How can Russell Group universities address students' concerns around employability?

What if a degree apprenticeship isn’t the right option?

However, this route does have its limitations. The majority of current degree apprenticeships are provided within business or STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) (University Vocational Awards Council, 2024), meaning they may not currently be the most appropriate future choice for students who prefer and excel in arts, humanities, and social sciences. Degree Apprenticeships are also highly competitive (UCAS, 2023), and questions have been asked regarding their accessibility for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Sutton Trust (2020) found that the growth in degree apprenticeships “has seen young apprentices from disadvantaged backgrounds edged out in favour of older apprentices from wealthy areas”. Work is being done to address these deficiencies, and certainly these issues shouldn’t hold students back from pursuing this route if they feel this is the best choice for them. 

However, some students may wish to prioritise employability when making their future choices but may not feel that degree apprenticeships are the right choice for them. What can teachers advise students who fall within this bracket? 

Careers support at Russell Group Universities 

When researching post-18 options, students may overlook the opportunities to develop their careers which are available to them whilst at university. The Russell Group universities offer a range of programmes and support to help students gain work experience, skills and career opportunities both during and post-education. Research support this – 80% of Russell Group graduates are in skilled employment fifteen months after they graduate, with 87% of first-degree graduates working in growth-driving industrial strategy sectors (Russell Group, 2025). 

When advising your students, you could encourage them to research the careers and employability opportunities available at the universities they’re considering, or to ask about these opportunities at UCAS Fairs and Open Days. 

Exposure to industry experience

University students report “having the required work experience” as their biggest barrier to securing a graduate job (WonkHE, 2021). Russell Group universities offer opportunities to counteract this issue, by embedding exposure to industry experience into the student experience. These initiatives allow students to gain relevant experience prior to graduating, even if their degree doesn’t include a formal placement year. 

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)’s Aspire Career Development Programme has transformed employability by uniting 7 initiatives based on consultancy simulations, insight days, mentoring, internships, entrepreneurial activities and self-development programmes into a single inclusive framework. Delivering 1,500+ opportunities annually, Aspire aims to tackle barriers for our students, particularly from WP backgrounds and those identified in QMUL's APP. A student-led research project shaped co-created redesigns including streamlined application processes, joint inductions/reflection sessions, new “Lite” versions, bespoke mentoring strands, and interdisciplinary hackathons to widen access. Impact is clear: 65.5% of students reported improved employability skills and 51.6% advanced in career readiness. Post-programme, 98% of students found Aspire useful and 97% recommended it. 

Paid work opportunities

For many students, unpaid internships and volunteering aren’t financially viable, and some may not be able to access work experience due to their location and the cost of travel. This issue can particularly affect students from lower-income backgrounds. Russell Group universities are increasingly investing in bursaries, funded internships and paid campus-based roles to ensure that employability opportunities are accessible to all. 

A great example of this is Equality+, the University of Liverpool’s targeted employability programme for underrepresented students. Their aim is to reduce the gaps we see in graduate outcomes and provide practical support that helps remove the barriers these students face. They partner with organisations like EmployAbility and upReach to offer tailored guidance, and work directly with inclusive employers to create mentoring, events and internships specifically for EQ+ students. Eligible students can also apply for funding for interviews or courses, and many have said this support helped them secure internships or job offers.

Eligibility is based on university data and focuses on the groups where we see the biggest gaps in engagement and Graduate Outcomes. This includes bursary recipients, students from low participation areas, and those with disrupted educational backgrounds such as care experienced or estranged students, young carers, refugees or asylum seekers. It also includes racially minoritised students, students with disabilities and mature students.

Industry placements 

There are also numerous opportunities at Russell Group universities for students to take part in longer-term, paid placements. Whether taken as part of a sandwich year, or alongside study, these experiences can significantly boost confidence, skills, and graduate job prospects. 

The Bristol SME Internship Scheme enables University of Bristol students to gain 140 hours of quality work experience from small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. Students can apply to advertised opportunities or source their own opportunity by approaching organisations they would like to work for. The University of Bristol pay a grant to the host SME to ensure that students are paid at least the National Living Wage for their internship.

Conclusion

Whilst degree apprenticeships can offer valuable routes into employment for some students, they are not the only way to achieve positive graduate outcomes. Russell Group universities can offer high-quality careers support, paid work opportunities and meaningful industry engagement alongside a traditional degree, which may be a more suitable or preferable route for some students. 

By encouraging students to look beyond course content alone, and consider the employability opportunities available at universities, teachers can help young people to make more informed post-18 choices. 

A big thank you goes to the following people for contributing to this article: 

• Nurul Ahmed, Work Integrated Learning & Student Development Manager, Careers & Enterprise, Queen Mary University of London
• Ellie Roberts-Vick and Grace Berry, Careers and Employability, University of Liverpool
• The SME Engagement Team at University of Bristol