Taking advantage of working in industry for a year is a perfect way to gain invaluable practical experience employers are seeking from graduates. You will have the opportunity to work on real problems and gain valuable career insights, helping you to stand out from the crowd in your search for graduate employment.
Throughout the 45 week placement you will be able to apply the knowledge and skills you have acquired in a workplace setting while developing the competencies that are highly sought after by graduate recruiters. Students who have undertaken a year in industry say it has given them firsthand experience of what it is like to work in a real role, allowing them to get a closer look at whether that specific area is where they would like to progress when they leave university. For some, it has opened doors to graduate job offers. So not only can you gain a network of contacts and professional training, but also secure a graduate job.
Additional award
By undertaking a year on professional placement or working in industry, you will gain an additional award alongside your final qualification. If you undertake a professional placement year you will gain a Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) or if you complete a year in industry you will gain a Diploma in Industrial Studies (DIS).
Featured placement year companies
Our students have been able to secure employability-enhancing placements with a wide variety of organisations.
Recent placements have included roles in fibre-optic oil well monitoring and applications of high temperature superconductors and have involved companies and research facilities such as: IBM (UK) Ltd, British Gas, Siemens AG (Germany), Rutherford Appleton Laboratories, FZ Jülich (Germany) and Institut Laue Langevin Grenoble (France).