Policy paper

Package of support for students who have to defer their studies

Updated 25 November 2020

This policy paper was withdrawn on 30 September 2022

This content is no longer current policy and you do not need to follow it.

Applies to England

The government has been working closely with the higher education sector to ensure that the vast majority of students who have achieved the necessary grades to go to university this year are able to do so.

In August the government convened a Higher Education Taskforce, led by the Universities Minister, which continues to work with the sector on the challenges universities, colleges and their students are facing due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and to build capacity for extra students this year and next year.

The higher education sector has agreed that all offers to students who meet their conditions should be honoured this coming year wherever possible or, if maximum capacity is reached, to offer an alternative course that the student is happy with or a deferred place as a last resort.

To help universities build capacity for additional students, the government is providing up to £10 million for which universities can bid to support their capital plans to increase intakes in the coming academic year. This follows the government’s announcements that it intends to remove student number controls across all courses, subject to parliamentary approval, and that it has removed caps on medical, dentistry veterinary and teaching courses. We have also provided additional teaching grant funding for high cost subjects for this year.

For the very small percentage of students who had planned to study this year but are offered a deferred place, the government has put together a package of support that will provide them with opportunities to gain new skills, undertake work placements in the public, private and voluntary sectors, undertake additional learning and support their career development. This includes support that the higher education sector will offer those students during the year ahead, including free courses and access to careers advice.

Whilst this package is targeted at those who had not planned to defer, some of the options, such as the skills toolbox, will be open to those who had planned to defer. In addition, where there is space on any of the other initiatives all students deferring will be eligible.

The government intends to add to these opportunities over time, and will be working with organisations that may be able to offer placements or employment in future.

Government support

For students who are in the unexpected position of deferring their place this year without having plans in place, the following opportunities may be of interest.

Healthcare support workers

The NHS is actively recruiting Healthcare support workers, and the Department for Health and Social Care will be encouraging students who need to defer their studies to consider applying for these roles. This opportunity will also be opened up to non-medical students, so a wide range of students could benefit.

These roles are paid and will provide valuable transferable skills for students. They include healthcare assistants, and clinical support staff who would work with nurses and midwives to look after the well-being and comfort of patients.

Paid tutoring roles

Deferring students, like undergraduates, graduates and other individuals with prior experience of working in school, may be eligible to apply for paid tutoring roles with some National Tutoring Programme Partners. The National Tutoring Programme aims to increase the availability of high-quality tutoring for disadvantaged children across England. As a flagship government programme, competition for roles is likely to be considerable, however talented school leavers, particularly with prior experience of tutoring would be welcome to apply. National Tutoring Programme partners will be recruiting tutors from November.

The National Career Service

The National Careers Service has also just introduced a range of new initiatives, designed to offer accessible careers guidance and activities for students and anyone else whose career path has been impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19). To keep up with growing demand, the government has invested an extra £32 million into the platform which will help us provide careers advice for up to 270,000 more people.

The Skills Toolkit

The Department for Education (DfE) is promoting The Skills Toolkit, which will enable deferring students to access free courses to build practical skills which will help them develop a well-rounded CV and prepare for university and their future careers. These courses have been chosen with help from external experts to ensure that they help students develop the skills employers value including Learning to Code for Data Analysis and Thriving in a Digital Workplace. We will continue to expand the offer of courses available.

University Officer Cadets

The Ministry of Defence is making available up to 1,000 additional places as University Officer Cadets as part of a University Royal Navy Unit (URNU), a University Officers’ Training Corps or a University Air Squadron for those who have had to defer their university place. University Officer Cadets participate in a wide range of military and leadership training and are paid for the activity they undertake.

Network Rail work experience

Network Rail will be offering work experience placements in engineering or operations management. The placements will offer a unique opportunity for deferring students to experience what it is like to work in the transport industry. These opportunities will be based on Network Rail’s 10-week paid summer placement programme which is aimed at pre-university students and undergraduates. For further information email sharna.smith@networkrail.co.uk.

Transport for London’s construction skills programme

The Department for Transport is continuing to engage with industry representatives to identify other suitable work placements for university students who are deferring their places. Transport for London is working with major infrastructure and construction partners to offer placements on a rotational basis, and their development engineering team will support a co-ordinated placement scheme. For further information on the Transport for London’s construction skills programme email constructionskills@tfl.gov.uk.

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS)

The Ministry of Justice is advertising a number of posts in Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The posts will cover Usher and Marshall duties, along with providing administrative support to progress cases through the court/tribunal system and support to other functions within HMCTS. These will be paid fixed term appointments lasting for up to 12 months. See 38383 - Administrative Officer and 38384 Admin Assistant for further information on the posts and to find out how to apply.

Civil Service Fast Stream and Early Talent

Due to strong demand, applications for this opportunity are temporarily suspended.

The Fast Stream and Early Talent Schools Team offer a 1-week virtual work experience opportunity, based around a fictional scenario that gives participants an insight into what goes on in government and the Civil Service. This will develop skills in analysis, prioritisation, debating and negotiation, risk management, reporting and virtual team working.

Dedicated industry seminar programme

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is developing dedicated seminar programmes, enabling industry leaders to share their experiences and insights with students who did not originally plan to defer.

The first seminar, ‘Our leadership stories: insights on starting your career’ will take place on Thursday, 10 December. It will provide:

• useful information about the professional services industry and future career paths
• insights from experts on what companies are looking for in graduates
• information on how different industries might evolve by the time you graduate

If you are interested in this free virtual event, visit Eventbrite to sign up.

Special constables

The Home Office have identified the essential role deferring students could play by volunteering as special constables.

Opportunities in the voluntary sector

There are a number of opportunities in the voluntary sector which could benefit students who have to defer their university place and we have worked with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to help identify these.

Volunteering opportunities

Volunteering Matters is able to broker volunteering opportunities with the Royal Voluntary Service, enabling students who need to defer their place to volunteer in hospital retail outlets, community services, and the NHS. Coram Beanstalk, which would connect these students to primary school students to support them with reading and City Year, which will enable students to volunteer as a mentor in a school. Volunteering Matters also has internal volunteering opportunities for young people to get involved in youth social action and community support roles both at home and away from home.

The Prince’s Trust team programme

The Prince’s Trust is encouraging students who have to defer to apply for a 12-week placement on the Team programme. There will be a range of opportunities across the year offering young people the chance to gain new skills, take a qualification and meet new people through a series of community projects, residential trips and work experiences.

The National Citizen Service

The National Citizen Service (NCS) will connect these students to the 130 NCS delivery partners across England looking for paid or volunteer staff between September and December. They are also promoting their self-service digital offer to deferring students, which enables students to build skills, connect to other young people and find opportunities to support their local community.

Private sector opportunities

High Speed 2

High Speed 2 (HS2) has developed virtual work experience placements to give students interested in engineering, environment, and finance sectors:

• insight into the diversity of roles and people in the transport infrastructure sector
• opportunities to hear first-hand from people at a range of levels, from apprentices through to the senior leadership team, about what they do in their day-to-day roles and how their career path has developed

The work experience opportunities will take place from Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2021. Places are limited and applications close Friday 18 December 2020.

Read the HS2 virtual work experience application page for more information and how to apply.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing

The Lighthouse Laboratories has been established across the UK to create capacity for coronavirus (COVID-19) diagnostic testing. The Lighthouse Laboratories encourage students who have had to defer their university place to apply for several hundred opportunities available in coronavirus (COVID-19) testing centres across the country. Students will be able to make a significant contribution to the national effort to combat coronavirus (COVID-19). These will be paid opportunities over 9 to 12 months and will be available to all students as not all roles will require laboratory experience.

Bombardier Transportation work placements

Bombardier Transportation is pleased to commit to supporting students that have had their university place deferred, by offering a number of work placements at their train manufacturing facility in Derby and at their train service depots across the UK. These placements will be a mix of shorter unpaid placements and longer paid placements, which will offer valuable work experience opportunities in their engineering, operations and commercial teams. The students would be mentored, and provided with opportunities to return to Bombardier for future placements while at university and upon graduation.

Students that are interested in one of these placements should send a covering email and CV, detailing the type of placement and location to apprentice.recruitment@rail.bombardier.com.

All applications will be considered, but in particular, Bombardier is looking for students who will be studying engineering, computing or science. The locations include:

• Derby
• Burton-on-Trent
• London (Old Oak Common, Ilford, East Ham and New Cross Gate)

Higher Education sector support

Universities UK and all higher education providers have issued a statement on 11 September committing that, where there is no option but for students to defer their places, they will support and engage these students during the year so that they feel ready to start their studies in 2021 to 2022. They have confirmed that:

• providers will maintain regular contact with students who need to defer, and explore a range of means of supporting them over the coming year
• providers will offer greater transitional support to these students to support their enrolment in 2021
• some online content will be made available to these students, at the appropriate level
• where possible and appropriate, they will be offered online mentoring and access to careers guidance
• they will receive guidance on what further options for study in preparation for their degree are available, with many providers supplying free online courses and/ or resources

Some providers are extending this support to other groups, and students should contact their institution to see what support is available to them.

How affected deferring students can access these opportunities

In the majority of cases, students will be able to apply directly to the provider, scheme or workplace offering these opportunities. UCAS will be directly communicating to students who have had to defer their place this year to advise them of the range of opportunities available to them, and how to access them. The government is working with universities and UCAS to provide deferring students with confirmation of their deferred status and the reasons for it.