A project aimed to use United Kingdom full-time undergraduate student work experience as the vehicle for development of the students' skills to improve their subsequent employability upon graduation. It took an employer-led approach to develop a model transferable to other employers and higher education (HE) institutions. Arrangements were made for employer staff to mentor students at work. Challenges and issues during implementation were employer recruitment cycles at odds with students' availability to work; students' belief that structured work experience was not valuable for them; students' motivation to earn, not acquire, skills; and inability to embed work-based learning in curricula. Project outputs included a range of learning materials for both students and mentors in the workplace, a series of reports, and dissemination and publicity materials. The model was easily transferable to other institutions and situations. Key achievements were the branding of skills development at Leeds Metropolitan University; creating a student "client culture"; developing dissemination networks and systems; identifying the right time to raise skills development issues with students; and development of a new form of recognition for part-time work experience. (Appendixes include participant lists; sample forms; analysis of student registrations; tips for work experience initiatives; and descriptions of eight projects in the work experience theme.) (YLB)