For years, Siemens’ work experience followed a familiar pattern: a week-long, in-person placement, often limited to one location or one part of the business. While valuable, this approach couldn’t reach the breadth of students Siemens wanted to inspire.

In 2022, Siemens partnered with Springpod to take a bold step forward - launching Virtual Work Experience (VWEX) programmes that could attract, engage and support young people at scale.

Since then, over 15,000 students have engaged with Siemens programmes, experiencing career pathways that were once out of reach.

Opening pathways, building futures

The aim wasn’t just to replicate in-person placements online. Siemens wanted to provide a clearer journey into careers, tailored to young people’s interests and ambitions.

Students can now explore tailored routes across:

• Engineering
  
  
• Technology
  
  
• Business Services
  
  
• Early Careers opportunities
  
  
• Meet the Team sessions
  
  

Each pathway is designed to give learners a realistic taste of Siemens life, while helping them build essential employability skills along the way.

Learning that sticks

Through interactive activities, real-world tasks, and skill-building exercises, students don’t just learn about careers, they actively build the confidence and knowledge to take the next step.

Before the programme, only 6% of students said they had excellent awareness of careers. After completing it, that number jumped to 47%. Alongside boosted confidence and practical skills, students leave with experiences that make their CVs stand out.

One student told us:

“This has been very useful and will look good on my CV. Because it was such an interesting experience, I’m considering working for Siemens in the future and will be contacting my local Siemens office about an in-person placement.”

Humanising Siemens’ brand

A cornerstone of the programme’s success has been direct connections with Siemens employees. Students don’t just hear about roles, they meet the people behind them, gaining insights into day-to-day realities and career journeys.

This human element brings Siemens to life, breaking down perceptions of a faceless global company and helping young people picture themselves as part of its future.

Driving social mobility and inclusion

Perhaps the most powerful impact has been the reach. By going virtual, Siemens has democratised access to career learning, removing barriers that once limited opportunities to a select few.

• 57% of participants have been from Minority Ethnic backgrounds
  
  
• 20% eligible for Free School Meals
  
  
• 5% with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
  
  
• 24% First-Generation University students
  
  

And crucially, Siemens is tackling the challenge of gender imbalance in STEM, with 40% of participants female across the first two programme runs.

The numbers behind the story

The results demonstrate both scale and depth of impact, showing not just how many students Siemens reached, but the real value created for society and the economy.

• £1,303,242 total social value generated
  
  
• £12.55 Social Return on Investment (SROI) for every £1 invested
• 3,677 student enrolments
  
  
• 17,881 engaged learning hours
  
  

What does SROI mean in practice?

Social Return on Investment is a way of measuring the wider benefits a programme creates for individuals and communities. For Siemens, it means that for every pound invested into the Virtual Work Experience, over twelve pounds of value was returned in the form of improved career readiness, higher confidence, and greater long-term opportunities for young people.

Put simply: every £1 spent wasn’t just a cost—it became an investment in social mobility, inclusion and the future workforce.

Siemens’ perspective

“Partnering with Springpod allowed us to combine our engineering expertise with their digital platform to create an inclusive, scalable programme.

The reach has been huge. We’ve seen more young women, more students from Minority Ethnic backgrounds, and more from disadvantaged socio-economic groups engaging with Siemens careers. Even post-pandemic, virtual work experience will remain a cornerstone of how we run our programmes.”

Looking ahead

For Siemens, this is just the beginning. By blending innovation, inclusion and interactivity, their Virtual Work Experience is more than a programme - it’s a pathway into the future of work.

It’s proof that when employers rethink early talent engagement, they don’t just prepare young people for careers. They create opportunity, drive social mobility, and inspire the innovators of tomorrow.