About the Programme

CPA UK is committed to enabling youth engagement with our work and fostering interest in the Commonwealth and parliamentary democracy amongst the next generation. In 2021 we ran the first intake of our annual work experience programme for young people aged 18 - 25, for two weeks. 

The work experience programme is tailored to provide you with first-hand insight of working in the UK Parliament and on Commonwealth programmes. You will have the opportunity to work across all three of our organisational teams; Business & Strategy, Multilateral Projects and International Partnerships - alongside the invaluable opportunity to meet with partners across the wider parliamentary network. 

We are looking for highly motivated individuals to support the work of our teams with research and programme management. The successful candidate will have strong interpersonal, excellent organisational, communication and administrative skills. Experience of project delivery is desirable but not essential. The successful candidate will have the ability to work very well in a team and be able to work well independently.

If you have an interest in politics, democracy and/or the Commonwealth then be sure to submit an application via our Opportunities & Vacancies page. 

Estimated timeline; 

• Applications open in June/July.
• Interviews held in late July/early August.
• Programme begins mid September for two weeks.

We strongly advise following our X (Twitter) and LinkedIn accounts so as to receive updates when applications have opened. 

2023 Work Experience Alumni

Below are some insights shared from Elle who completed the 2023 programme. 

What did you like most about the work experience programme and why?

Having capacity to choose what I do, particularly for a personal project. This allowed me to shape things to fit with my interest. I liked getting to to speak to people and learn about what they do. The in-person interaction was very beneficial.

Did the description of the programme you were provided with before starting accurately reflect the duties of your role?

Yes, but it exceeded expectations in terms of levels of interaction the programme offered. I didn’t expect to meet members of the team individually, or to meet MPs & Peers. I didn’t think there would be much one to one, and this was a positive thing. 

Do you think the skills and knowledge gained from this programme will benefit in your career in future? If so, how?

The programme taught me a lot about what really goes on in parliament, especially on international relations, being there in person was invaluable to this. Having outputs to point to will be extremely useful when going for future opportunities.

The networking opportunities were really useful too, especially around any potential future involvement in CPA UK programmes that touch on technology.

Elle in Westminster for the two week hybrid work experience programme. 

2021 Work Experience Alumni

Muzy and Kike with Seyi Afolabi, Executive Officer at CPA UK and Co-Ordinator of the Work Experience Programme

Below are the profiles of Kike and Muzy who successfully completed our Summer 2021 programme;

Kike 

"My name is Kike Abayomi, I’m currently studying law and sociology at the university of Warwick. My initial interest in applying for CPA UK’s work experience programme was to understand the inner workings of the Commonwealth as an institution. More importantly, what really piqued my interest was the role parliaments played in this institution.

Upon embarking on this experience I have been welcomed by a passionate and welcoming group of people. I look forward to broadening my understanding of the work that is done to promote harmony in the Commonwealth. Finally, seeing the process of planning events as well as seeing some of the final projects is very exciting to me".

Muzy 

"My name is Muzy and I am presently a first-year student at the University of Warwick. I was initially attracted to applying for the work experience scheme at CPA UK due to various programmes I had seen promoted on social media platforms. The programmes were very topical and I understood how they were helping CPA UK achieve its goal of strengthening democracy in parliaments across the Commonwealth. 

My overall goal during this work experience is to fully immerse myself in the CPA UK network and really learn more about the organisation from the inside. The team here at CPA UK works hard to deliver these essential programmes and continue working with and connecting parliamentarians afterwards. It is very intriguing from the perspective of project management and organisation, and I hope to get stuck into it during my time here".

Podcast Interview

Want to find out more? What can you expect from the CPA UK Work Experience programme? In this podcast interview, hear directly from Kike – one of our Summer 2021 Work Experience Alumni. In this podcast Kike is interviewed by Seyi Afolabi, the Work Experience Programme Co-Ordinator and Executive Officer at CPA UK.

Transcript of the podcast interview is linked here.