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Applied Sciences
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Placements
What are placements?
A placement (or sandwich year placement) is a period of time in which you get the opportunity to gain first-hand industry experience as part of your degree. This is usually by working for a company, although there are also opportunities to do an Enterprise Placement Year. A placement may be as short as a week or, if it is a sandwich year placement, as long as 48 weeks. Placements may take place at different times during the academic year (including vacations). Sandwich placements fall between the second and final year of your course. Your placement could take place anywhere in the world and, as a university, we have links with some of the leading companies with headquarters in all continents.
The Careers and Employability Service don't advertise placement vacancies, this is done through your School, however we can assist with CV, cover letter and application support as well as interview, assessment centre and psychometric testing preparation. Visit our application and recruitment area to find out more.
What are the benefits of undertaking a placement?
- Work with the best - Our students have gone on to work for companies like The BBC, Sky, Burberry, Red Bull F1 and KPMG to name just a few.
- Graduate employability - Some of our students return from their placement with sponsorship and the offer of a permanent job after they graduate.
- Get paid* - your placement year is usually paid and you are regarded as a regular employee undertaking a real job with appropriate responsibility.
- All the support you need - you will be allocated a work supervisor and your School placement unit should be in regular contact.
- Enhance your CV - All employers value work experience, even if it's not in the same area of work, and some will require it for certain graduate roles. Getting this on your CV is vital evidence of what you can do.
*In some instances a placement period may be unpaid
Enterprise Placement Year
Instead of an internship or placement with an employer, why not think about setting up your own business or working for yourself during your third year?
Useful links
Once you know about the placement options on your course, explore a range of placement sites to find the right opportunity for you.
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