FAQs

By placemaking we very broadly mean an approach to the planning, design, reinvention and enrichment of public and private indoor and outdoor spaces that prioritises the relationship between people and places. We welcome partners from all sectors including housing and property development, retail, digital, media, arts and culture, and more. It may or may not be a term that you use, and that's fine - we just ask that the student's work is in some way related to place or placemaking. Generally, past projects have involved activity that improves the relationship between (specific) people and (specific) places via a tangible outcome. And, we can help you develop an idea for a project/internship, if helpful!

Our aim is to support internships in which knowledge - professional, academic and personal knowledge - is shared/exchanged between our partners and students. You might want to work with a student with knowledge of inclusive digital campaigning, with lived experience of coming from a certain town or city, or skills in storytelling gained from their English Literature degree. At the same time, a student might learn about project management, audience development or infrastructure through their work with you. The idea is that the internship is mutually beneficial.

The University of Sheffield does a lot of knowledge exchange work, however, this typically involves academics working with external organisations. Student knowledge exchange is a relatively new and developing area. This project, originally funded by Research England and the Office for Students, is about exploring the impact of student involvement in knowledge exchange and better understanding the barriers to knowledge exchange experience by students from diverse backgrounds.

The principles of knowledge exchange and knowledge sharing apply to the TAP programme more broadly and the way that it is run. As much as possible we include student and partner perspectives, as well as input from colleagues across the university, in any decisions we make. For example, our project steering group meets four times a year to make decisions on the planning and delivery of the scheme, and previous and current TAP students play a key role in communicating our activities, defining key concepts (e.g. 'placemaking', 'knowledge exchange') and supporting fellow students through peer-to-peer mentoring.

The programme's emphasis on knowledge exchange makes it a little bit different to more traditional work experience schemes in which we typically think of the host organisation in a teaching role and the student intern in a learning role. Another difference is that we do not use a traditional application and interview process to connect students and partners. Rather than putting both students and host organisations in competition with one another, our aim is to create a community of knowledge exchange and mutual support, where students and partners accepted onto the programme are guaranteed an internship. A third difference is that students do a substantial amount of preparatory work - exploring approaches to placemaking, personal and professional reflection, thinking about careers - before beginning their internships. This is so they can feel personally, professionally and academically ready to begin their work and bring as much as possible to the internship.

Because we are guaranteeing an internship for all students and partners who have been accepted onto the programme, the TAP team will be matching students and partners rather than using an application and interview process. However, we will do everything we can to make the matches as relevant and productive as possible. Therefore, when applying, please tell us as much as you can about the kind of student you would like to work with. What qualities/knowledge/experience would you like them to have? Are you interested in working with students studying a particular subject? (You can find a list of subjects here: Arts & Humanities department list; Social Sciences department list).

Organisations do not receive a fee for taking a student. However, the student is paid by us for the work they do with you in the form of a bursary commensurate with National Minimum Wage. We also offer small project grants (up to 2k) for organisations who otherwise would not be able to take part, which can be applied for at the expression of interest stage.

One of the aims of TAP is that it is inclusive and equitable for both students and partners. We acknowledge that grassroots, community organisations, freelance artists and others might not be able to take part in the programme unless they receive project funding. We also acknowledge that planning and delivering a project is not suitable for some partners, who would like a student to work with them on their core activity. We therefore offer two 'pathways' for partners and two different internship lengths.

Pathway One - student knowledge exchange internship 35 or 100 hours

Pathway One involves you hosting a student for either a micro-internship of 35 or a full internship of 100 hours. For this pathway, the student will work with you on core activity or on a project/projects that would be happening anyway were it not for TAP's involvement. Host organisations on Pathway One do not receive payment for hosting the student, however, the student is paid by us for the work they do. This pathway is most suitable for larger organisations/businesses with contracted staff.

Micro-internship (35 hours)

The 35 hours internship is a good option for organisations/businesses who want to host a student but may not have the time/resource to accommodate them for a longer period, or who have a shorter period of more focussed work (e.g. a series of events) that they would like a student to contribute to. We expect this option to be a good fit for students with limited work experience and who have not previously completed an internship but who nevertheless are keen to make an excellent contribution to your organisation. The 35 hours can be worked full or part time in a pattern agreed between you and the student, and taking into account that students should work no more than 16 hours per week during term time.

Full internship (100 hours)

The 100 hours internship is a good option for organisations/businesses who have a longer piece of work/project that they would like a student to complete. We expect this option to be a good fit for students who are keen to commit to a longer internship and who may be further along in their careers journey and closer to graduating. The 100 hours can be worked full or part time in a pattern agreed between you and the student, and taking into account that students should work no more than 16 hours per week during term time.

Pathway Two - 'student knowledge exchange project' 100 hours, minimum two students

This year we have 15 small grants of up to 2k available to support student knowledge exchange projects. This pathway involves planning and delivering a project that would not be able to happen otherwise and is most suitable for smaller organisations who are not regularly funded and/or who typically do not have contracted, full-time staff. The funding is conditional on receipt of a full project plan and budget by Monday 10th April and an evaluation report on completion. Host organisations on Pathway Two receive a small grant, and, in addition, the student is paid by us for the work that they do with you. We ask that host organisations in receipt of funding take a minimum of two students. Taking two students can often mean less of a demand on your time, as the students can work together and support each other during the internship.

What can the project funding cover?

The fund can be used for-

• A placemaking project co-designed with a TAP student before the internship begins

• A placemaking project you have designed yourselves and wish to work on with a TAP student over the course of the internship

• Work that is part of an ongoing larger placemaking project, the time frame of which is not limited to the duration of the student internship, but has a clearly defined student work package, with appropriate aims, objectives and outcomes

What we can help you with -

• Costs that are directly incurred as a result of the project (including materials, artist fees)

What we can't help you with -

• Costs that are directly allocated (for example, staff time that is normally paid for as part of your organisation)

Please see the next FAQ for the criteria we use in assessing applications.

Pathway Two - 'student knowledge exchange project' 100 hours, minimum two students

Your application will be assessed by the TAP Steering Group, who will consider how it meets the criteria. We are very happy to work together with you on your project idea and proposal. Please let us know how we can support you. When we consider your application, we will use the following criteria:

• The quality and impact of the sub-project

• The quality of student opportunity

• Positive impacts for your organisation

• Positive impacts on place and placemaking

• Positive impacts for communities

• Value for money

The external partner will be expected to write an evaluation report of this activity and record relevant data, including outputs and impacts, cross-consortium connections and learning gains. A light-touch evaluation template will be shared with you if your application is successful and this is due no later than one month after the end of the project. The internship student should ideally be involved in this evaluation process if possible.

Please make your expression of interest here as soon as possible and by Friday 17th February 2023.

After the 17th February, there will be a rolling deadline until all internships/projects are agreed. We will be in touch as soon as possible to let you know the outcome of your application.

If you have any queries - or if you'd like a chat about any aspect of the project/internship - please don't hesitate to contact TAP Senior Project Manager Zelda Hannay at whatworks@sheffield.ac.uk.