Job Description/Duties
About this role
Start Date: Mid-October 2026
End Date: June 2027
Hours per week: 5-7 hours
Faculty/Service: Faculty of Environment & Social Sciences Employability Team
Location: Hybrid (at least 50% of working hours will be worked on campus)
Salary: £13.87 per hour
Number of positions: 1
Closing date: 23:59, Wednesday 30th September 2026
The Communications Improvement Project will develop a more effective, student-centred communications approach across the Faculty of Environment and Social Sciences (ESS). As the Faculty expands its portfolio of experiential learning activities, placements, skills programmes, student leadership opportunities, and employer engagement initiatives, there is a growing need to communicate these opportunities in ways that are engaging, relevant, and accessible to students.
The intern will work collaboratively with faculty staff to review existing communication channels and processes, identify gaps and barriers to engagement, and co-design new communications resources that better reflect student needs and preferences. The project will focus on creating compelling content, improving the consistency and reach of messaging, and developing innovative approaches to promoting experiential learning opportunities throughout the student journey.
Key activities will include:
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- Auditing current student communications and identifying opportunities for improvement
- Designing student-friendly digital and print resources to promote experiential learning opportunities
- Creating engaging content for websites, newsletters, social media, and internal communication platforms
- Developing a communications toolkit and content library that can be used across faculties and departments
- Supporting the management and coordination of communication processes to ensure timely and consistent messaging
- Gathering student feedback and evaluating the effectiveness of new communication approaches.
The project will enable the faculty to build a sustainable communications framework that increases awareness, participation, and engagement in experiential learning activities. Ultimately, the project will help ensure that students are better informed about opportunities available to them, leading to enhanced student engagement, skills development, and graduate outcomes.
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- Assist in developing communication campaigns targeting schools, students, community partners, and stakeholders
- Create engaging content for newsletters, websites, social media channels, presentations, and promotional materials
- Design digital and printed materials using software such as Canva
- Assist with planning and scheduling social media content
- Create engaging posts, graphics, and short-form content
- Capture success stories from participants, students, staff, schools, and partners
- Conduct short interviews and collect testimonials
- Gather feedback on communication materials and campaigns
- Support the long-term growth and sustainability of innovative outreach initiatives.
This internship will provide students with valuable hands-on experience in communications, marketing, content creation, and project delivery within a higher education setting. Working alongside faculty staff, interns will have the opportunity to contribute to a real strategic project that directly influences student engagement and awareness of experiential learning opportunities.
Through the project, interns will:
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- Develop professional communication skills, including writing for different audiences and channels
- Gain experience creating digital content, campaigns, and promotional materials
- Build confidence using communication and marketing tools such as Microsoft 365, Canva, website content management systems, and social media platforms
- Strengthen project management, planning, and organisational skills through coordinating communications activities and meeting project deadlines
- Develop skills in stakeholder engagement by collaborating with academic staff, professional services colleagues, and fellow students
- Learn how to gather and analyse student feedback to inform service improvements and decision-making
- Enhance their creativity and problem-solving abilities by designing innovative approaches to student communications
- Gain insight into strategic communications, student engagement, and the delivery of experiential learning initiatives within a university environment.
The internship will help students build a portfolio of tangible outputs, including communication campaigns, promotional resources, and engagement initiatives, providing strong evidence of their skills and achievements for future job applications. The experience will also strengthen key graduate attributes such as teamwork, leadership, adaptability, digital capability, and professional confidence, supporting their progression into graduate employment.
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- A current University of Leeds student for the duration of this internship (including postgraduates and those returning from work placement or study abroad years)
- Strong written communication skills, with the ability to create clear, engaging, and student-friendly content for a range of communication channels, including newsletters
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
- Ability to gather, analyse and present feedback from students and stakeholders
- Enthusiastic about improving the student experience and promoting opportunities to peers
- Collaborative team player, able to work effectively with staff and fellow students
- Interest in experiential learning, employability, student development or higher education communications.
How to apply
Apply by submitting your answers to the 4 questions listed below.
Please do not submit a CV or covering letter as these will not be considered as part of the application process.
Once you’ve read through the job spec, click ‘Apply Here’ to the right of the page and you will be prompted to answer these questions:
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What appeals to you about this role and why have you chosen to apply? (150 words maximum)
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What skills/experiences have you gained from your studies, voluntary work and/or paid work that you feel would help you to be successful in this role? (300 words maximum)
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What do you feel you will gain from undertaking this internship? You may wish to identify any skills gaps you have and how the role might enable you to develop those (150 words maximum)
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How would this internship contribute to any future career plans you might have? (150 word maximum)
While the use of tools like AI is not automatically a disadvantage what matters most to the shortlisting panel will be whether applications feel personal, reflective, and clearly rooted in your own experiences and voice. The strongest applications use any tools thoughtfully while still making it clear who you are, what you’ve learned, and what you’re hoping to gain from the opportunity.
The Careers Service can check your application for you. Peer Support Assistant drop-in appointments run from 10am-4pm Monday to Friday during term time. Alternatively, you can book an Application Support appointment, and all appointments can be booked by clicking on Appointments on MyCareer.
Eligibility:
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You must be eligible to work in the UK for the duration of the placement. Information is available at http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ or from the International Student Office on campus http://students.leeds.ac.uk/info/10500/international_students/877/international_student_office
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Please note - as a current student applying for a work opportunity, you’ll need to be aware of any work restrictions that may apply to you. For more information, please refer to the University of Leeds ‘Work Restrictions’ page: https://students.leeds.ac.uk/info/1000099/work-volunteering-and-your-visa/695/work-restrictions
This details restrictions for both home and international students so please read the information provided carefully, regardless of your status.
Support for applicants with disabilities, impairments or health conditions:
We want to make sure that all candidates have equal access to our recruitment and selection procedures. If you have a disability, impairment or long-term health condition that may affect your ability to submit an application, or if you need any adjustments to be able to attend an interview, take part in the selection process or to carry out the job you are applying for, please send details to the Work Based Learning & Partnerships team at workbasedpartnerships@leeds.ac.uk This will enable us to make any reasonable adjustments. Any information provided will not inform any part of the recruitment and selection process.
Organisation
University of Leeds
Education
Do you want to join our diverse community of talented people? Can you contribute to our innovative and collaborative culture? Would you like to work for one of the world’s most successful international universities?
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The strength of our academic expertise combined with the breadth of disciplines we cover, provides a wealth of opportunities and has real impact on the world in cultural, economic and societal ways.
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