Calling all Level 5 students in the School of Sociology and Criminology
We are looking for up to 20 students to take part in a pilot of our new Live Projects initiative. Live projects will form part of the Level 5 Employability module from January 2027. A live project is a real piece of work done with an external partner, such as a charity, community organisation or public sector service. Instead of completing an imaginary assignment, you will work on an issue that genuinely matters to an organisation.
This pilot will help us test how live projects work in practice. This is an excellent opportunity to apply your sociological or criminological thinking to a real challenge, and help us understand what works well, what could be improved, and what students and partners need for success.
What you will do
Organisations will provide an outline of an issue they want support with (the live project brief), linked to Sociology or Criminology.
Over a 4-week period, you will work in a small team of 3–5 students to refine the brief, agree the focus, outputs, and timeline.
You will explore different aspects, perspectives, or options related to the challenge.
Your team will produce a final output (e.g., a report, presentation, poster, or media piece) and present it to the industry partner and Man Met staff.
After the end of the 4 week period you will be asked to reflect on your experience and provide feedback about what worked well and what can be improved.
Time commitment
- Students must be available as follows:
- Fridays in March, 10:00am–1:00pm on campus:6th, 13th, 20th and 27th March 2026
- You will also complete work outside these sessions, arranged flexibly with your team.
- Hours of Work: approx. 7 hours per weekfor 5 weeks in total. This will be over 4 weeks in March and (accounting for Spring Break) a final week during week commencing 20April 2026
- A start date of Friday 6 March 2026 and an approximate end date of Friday 24April 2026
- Briefing/training: provided on Friday 6th March
What you’ll gain
- Real world experience applying sociological or criminological knowledge to a genuine organisational challenge
- Collaboration skills, working closely with industry partners and fellow students
- Project management experience, including planning, organising tasks, and meeting deadlines
- A strong portfolio piece for future job, placement or postgraduate applications
- A chance to influence the design of the new Employability module
- A chance for a further paid opportunity as a student facilitator at Level 6 for the new Live Projects module in January 2027.
Additional Information
- No prior work experience is required.
- We aim to recruit a diverse mix of students from all backgrounds.
- Please check the interview times advertised and ensure you are available on one or both dates.
Interviews will last 10-15 minutes and will take place on Friday 27 February (morning) via Microsoft Teams.
Please note that if you are not available for an interview on the morning of Friday 27 February please be sure to indicate this in your application and we will try to find an alternative date.