Upcoming Events

Lloyds Banking insight event

Tuesday 16th September, 5–6pm

This event is for anyone who might be looking for apprenticeships, work experience or graduate programmes in the world of banking and finance.

Lloyds Banking Group is one of the world’s biggest financial services companies with over 30 million digital customers. Find out how they help Britain prosper, what makes their culture inclusive, and how their well-known brands are driving real change.

At this event, you will participate in workshops, network with their people, and hear about all of the key application deadlines for this year’s opportunities. You’ll hear straight from senior leaders about their journey, as well as recent apprentices and graduates and the advice they wish they’d had when starting out. In addition, all who attend this virtual event will be the first to hear about and apply for over eight in-person events at their offices all across the UK. These events take place on Saturdays, so they don’t impact time out of school or university.

To register, and secure your place, click here.

Get into Law virtual event

Monday 22nd September, 5–7pm (Zoom)
This is a chance to engage with representatives from some of the most prestigious law firms in the UK, as well as legal education providers, including Farrer & Co, Freshfields, Slaughter and May, Clifford Chance, Linklaters, University of Law, Fragomen and A&O Shearman.

• Workshop rooms on Zoom, where you can rotate around rooms to chat with different employers and dive deeper into different areas of law
• Insights into solicitor apprenticeships, training programmes and work experience schemes
• First-hand experiences from current legal apprentices and trainees
• Advice on applications, securing work experience, and making yourself stand out
• Interactive sessions with Early Careers teams and senior lawyers from top firms

This event is a must-attend for anyone considering a legal career. Whether you are set on becoming a solicitor, interested in alternative routes, or simply exploring your options, this session will provide valuable insights to help shape your future.

To register, and secure your place, click here.

STEM virtual careers event

Wednesday 24th September, 5–6.30pm

This virtual exclusive event involves six of the world’s leading STEM companies, designed to give you insights into the industry, work experience and apprenticeship programmes. Workshops will be run in breakout rooms, giving you the chance to network and build up your professional network with leaders from across the industry.

Companies attending:

• Spectris PLC
• National Grid
• NESO
• BDO
• Wates
• RAF

Participating in an event such as this will not only allow you to learn more about the industry, but it will also give you a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience that will be beneficial for adding value to your CV and LinkedIn profile. This will show employers that you are proactive and looking to develop your skillset before entering the workplace, which can help you to be recognised as an ambitious and motivated individual as well as allowing you to stand out from other students.

To sign up, click here.

HSBC Work Experience Opportunity 

Thursday 2nd October, 5pm (Zoom)

This virtual work experience opportunity with HSBC takes place outside of school hours, making it easily accessible for students.

HSBC and The Nature Trust UK – Nature Projects That Make a Difference

• A 45-minute virtual briefing with the HSBC team
• Complete the career challenge at your own pace
• Certification awarded on completion

In this fictional scenario, HSBC is working with The Nature Trust UK on a charitable programme to support nature-based climate action across the UK. Your challenge: act as a climate consultant and pitch a nature project that supports net zero targets in one of five cities (London, Sheffield, Birmingham, Chester or Leeds). Use real-world data to build a case, balance environmental impact with local needs, and present a solution that HSBC could fund. Your data-driven decisions could shape the future of green finance.

What this career challenge will involve:

• Understand the Problem: Why is nature-based climate action important? How can green projects help fight climate change?
• Working with Data: Developing your problem solving and data literacy skills to make an informed decision to present your idea to HSBC.
• Finding Patterns & Trends: Which cities are facing the most urgent challenges?
• Present your Ideas & Recommendations: Create a presentation to include the city or cities you have selected for funding and explain how your idea could make a real difference.

To find out more, and register, click here.

Virtual Early Careers Employability Workshop

Thursday 2nd October, 4.30pm

This interactive session from Buro Happold is designed to support students in developing key employability skills and exploring exciting career pathways, particularly in STEM.

Buro Happold is a world-renowned, international engineering consultancy with a strong focus on creating sustainable, inclusive, and innovative solutions to complex built environment challenges. With projects spanning the globe – from iconic cultural landmarks to cutting-edge infrastructure – it is passionate about inspiring the next generation of engineers and problem-solvers.

The proposed workshop schedule includes:

• Welcome and Introduction
• What are Employability skills and why are they important?
• CV and Interview Preparation workshop
• Careers in STEM (hear from one of our current Graduates and Apprentices with the story of their school journey and career to date)
• Q&A and Closing Remarks

This is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain insights into the world of work, learn about careers in Engineering, enhance their career readiness, and engage with professionals in a supportive, inclusive environment.

To find out more and register, click here.

Horticultural Industry Taster Sessions and work experience 2025

Discover the exciting world of careers in horticulture through a Taster Session at one of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) gardens. Students can gain first-hand experiences of the workplace though:

• Attending a bespoke taster day
  For further information, click here.
• Shadowing employees during a 1-week work experience placement
  For further information, click here.
• Signing up for regular youth volunteering sessions to gain practical skills and a better understanding of how a public garden and visitor attraction is run.
  For further information, click here.
• In addition, the RHS offers a number of apprenticeship opportunities.
  For further information, click here.

Model Law Commission

September to January 2026 on a range of dates.
Deadline for applications: Friday 5th September

Now in its 13th year, the Model Law Commission is a 3-month long project that provides A’ Level students with the chance to simulate the work of the Law Commission. The pool of students is split into four groups, each tasked with the reform of one of the following areas of law: (1) Family, Trusts or Land Law; (2) Criminal Law; (3) Commercial and Common Law; or (4) Public Law. From October to December, students undertake a five-stage process: research, formulating recommendations, consulting with their peers, reporting on their proposals and devising their legislation. Each year, the Model Law Commission begins with a 2-day virtual conference in London. It is over the course of these 2 days that students are introduced to their respective topics by experts in the field who come from all over the country to speak to them. The students are also visited by individuals from the Law Commission itself who advise on the difficulties in reforming the law and how to write a law reform report. The students then take that information and over the following weeks discuss reform ideas with each other, their Group Leaders and their peers.

The project then concludes with a final in-person report launch event in London in January, hosted by MPs and visitors from the Law Commission. At the event, each student will receive a printed and published copy of their group’s reform report. If you are interested in learning more about the way law works in the UK, the way it is made and changed, then you are strongly encouraged to apply.

For further information, and to apply, click here.

Manchester STEM Apprenticeship Event

Wednesday 10th September 2025

Sellafield work experience opportunity

This is something for Year 12 students to think ahead when applying for work placements in the new year.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is one of Europe’s largest research organisations supporting scientists and engineers and running experiments around the UK and worldwide. Activities carried out cover a wide range of science, engineering and technology, including materials
science, engineering and instrumentation, particle physics, space science, accelerator-based technologies, information technology and computer
science.

Daresbury Laboratory, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and UK Astronomy Technology Centre offer work experience placements to students each year, many from local schools and around the country. As far as possible they are placed depending on their interests indicated on the
application form.

This website provides more details about the programme in general.

Media Law Insight Evening

Applications close: Friday 19th September

BVL is partnering with media law barristers’ chambers, 5RB, to run a media law insight evening.

5RB is a leading set of media and communications law barristers who practise in all areas of media law including: defamation, privacy, confidence, data protection, harassment, media regulation, intellectual property, sport and human rights.

The session will run between 6 and 8pm on a date to be confirmed in Summer 2025.

Those who take part in the insight evening will have an exclusive opportunity to apply for work experience placement with 5RB Chambers.

To apply, click here.

Year 13 NHS Finance Insights placement scheme

The NHS Finance Insights placement scheme offers paid work experience in NHS organisations to individuals aged 18 and above, who do not plan to attend university and come from low-income families.

The scheme aims to attract diverse talent from local communities served by the NHS into the finance sector. It provides a 12-month experience in an entry-level (band 2) finance role, allowing candidates to develop new skills and gain on-the-job work experience. Upon completion of the placement, each candidate should feel well-prepared to apply for NHS opportunities, including apprenticeships or other entry-level roles, and be confident in transitioning to professional working environments.

To find out more about entry requirements and download the scheme brochure, click here.

A Step Ahead Health and Social Care Programme

Industry Insights

Free online