Tobey Woodford was one of only two students out of 60 on his course to get a placement. Getting there took 15 hours a week of searching and a huge amount of time and energy, with little support along the way. His story isn’t unusual.
His dad, Robert Woodford, had seen the same problem from several sides. He was frustrated by the gap between what many universities promised at open days and what students actually received. He’d watched other families’ sons and daughters struggle in the same way, and through his work with businesses that take on graduates and interns, he knew how hard employers find it to reach the right students. Seeing the lack of support and expertise universities offered Tobey, they decided to do something about it.
Universities offer courses with placement years, but students are largely left to find placements on their own. Opportunities are scattered across dozens of websites, and many are never advertised at all, filled instead through family members and personal contacts. Students without those connections miss out.
Employers lose out too. Many organisations don’t know how much a placement student can bring to their business, so they never offer placements. Those that do often recruit from a small pool, missing capable students from other backgrounds and other parts of the country.
