Hachette UK launches fully virtual work experience for over 1000 students

Applications for the course are now open

Hachette UK is partnering with Springpod to offer its second fully virtual course called ‘Publishing Virtual Work Experience with Hachette UK’ for over one thousand students aged 15 to 18 between 25 September and 23 October 2023.

Designed to build confidence in the workplace and demystify the publishing industry, as part of Changing the Story, in its first year, the programme increased students’ confidence in finding a publishing job by 46.6%. The month-long programme aims to make publishing accessible by overcoming any barriers that traditional work experience presents, such as inflexibility due to school or employer timings, geography, mobility, or financial constraints. The programme will feature online activities, live webinar events and the opportunity to create book campaigns to give the students the tools they need to thrive within the industry. The application portal is now open for the 2023 programme and can be found here.

The initiative aims to build on the success of the 2022 programme, which helped students build confidence in the workplace and demystify the publishing industry. In 2022, before the programme, 37.1% of those who signed up had expressed that they were ‘slightly nervous’ about finding a job in the future. After the programme, 83.7% of those who responded said that they were either ‘somewhat confident’ or ‘very confident’ about finding a job in the future. Similarly, before the programme, 41.2% of the students said they were ‘slightly nervous’ about speaking to professionals within the publishing industry, which evolved to 86.4% of students feeling either ‘somewhat confident’ or ‘very confident’ about speaking to those within the industry.

The opportunity is available to students nationwide and Hachette UK aims to target the widest regional spread of applicants, which aligns with the publisher’s aim to nurture regional talent and increase socioeconomic diversity within its workforce. The programme with Hachette UK involves 10 hours of activity, which can be completed over two weeks, meaning students can fit it around their schedule at school or college. Once completed, students earn a certificate, which can be referenced in their CV and personal statement.

Rowzat Burton, Head of Talent and Development at Hachette UK, said: “Our Virtual Work Experience is just one of the ways we can demystify the industry and we know for our workplace and publishing to thrive, we need a workforce that is representative of the world we live in today. Publishing offers a fabulous range of jobs and I’m delighted that Hachette UK is offering an insight into what is possible when it comes to career choices. The programme is our commitment to create change to ensure that we support job seekers in the UK today so that they are better at getting their first job tomorrow.”

Sam Hyams, Chief Executive Officer of Springpod, said: “It’s great to be working with Hachette UK on the roll-out of the very successful work experience programme. With diversity a key trend in all industries, it’s crucial to drive young, creative and diverse people into the publishing sector. Springpod has helped Hachette UK drive more students from minority ethnic groups into this engaging and insightful programme, supporting their commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. This partnership and the programme objectives align perfectly with Springpod’s commitment to making work experience available to every young person, regardless of background.”

For more information about the Virtual Work Experience programme contact Rachael Cannon at rachael.cannon@hachette.co.uk.