Work experience at the University of Portsmouth

Department overview: The Doctoral College helps more than 1,000 students who are studying for the highest university degree, called a PhD. These students have already completed a university undergraduate degree and now want to study at an even higher level. They spend their time doing research in a subject they are really interested in. PhD subjects cover many areas, including science, art, business, and engineering. People who earn a PhD can use the title “Doctor”, but this does not mean they are a medical doctor.

We help our PhD students develop new skills, meet other researchers and make the most of their time at university through training sessions, events and activities.

What to expect: During your work experience, you’ll join a friendly team of 8 staff members and get a real insight into how a teaching and training administration team runs on a day-to-day basis. 

What you’ll be doing:

• Helping to prepare for events (such as making signs, name badges and event materials)
• Supporting with social media by coming up with creative ideas for posts
• Assisting with general office and team tasks
• Learning how a professional university department works

Placements available: 2 for each week (4 total)

Dates: 7-11 June 2027 or 5-9 July 2027

Department overview: Our Estates and Campus Services team is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the University's estate.

This includes caretaking duties, security, cleaning, refuse and recycling, grounds maintenance, disposal of electronic and confidential waste, archiving, postal services, car parking and transport. The department also oversees our ambitious £250m Estates Masterplan.

For our Estates work experience we have two sections that students can get involved with; catering and halls of residence. 

What to expect:

Gain a practical, behind the scenes understanding of how University catering operates as both a service and a business. You will see how it is funded and managed, while building confidence in customer service and food production within a fast paced environment.

What you will be doing:

• Supporting food and drink preparation and large scale catering

• Serving customers, operating tills and maintaining high hygiene standards

• Assisting with venue set up and clear down for events

• Gaining insight into menu planning, allergen management, stock ordering and invoicing

• Learning how bookings are managed and services promoted across campus

Placements available: 2 per week across 5 weeks (10 total)

Department overview: Our Estates and Campus Services team is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the University's estate.

This includes caretaking duties, security, cleaning, refuse and recycling, grounds maintenance, disposal of electronic and confidential waste, archiving, postal services, car parking and transport. The department also oversees our ambitious £250m Estates Masterplan.

For our Estates work experience we have two sections that students can get involved with; catering and halls of residence. 

What to expect: 

Halls of residence: 

Discover how our student accommodation runs as both a supportive service and a commercial operation, particularly during the busy summer period. This placement offers hands on experience across accommodation, catering and events, helping you develop teamwork and customer service skills.

What you will be doing:

• Supporting health and safety practices in communal and bedroom areas

• Assisting with food preparation and maintaining clean, welcoming spaces

• Using booking systems and supporting conferences and on site events

• Liaising with clients and learning about billing and invoicing processes

• Helping to promote services and support venue set ups

Placements available: 3 per week across 5 weeks (10 total)

Dates: May - mid June 2027

Department overview: Our Finance Department delivers financial services, professional management and financial advice to the University, and provides key support in helping the University achieve its ambitions. The department provides administrative support to the rest of our staff, helps make the most of the money we spend, and ensures the proper financial standards, ethics and controls are followed across the University.

What to expect: 

The aim is to give the student a positive and realistic understanding of working in a Finance Department, build confidence in workplace skills and help them explore whether a finance-related career may be of interest. Activities may include:

• Developing practical skills in MS Office tools, such as Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Work shadowing staff across different Finance teams to understand key processes such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, procurement and budget planning.
• Creating purchase orders within the Financial System and learning how the process works from ordering to receiving goods/services and paying invoices.    
• Attending team meetings where appropriate, to gain an insight into how Finance teams collaborate, support others and plan their work.
• Supporting routine administrative tasks, such as checking documentation, filing digital records and preparing basic spreadsheets.
• Observing good financial practice, including accuracy, attention to detail, confidentiality and data handling.

Placements available: 2 

Dates: May 2027 - June 2027

Department overview: The Human Resources department provides a wide range of people related services to the University including Payroll, Recruitment, Learning & Development and Occupational Health

What to expect: Students will gain hands on experience across a range of core HR and recruitment activities, working closely with our team to support the smooth running of day to day operations. This is a great opportunity to build practical skills, develop confidence and see how HR plays a vital role in supporting colleagues across the University.

What you will be doing:

• Supporting recruitment administration, including processing applications and updating candidate records

• Advertising vacancies on external platforms and internal systems, ensuring accuracy and consistency

• Closing vacancies once roles are filled and updating relevant systems

• Communicating with stakeholders throughout the recruitment process

• Assisting with compliance tasks, including right to work checks and document management

• Contributing to general HR administration and learning about confidentiality and best practice in a busy HR team

Placements available: 2

Dates: May 2027 - June 2027

Department overview: Our Information Services (IS) team provides digital technologies, services, facilities and support for all staff and students of the University. The department also oversees the University’s Digital Masterplan to support digital transformation and innovation. The IS team sets up staff with the equipment they need to do their job, provides and supports computing equipment for use by students, gives ongoing technical support to staff and students, and offers security advice through their online blog.

What to expect: This placement offers insight into the university’s information and library services (LIS).. You’ll gain practical experience supporting technology, equipment, and library operations, while observing how staff deliver services to students and colleagues.

What you'll be doing: 

• Supporting student IT services, including remote labs, AV systems, digital signage, and laptop loans

• Shadowing colleagues installing new equipment and resolving IT issues

• Logging and tracking help desk enquiries

• Assisting with library operations, including stock audits, shelving, book displays, and special collections

• Observing front line library services and customer support

Placements available: 4

Dates: Last two weeks of June 2027 (2 students per week) 

Department overview: The Policy Team helps the institution understand what is happening in government, regulation and public policy, and what it means in practice for students, staff and the wider community. For work experience students, this means exposure to real-world issues such as changes to higher education funding, student support, research policy and local or national priorities. 

What to expect: This placement offers insight into policy and public affairs within a higher education context. You’ll gain experience analysing information, preparing briefings, and understanding how evidence shapes strategic decisions. It’s ideal for exploring careers in policy, research, communications, or public affairs.

What you'll be doing: 

• Tracking policy announcements and summarising consultations

• Preparing briefings for senior leaders

• Researching how policy decisions affect students and graduates

• Analysing complex information and presenting it clearly

• Observing how evidence and insight inform strategic decisions

Placements available: 3 

Dates: May 2027 - July 2027

Department overview: The Recruitment, Marketing and Communications department, also known as RMC, brings together a wide range of specialist teams that support and promote the university's work both internally and externally.

There are a range of teams in RMC, including corporate communications, public relations, social media, design, printing and publications, web development, web design, and student admissions. The department delivers creative, strategic and data-driven solutions that strengthen engagement, enhance visibility, and support recruitment objectives across multiple channels. 

What to expect: We have two teams within RMC that students can gain work experience in:

• The Design, Printing and Publications team: students will be doing a variety of tasks such as graphic design, print fulfilment, photography, and video production. This would be ideal for students with an interest in creative production.
• The Media Team: when working in this team students will be engage in press, social media and communications activities. Students with a keen interest in journalism or media would be best suited for this role. 

Placements available: 2 for each team (4 total)

Dates: May 2027 to June 2027

Department overview: The School of Psychology, Sport, and Health Sciences is committed to advancing education, research, and practice across diverse disciplines. We delve into the intricate workings of psychology, health, physiology, sport science, and sport performance while also focusing on the development and management of sport and the significance it has in society.

By exploring expertise from various disciplines, we offer a holistic approach to understanding and improving health, well-being, and human performance.

What to expect: This placement offers an introduction to university level psychology, health, and sports science. Through practical activities, observation, and guided tasks, students gain insight into research, specialist equipment, and university life. It is designed to be supportive, engaging, and career focused.

What you'll be doing:

• Supporting laboratory activities and demonstrations

• Assisting with elements of ongoing research

• Taking part in selected lectures and workshops

• Exploring specialist methods and equipment, such as eye tracking, VR, sports science testing, and introductory data analysis

Activities will vary depending on availability and suitability for school level experience.

Placements available: 5

Dates: February 2027 - April 2027

Department overview: The Faculty of Science and Health is the University's largest faculty, and offers courses in environmental, health, and life sciences. We support these courses by offering an excellent research and innovation base and with our professional and clinical practice.

What to expect: This placement is ideal for students interested in technical or laboratory based work. You will gain insight into how university labs operate, support experienced technicians and researchers, and explore specialist subject areas across science and health disciplines. The experience is practical and hands on. 

What you'll be doing:

• Supporting laboratory set up and demonstrations

• Assisting with elements of live research projects

• Joining selected lectures and workshops

• Touring labs and specialist facilities

• Exploring subject areas such as Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, Biology, Environmental Science, Geoscience, Palaeontology, Sport and Health Science, and Marine Biology

Some activities are age restricted in line with legal and safety requirements, so tasks may vary depending on the student.

Placements available: 5

Dates: February - April 2027 and October - December 2027

Department overview: The Sport and Recreation team oversees health and fitness memberships for staff, students and the public, the equipment, facilities and classes on offer, university sports clubs and associated memberships, sport scholarships, sports club committee training and CPD and community outreach programs.

What to expect: This placement offers an insight into the day to day operations of a busy sports and recreation facility. You will experience how different areas work together, from front of house and bookings to lifeguarding, fitness, and climbing. The focus is on operational processes, health and safety, and customer experience. 

What you'll be doing:

• Reviewing bookings, rotas, and operational systems

• Supporting cleaning, maintenance, and activity changeovers

• Learning health and safety procedures across pool, gym, and climbing

• Observing inductions, training, and fitness classes

• Understanding front of house processes and customer service

Placements available: 4

Dates: May 2027- July 2027

Department overview: Student Services at the University of Portsmouth brings together a range of specialist teams who support students throughout their time at university.

The department covers everything from one-to-one study support and money advice to health and wellbeing services and urgent support. Teams work closely together to make sure students can easily find the help they need, whether through dedicated services or a central information hub.

During work experience, you’ll gain an insight into how these services support student life and how different teams collaborate to deliver that support.

What to expect:

Roles will vary week to week, first week will cover event planning such as room bookings, planning a rota, completing a risk assessment, liaising with internal staff, creating social media posts to promote the event and sourcing competition prizes/resources.  

Middle weeks will be running the event, including set up and take down, continued promotion of the event through social media posts, customer service (speaking to people at the stand, promoting the services, encouraging feedback and engagement), collecting feedback and competition entries.  

Final weeks will involve collating feedback and creating reports, thank you posts on social media, identifying winners of the competition and contacting them to arrange collection of prizes. Organising a wash up meeting to inform how the event could be improved and reporting what went well.  

There may be other general office admin tasks related to events during the period of the work experience. 

Details:

1 student per week for the following dates:

• 3 May - 7 May 2027: Roadshow planning
• 17 May - 21 May 2027: Roadshow planning & execution
• 31 May - 4 June 2027:  Roadshow execution
• 14 June - 18 June 2027: Roadshow execution
• 28 June - 2 July 2027: Roadshow wash up
• 12 July - 16 July 2027: Roadshow wash up