasingly attractive option. If you are interested in sponsorship you need to begin to research the possibilities available at an early stage of your school/college course.
► What is Sponsorship?
Over the past 10 years or so, the sponsorship scene went quiet until a recent revival. What has emerged, however, is a more streamlined version
of sponsorship. Although there are still a number of traditional schemes around, the slim-down is by far the most popular option with employers these days. In general, a sponsorship is any kind of relationship with a company that involves you working with them during the course of your studies and them paying you money for it.
To summarise, the principal is just the same. It’s just that employers are now waiting longer and until after you have worked for them, before they make any commitment to funding your studies. It’s more of a ‘try before you buy’ technique.
► What's in it for me?
Pros
► money to help with my student loan
► training in industry
► work experience
► employment in the Summer vacation
► chance of future employment (not just with the sponsor company)
► help with project work
► chance to assess a potential employer with whom I might start my career
► enhances my CV
Cons (traditional sponsorship only)
► I may restrict my choice of HE course
► I am making a career choice at 17/18 years and my ideas may change in the future
► my holiday time is not my own
► I will see only one industry/company during work experience
► I may be committed to working for a company that I am no longer interested in
► I may not have any choice over working location
► Who can get Sponsorship?
There is much competition for sponsorship and employers receive applications from many students. Before you apply for sponsorship take sometime to consider what they are looking for.
Employers look for both academic and personal qualities. They expect you to have a good academic record and you should have an interest in the Degree/HND topic to be studied. Personal qualities such as maturity, ambition, team-work, leadership, initiative, humour and managerial
potential are looked for. Do you have these qualities?
► Which subjects should I be studying?
A level (or equivalent Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education/BTEC National courses) in the following subject areas will increase your chances of sponsorship:
► Engineering
► Business Studies
► Maths/Physics
► Accounting
► Computer Science
► Foreign Languages
► Which courses are sponsored?
Engineering is the most common course to be sponsored. Other possibilities are:
► Business and Management
► Medicine
► Banking
► Dentistry
► Economics
► Science
► Computer Science
► Physical and Life Science
► Construction and Building
► Which companies offer Sponsorship?
All kinds of companies offer sponsorships including the armed forces, banks, government departments, as well as private companies and charities.These companies sponsor students for a variety of reasons, but the following are the most common:
► See you ‘in action’ with their company before they make you an offer
► Develop you during your course of studies
► Attract you early before you receive other graduate job offers
► Ensure that you are really interested in them when you accept
The Year in Industry Programme You could also consider ‘The Year In Industry’ Programme which can lead to sponsorship. This programme will
consider those who have studied subjects relevant to industry e.g. Business Law, Economics, Languages as well as Engineering and Science.
For more information visit www.yini.org.uk
► So how do I get one?
You need to start thinking about sponsorship opportunities at the same time as you are researching HE courses, given that there are fewer of these traditional sponsorships than before. Employers expect you to apply for sponsorship when you are completing your UCAS application. Research needs to be done before this.
You could start by writing to the professional bodies of the industries in which you would like to work to find out if they have details of sponsoring employers (see useful websites).
Look at Employer websites and see ‘Occupations’ book for details and reading list below.
When researching your higher education course and university, you could contact the institution to find out which companies sponsor students. You could also attend university open days to find out more.
You may find that sandwich courses at university are especially suitable for sponsorship.
You could contact your university careers service for details of sponsorships which are linked to your chosen university or course.
You need to consult the sponsorship material in your Connexions careers library (see suggested reading) and make a short list of employers to contact.
You then need to write to the employers to obtain their sponsorship brochure and an application form. Some employers may like to see your CV.
► Other Courses of Financial Support
Universities are also offering Additional University Bursaries, which can include cash bursaries, scholarship schemes, subject specific bursaries and other schemes. These bursaries can help students by providing financial support in the form of cash, scholarship schemes, IT equipment, other equipment and much more.
Morehelp4u:
www.springboard.co.uk
www.connexionsdirect.com/jobs4u (occupations book online)
www.scholarship-search.org.uk
www.studentmoney.org
Suggested Reading
Check out the books and information available in your local Connexions Careers Library.
