Employer Subsidies through Access to Internships (A2i)

There are different 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 WP eligibility 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 once an internship is confirmed, they will apply for the funding.

Learn more about WP funding

Postgraduate Student Funding

The Postgraduate student 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. They will work on a real project for up to 80 hours, with full funding provided. Postgraduate students can work up to 6 hours per week during term-time (18 hours per week, if studying part time).

Postgraduate students must meet the underrepresented criteria to qualify for funding support.

Please note, for students undertaking a Postgraduate Taught (PGT) programme, the internship must have a clear research focus. Students undertaking a Postgraduate Research (PGR) programme may undertake roles that are either research-focused or non-research-focused. 

Full eligibility criteria, application details, and further guidance can be found on the pages below:

Postgraduate Taught Student Funding

Postgraduate Research Student Funding

Southwest Funded Internships

Eligible employers can recieve funding to employ an Exeter student into a challenging role which they can undertake alongside their studies, or full-time during the holidays. 

Employers can register their interest in Southwest Funded Internships by contacting the team at A2i@exeter.ac.uk

Learn more about Southwest Funded Internships

Students who are eligible for 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 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 07866138564.

Employers who are eligible for funding through the Southwest Funded Internship Scheme, will be supported by the Internships Team who will promote your vacancy through the Student Business Partnership scheme. 

 Advertising

• Employers provide the details of their internship by completing a helpful vacancy template.
• When your opportunity is reiceved, it will be advertised for a minimum of two weeks and promoted via our careers platform, mail campaigns, social media and our weekly bulletin.
• 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 at A2i@exeter.ac.uk

• 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.

It is considered illegal for any employee to begin work without Right to Work documentation in place. 

Internships at the University of Exeter: 

Interns are not permitted to start work until they have supplied evidence of their right to work in the UK to the Temporary Resourcing Team. This applies to all interns regardless of nationality or duration of work. We will send the intern details about how they can do this once they have applied and have been successful in securing A2i funding. 

Internships with External Organisations: 

It is the employer's responsibility to ensure that a Right to Work check has been completed. We recommend reviewing the guidance below before the intern begins work. 

Meet your intern face-to-face before the internship begins: 

• Your intern should take their original passport (or other acceptable Right to Work documents) and a photocopy to leave with you. 

• You must check the original documents in person to confirm their identity and ensure the documents are genuine and have not been tampered with. 

• You should sign and date the copies and record on each page: "I certify that this is a true copy of the original document." 

• You must retain the signed and dated copies of the Right to Work documents for your records. 

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.

If you are an External Organisation: 

Once your interns application has been approved, the A2i team will contact you by email with details of the funding process and the steps required to claim the subsidy. We will issue an A2i Internship Agreement which must be signed by all parties. Once the agreement has been completed, you will be asked to submit an invoice for the full subsidy amount. 

Please note that all required paperwork must be completed and invoices submitted no later than Friday 9 July 2027. Funding will be paid within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice. 

If you are a University of Exeter Employee: 

Your intern will be paid through the University’s temporary payroll system, Paid Time, in line with the University’s payroll deadlines. The A2i team will review and approve your intern’s submitted hours, ensuring they are paid accordingly. You will be required to sign an A2i Internship Agreement and host the internship, but you will not need to approve timesheets or payment claims. Internships must be completed by Wednesday 14th July 2027 so your intern can be paid from the 26-27 financial year.

Your intern should be paid via your company's payroll system. If your are not able to do this, the university will be unable to provide you with funding.

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: 

Your intern will be paid through the University’s temporary payroll system, Paid Time, in line with the University’s payroll deadlines. The A2i team will review and approve your intern’s submitted hours, ensuring they are paid accordingly. You will be required to sign an A2i Internship Agreement and host the internship, but you will not need to approve timesheets or payment claims. Internships must be completed by Wednesday 14th July 2027 so your intern can be paid from the 26-27 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.