Departmental Work Experience

Mr. Willetts
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what opportunities for work experience directorates of his Department offer to university students who are not (a) entitled to a full maintenance grant and (b) eligible for work experience schemes offered to those from a minority ethnic background.

Gillian Merron
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) offers an Undergraduate Placement Scheme to all UK university undergraduate students who are not in their final year at university and who fulfil the minimum nationality and residency eligibility criteria.

The FCO also participates in the Cabinet Office run Summer Placement Scheme. This is a work placement scheme for undergraduates/graduates who have a registered disability in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

More information on the Undergraduate Placement Scheme can be found at:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/working-for-us/work-experience/undergraduate

More information on the Summer Placement Scheme can be found at:

http://diversity.faststream.gov.uk/index.asp?txtNavID=133