The Priority: 

My mission for this year: “Increasing placement and internship opportunities available for all students, whilst ensuring they are financially accessible and supporting student employability for future careers.” 

Context: 

47% of you said you plan to or were struggling to find work back at the start of this academic year, with nearly half of you explaining a real struggle with balancing your time between studies, social life, and time spent undertaking paid work just to help afford life at uni (SU Getting Started Survey 2025-26). A combination of time pressures, financial strain, and our unique location in Cornwall make it most difficult for students to access placements/internships, and students have said they want more paid, locally accessible opportunities as well as those more tailored to their course, whilst still providing flexible opportunities that reflect the real workplace (Izzy’s Employability Survey, Spring 2026). 

So, based on what you folks have said (and from my own experiences in unpaid placements), I have made it my mission to do all I can in my role to support student employability in my time as President Exeter.

What have I actually achieved this year? 

Key Outcomes: 

• Most excitingly, I launched my SU Exeter Employability Fund! To achieve my main goal this year, I lobbied the University of Exeter for funding and distributed £7,000 to almost 30 students to help them cover costs associated with unpaid or unsupported placements and internships, which will be vital experiences for their career development and future opportunities. 

• In order to provide evidence-based proposals, I launched my SU Employability Survey for all Exeter students in Cornwall to have their say on how their course can better support their employability opportunities, what they look for in placement opportunities, and how working experiences are impacting their studies. This data has in turn helped me to progress other student employability projects with the University, as it demonstrated a real demand by students for additional support. I have since presented the results to the Cornwall Career Zone team and shared with Exeter senior staff, with recommendations for actions including better transport support to access placements and more paid opportunities on campus. 

• As part of an ongoing, large-scale, multi-year project, I raised the profile of lived student experiences and where students specifically need support to shape teaching under the University of Exeter’s Curriculum for Change project, with a focus on student employability, working experience opportunities, and facilitating skills-building and identification to build student confidence and career development. 

• When meeting with senior staff, I have raised concerns against potential reductions in department-specific (SCP) paid student internships, and advocating for these to continue into the next academic year across all departments, including (and specifically) those in Cornwall.  

• Spoken with student reps at Department Chair Town Halls and the Big Rep Meeting to gather information on what students are struggling with in accessing placements and part-time employment, and making sure these experiences are shared at senior University meetings. 

• Sharing progress updates of my work with students via social media and rep Town Halls, as well as at Forum, to be held accountable to my actions by the student community. 

By the Numbers:  

• £7,000 distributed to 28 students (£250 each) to address hidden costs associated with unpaid or unsupported placements and internships. 

• 143 responses from students belonging all different departments to Izzy’s SU Employability Survey, with 10 x £25 vouchers awarded for completion in a prize draw. 

• Financial support on offer and specific skills gained both ranked 7.4 out of 10 for students on the most important factors they consider when looking for a placement opportunity (Izzy’s Employability Survey, Spring 2026), demonstrating a real need for better clarity and support from placement providers. 

• 74% students have not previously been or are currently employed on campus, yet 63% are currently actively seeking part-time employment alongside studies (Izzy’s Employability Survey, Spring 2026), showing a disproportionate demand and supply of paid student opportunities on campus. 

• 2 x employability pop-ups and workshops at the SU, helping 2026-27 Officer Elections candidates, society committee members, and other student leaders specifically identify and pick out the skills they gained from running an election campaign and/or a society, and how to translate them into CV-speak to boost applications. 

• Lastly, 328 hours of meetings with Exeter staff since 1st August 2025 (that’s 292 meetings in total), discussing all things student experience, education, and university management which impacts your learning! 

Why this matters: 

In the face of an increasingly difficult financial and geopolitical climate and graduate job market, it is now more important than ever for students to get value for money for the thousands of pounds they are paying for their degree, and being real, actually get a job at the end of it(!). By making sure skills and experiences to build career development are central to students’ university experience through my work with senior staff this year, this will hopefully give students the best chances possible to secure a job after graduating. Most significantly, the projects I have worked on and delivered this year aimed to level the playing field for students in terms of financial access to employability opportunities, as getting hands-on experience is the best way to develop career confidence, and something everyone should be able to access. 

What’s next? 

I will be passing the torch over to Toby Hawkins, your President Exeter-elect for the 2026-27 academic year at the end of June, but not before I’ve finished up everything and tied up all the loose ends! Thank you to everyone who has supported my campaigns and projects this year, and all those who showed up to events, answered surveys, filled in forms, submitted proposals, spoke with their reps and everyone else in-between – as a Presidents team, we could not have gotten this far in supporting you without your help. 

And for those of you who will be attending Graduations this Summer – congratulations, and I’ll see you there! 

Want to get involved? Here's how:  

1. Stay Updated: Instagram  

1. Make a change: Submit a proposal on Make A Change  

1. Take Action: Vote on proposals through Make A Change or make your own proposal! Talk to your reps, whether that be reps from your course or your SU Presidents - Find My Rep , Presidents. Come to Student Forum, where we discuss ongoing priority work and vote in proposals to either be actively worked on