Environmental impact reduction micro-placements: An opportunity to overcome students’ reluctance to undertake a long-term work experience placement whilst stimulating environmental improvements in businesses?

Work placements are generally accepted as a valuable route into work experience, which provide personal, professional and academic benefits to the placement student and resource benefits to the placement employer. These placements have traditionally been with larger organisations for 12 months; often termed ‘a year in industry’. However, this year in industry is now becoming less attractive for students and a challenge for employers.
In response, a micro-placement programme designed around environmental impact improvements within SMEs was established for business management students; The Student-led Consultancy Programme.
The environmental and SME foci were chosen as SMEs dominate the regional economy, environmental management is a skills gap and employers expect environmental management skills in graduate recruits.
Micro-placements were designed to provide a less challenging route into work experience for students, and provide businesses with affordable, skilled resource to complete an environmental improvement project. Consequently, the Student-led Consultancy Programme contributes to the achievement of SDGs 4, 8, 9 and 13.
This paper presents an example of a student-led consultancy project and explores the benefits it gave the placement student and the placement employer. This paper will be of interest to educators and placement coordinators seeking to develop work experience opportunities in Higher Education.