Employability and the Student Experience with Heritage Collections

Heritage Collections offers a variety of programs that contribute to student employability and student experience.

​We offer a variety of programmes which contribute to developing student employability working with the Heritage Collections; these are all aimed at helping students develop the knowledge, skills and attributes required to build a career in the heritage sector.     

We offer internships, placements and volunteer opportunities across all areas of the library, archive and museum sectors, specifically designed to sit alongside a student’s academic studies, and offer professional-level skills and experience within the sector they’re aspiring to.  Students are encouraged to use these opportunities to recognise and develop their strengths, and provide tangible evidence of their abilities and achievements, allowing them confidence in presenting their skills to potential employers.     

One of our recent interns, Lily, said:  Completing an internship with the CRC opened my eyes to the variety of career paths, job opportunities and different backgrounds that are incorporated under one roof.  Not only did I gain invaluable work experience, I also began to build my own picture of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do long-term. I cannot recommend the experience highly enough!    

Our student volunteers and interns are invited to participate in the Edinburgh Award, a University-wide initiative designed to encourage students to reflect on their learning and recognise how their skills and abilities have developed as a result of their activities outside their academic studies.  Staff working with Heritage Collections also act as tutors for the Student Led Individually Created Courses (SLICCs), which offers a reflective learning and assessment framework for students to gain academic credit for experiential learning.     

We’re planning to host our Summer School again this year, which offers 10-15 students the chance to gain practical work experience with us and all areas of our collections. One of the key elements of this week long opportunity is to focus on careers in the heritage sector, what skills employers are often looking and how best to get relevant experience.   

Edinburgh Award: Edinburgh Award | The University of Edinburgh 

SLICCs: Student-Led, Individually-Created Courses | The University of Edinburgh