Employer Subsidies through Access to Internships (A2i)

There are three sources of funding available through the A2i scheme...

Student Widening Participation (WP) Funding

WP funding is designed to support eligible students into paid internship roles with employers in the UK who are Micro, SMEs, registered Charities, Statutory Organisations or departments within the University of Exeter.

Students must meet the Widening Participation (WP) Criteria to qualify for funding support.

• The funding will pay for either 80 or 140 hours of work which can be completed in a block or spread over a longer period of time (your intern will need to indicate which funding package they would like to apply for in the funding application form)
• The university will transfer funding to external employers as soon as possible once the appointment is confirmed and the A2i team are notified
• The employer must add the student to their payroll system so they can pay them directly
• Eligible students are encouraged to speculatively approach employers and apply from Oct/Nov until June 

Learn more

Postgraduate Taught Student Funding:  

This funding is available for postgraduate taught students at the University of Exeter who are from underrepresented backgrounds. Full eligibility criteria, application details, and further guidance can be found on the Postgraduate Taught Student Funding page. 

This scheme is open to external UK employers only, and you must be either a SME, registered Charities, or Statutory Organisations to take part in the scheme. Postgraduate students can apply for funding to support an 80-hour paid internship through this scheme.  

Learn more 

Southwest Funded Internships

The university offers eligible employers support to employ an Exeter student into a challenging role which they can undertake alongside their studies or full-time during the holidays.   Funding is usually available in Apr/May and Sept/Oct each year and can be used flexibly outside of these times. Employers can register their interest by contacting the team at A2i@exeter.ac.uk

Learn more

Students who are eligible for WP funding are encouraged to approach employers to arrange their own paid internship. If you have been approached and would like to offer an internship opportunity to an Exeter WP student, contact the A2i team who can confirm the funding available and provide further information.

You can contact the team at A2i@exeter.ac.uk or call 01392 722617.

Employers who are eligible for funding through the Southwest Funded Internship Scheme, will be supported by the Internships Team who will advertise your opportunity to help you find the right candidate. 

 Advertising

• Employers can provide the details of their internship by completing the Internship Vacancy Template.
• The completed template should be sent to internships@exeter.ac.uk and the team will then confirm the next steps.
• Your opportunity will be advertised for a minimum of two weeks and promoted via Handshake, mail campaigns and social media.
• Students are asked to apply using a set application form to make the shortlisting process easier.
• The day after the closing date, the team will send you the applications received so you can review, shortlist and arrange interviews.
• You are asked to provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates, when requested.
• The team will provide guidance when you are ready to appoint your intern and offer on-going support throughout the internship.

If you would like to discuss your vacancy or if you need support creating a job description, you can contact the team on 01392 722617.

• Employers must allow the university to share their details with the funders
• All parties must agree to the A2I Terms and Conditions as outlined in the A2i Internships Agreement.
• Employers can receive up to two subsidies per year across all A2I funding sources available
• Students, graduates or employers cannot apply for further funding to extend an internship contract or employ the same student or graduate after the internship has completed
• If claiming more than one subsidy, this cannot be used for the same student
• The university will transfer funding to the employer as soon as possible after the A2I Internship Agreement has been signed and returned

Any data provided to the University by any party will be processed in accordance with  Student Employability and Academic Success (SEAS) Privacy Policy.

The short answer is yes, it is illegal for any employee to begin work without this documentation in place. At the University, any work undertaken before RTW is verified will be treated as voluntary work. We would therefore recommend following the below guidance before the intern begins any work with you:

You should arrange to meet with your intern face-to-face before the internship begins:

• You will need to ask the intern to bring their original RTW documents with them, along with a photocopy of these to leave with you.
• Check the original documents face-to-face with the candidate to confirm likeness. Also check the documents are genuine and they have not been tampered with.
• Sign and date the photocopies to confirm originals have been verified. Record on each page “I certify that this is a true copy of the original document”.
• If you are an external organisation, please retain the signed and dated photocopies of the RTW documents for your own records.
• If you are a University of Exeter employee, you will need send the verified copy of the RTW evidence via email to the Temporary Resourcing team at temporaryresourcing@exeter.ac.uk. 

Yes, interns are legally entitled to paid holiday however this is dependent on how many hours the intern has worked with your organisation. If a bank holiday falls over the course of the internship you are welcome to include this as part of the interns leave or you can follow your organisations usual practice for bank holidays. For further details on holiday pay and holiday entitlement visit gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights.

External Employers

Once we have received the funding application from the student, the A2i team will be in contact via email to confirm the funding allocation and provide further guidance.

You will be asked to...

1. Check and sign an Internship Agreement confirming the terms and conditions. This is sent to you via Adobe Sign.
2. Complete an ‘New Supplier External Form’ in preparation for paying your invoice.
3. Invoice the University, once you have been provided with a Purchase Order (PO) number to quote on your invoice.

University of Exeter Line Managers

Once we have received the funding application from the student, the A2i team will contact you via email to confirm the funding allocation and provide further guidance.

You will be asked to...

1. Sign and return an A2i Internship Agreement
2. Follow the steps to set up and pay your intern on the University's payroll system, Paid Time, details of which will be sent to you as soon as possible once your intern has applied for funding - guidance will be provided.
3. Approve your intern's timesheets on Paid Time on a monthly basis once they start their internship (you will be sent notifications when your intern has submitted their timesheets). 

*Please note, all funding is issued on a first-come-first-serve basis and applications will close once all funds are allocated. If you have any questions about the funding, please contact the A2i team (a2i@exeter.ac.uk). 

Your intern should be paid via your company's payroll system. If your are unable to do this, the university will be unable to provide you with funding to cover your intern's wages.

If you are an External Organisation:

The intern is to be paid their salary via your own payroll system on a set monthly payday, once the internship has commenced.

The University payments terms are 30 days from receipt of invoice. Where the organisation has not invoiced for or received the agreed employer subsidy from the University by the intern’s payday, we ask that you pay the intern’s salary from your own budget whilst the funding is being processed.

If you are a University of Exeter Employee:

We ask the intern to submit their hours (claims) weekly via the University's temporary payroll system, Paid Time. You will then need to approve the intern's claims on the Paid Time system each month and by the monthly approval deadlines. The last date you can approve an intern’s claims is Monday 7th July 2025, after this date funding will not be available due to the end of the financial year.

The university's subsidies are VAT exempt as the internship does not represent any supply to the University. Therefore, monies paid to your organisation are not payment for any supply you are making.

The employing organisation is being awarded an amount of money equivalent to paying the costs of an intern going into the company for a short duration. These monies provide the intern with an insight into working life and also benefit the organisation in providing additional labour.  Consequently the monies should be regarded as outside the scope of VAT.

Employers can receive up to two subsidies per academic year, across all A2i funding sources available.

Employers and students cannot apply for further funding to extend an internship contract or employ the same student once the internship has completed.

If your internship is with an external organisation i.e. not at the University of Exeter:

You and your intern both have responsibilities in law for your intern’s health and safety at work, this includes remote working. You may have your own paperwork and/or an alternative process to assess risk, but if not, you might also find it helpful to look at the following resources:

• Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Toolbox: Managing risks and risk assessment at work
• Managing home workers' health and safety

University of Exeter Mandatory Training:

Your intern should complete the Health and Safety training as part of their mandatory training on the first day of their internship. 

They will receive links to the mandatory training once their staff email has been activated, this training can also be found by logging into LearnUpon. Your intern can log into this using their staff login details which will be sent them by the Temporary Resourcing Team.

Please ensure that your intern completes their mandatory training (including Health and Safety training) on the first day of their internship.