Summer Work Experience 2026

Digital Catapult is a technology innovation organisation. We accelerate the practical application of deep technologies to equip the UK to be future ready. 

We partner with businesses, investors and academia to identify valuable opportunities and create market pathways, ensuring the UK is future ready. We enable our partners to think creatively, build resilience and grow by using our expertise to equip them with deep tech capabilities and help them adopt innovative solutions. 

Digital Catapult helps businesses grow by applying deep tech. We show what is possible, positive and productive with advanced technology. Digital Catapult focused on significant challenges and opportunities facing the UK’s economy and society, where technology can play a major role in providing solutions. 

Digital Catapult is part of the Innovate UK Catapult Network. Catapults provide a unique combination of cutting-edge R&D facilities and world-class technical expertise to support UK business innovation. 

We are nearly 300 innovators strong with reach across the South East, the South West, the North East and Northern Ireland.  

Click here for further information on Digital Catapult and working for us.  

What to expect

Supported by experienced and enthusiastic mentors, you will be given a problem to solve through a group project, utilising your learning across the week to present your solution to Digital Catapult employees. Across the week you will learn more about the deep technology areas, attend skills based workshops, hear from current interns/apprentices, and much more.

You will get to know Digital Catapult – our values, our history and what we do – and gain an insight into actual jobs that you would be doing if you came to work for us full-time.

Whether you decide to start an apprenticeship, a traineeship or go to university in the future, your work experience placement is a great early insight into a potential career choice.

Learning, development and support

Our programme will provide you with an insight into what it is like to work for a technology company and help you to decide your future career options.

Over the course of the placement, we typically offer:

• Hands on work experience including demos, offsite visit, workshops and a group project
• Opportunities to develop skills and grow confidence
• Opportunities to meet a range of employees and ask as many questions as you want to help you understand what working for Digital Catapult is like and your potential future ambitions
• Join internal events where appropriate

Requirements

• Aged 18 and under in academic years 11 or 12, in full-time secondary, sixth form or college education and considering technology/computer science as a career after school. 
• Be keen and motivated to find out more about Digital Catapult and to be prepared to complete the application process, which will include an online statement and if successful, an informal, telephone call with Digital Catapult employees and the People Team.
• The placement will be in person, at the London office (Kings Cross), to ensure you get the most out of the experience.
  Placements will run from Tuesday 21st July – Thursday 30th July 2026 (8 working days), 9:30am-3.30pm.
• We have 10 placements only so we would encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

How to apply

Please apply via a written statement of intent/motivation. Please note you must obtain approval from your school or college to undertake this work experience {as it falls within the standard school/college term-time}. An email from the school will be sufficient. Please attach this to your application.

Once applications are received and reviewed, the People Team will be in touch to organise an informal, telephone call.

Deadline for applications: 7 April 2026

We believe equity, diversity and inclusion are key to creating an enjoyable and positive company culture and, ultimately, to the overall success of our business and of others with whom we work. Should you require any reasonable adjustments to be made during our application / interview processes or should you require any facilities to be made available to you, please don't hesitate to let us know in advance.

If you have any questions relating to this our recruitment process in general, please get in touch by emailing recruitment@digicatapult.org.uk

Benefits

Work experience students will receive a payment towards their travel (as required) and lunch for the days they work from the office. This will be capped at up to £10 per day for lunch and up to £15 per day for travel.

Access to subject matter experts to answer any questions you may have about the technology industry!