School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Industrial placements BSc Agriculture |  BSc Agricultural Business Management

BSc Animal Science |  BSc Environmental and Countryside Management

‘I split my placement year into two 6 month periods: the first at Paignton Zoo, Devon; then the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. Both experiences have offered me a wealth of new skills, from work on the ground and data collection to statistics! The placements have allowed me to become more independent, and grow in confidence, particularly as I spent time abroad.’ Jennifer Jackson, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation

‘For me placement has been a fantastic way of applying what I have learnt over the past two years at Reading. Through this I have gained a much broader understanding of the material studied through my degree, both in theory and in a practical sense. The placement has really broadened my view of what the agricultural industry has to offer young graduates and has developed many key skills such as communication and organisation. Charles Clack, McDonalds, Farm Forward Placement

‘I worked on a fresh vegetable farm in New Zealand. Having done the placement, I feel that it has been a huge help to employment prospects as it sparks talking points in interviews and shows an employer that you can stick it out at a job for more than a couple of months. It also gave me an opportunity to do a bit of travelling.’ Jamie Mayhew, Balle Bros New Zealand

Industrial placements

An Industrial Placement is a fantastic opportunity to gain 12 months work experience in your chosen industry. You can choose a placement in an industry related to your degree programme or potential career that you are interested in, giving you the freedom to find a placement that suits you. Through your placement you will develop industry-specific knowledge and skills and network with potential future employers. Many of our placement students are head-hunted onto Graduate Recruitment Schemes of their placement company. All of our degree programmes give you the opportunity to undertake a placement year. During the first 2 years of your degree programme you’ll develop a thorough knowledge of your chosen subject which can then be applied in an industry-specific setting in your 3rd year placement, before returning to University for your fourth and final year.

Why choose to do an industrial placement? There are many reasons why students decide to take a 12 month placement: • If you have no idea what Graduate level career path you’d like to explore, or what company you’d like to work for, an Industrial Placement allows you to investigate a career or company with a view to helping you make a more informed career choice. • Many employers use their Industrial Placement scheme to identify potential candidates for their Graduate Recruitment scheme. If you don’t do a placement with the company, you may find it harder to join at a graduate level. • Most companies demand applicants have relevant work experience and those that do have an added advantage over applicants that have not undertaken work experience.Not only do you develop the skills that you are learning at University but you also learn many new ones such as specialist software and databases, industry specific equipment and management.

Recent placements Agriculture and Agricultural Business Management

Industrial placements The companies you can apply and work for will depend on your degree programme or career you’re interested in

McDonalds

pursuing. Many of our students apply for placements with

Syngenta

international companies including Pepsico, Nestle, Nissan

DairyCo

and Masterfoods. Other students have spent a rewarding year working for smaller-scale business to gain a broad

Animal Science

experience of the whole operation.

Chester Zoo

Preparation and training

Jersey Zoo Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Environmental and Coountryside Mangement Manor Farm Partnership

The School’s dedicated Placement Officer, coupled with our Career Planning module, will ensure you have support throughout your search for a placement. The Career Planning module, unique to Reading students, covers everything you need to know about Industrial Placements, including how to:

Cotswold Conservation

• Fill out an application form

Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust

• Create a winning CV

‘Second year offers a whole module based around developing your CV and preparing for interviews, for all students. Take advantage of this!’ Mary Redfern, Placement Student ‘During the placement year I knew that my programme director was only a phonecall away, and they helped me navigate through the scary times of starting my first real job.’ Fran Lunn, Placement Student

• Write a covering letter We also work closely with the Careers, Placement and Experience Centre (CPEC) who can provide support and advice on all aspects of the application process. Through CPEC you will have the opportunity to take part in telephone interviews, mock interviews and SHL assessments (ability tests) to ensure you are thoroughly prepared for your application process.

Support You will be supported throughout all aspects of your placement search and application process by the School Placement Officer. During your placement you will be visited by a member of academics staff and the Placement Officer will keep in regular contact with during the year.

Finding a placement ‘I sent out CV’s & covering letters to various companies but to no avail, subsequently I went to a few food exhibitions (IFE,FoodEx) armed with CV’s and enthusiasm. I was lucky enough to sit opposite Mornflake’s Marketing Manager for lunch and after a quick conversation, me giving over my CV, a few emails and an interview lo and behold I got a placement with them! ‘

There are lots of ways to find a placement, from the tra-

Matthew Woodfield, Placement Student

• an employer database with details of companies who

‘I received a lot of help along the way, from the Careers Centre at Reading to friends who had already graduated. Staff in the School also provided great help with advice and correcting my CV.’ Kamaal Ahmed, Placement Student

ditional to the alternative. Employers look for students who are pro-active and self-driven so be prepared to use a number of different methods to find your ideal placement.

Resources available to help you search for a placement We have lots of resources to help in your search for a placement, including: offer relevant placements, or who have taken on our students previously • our annual Careers Fair, attended by a range of companies who have vacancies for Industrial Placement Students • My Jobs Online, where employers advertise placements and you can sign up to receive daily or weekly email alerts

Networking and direct contact Don’t feel you have to wait for your ideal placement to be advertised. If you know what company you’d like to work for you can approach them directly. Our students have gained placements contacting employers directly by: • phoning the company and discussing potential opportunities • giving their CV directly to a manager, either at Trade Fairs or Career Fairs Using existing contacts - friends, family, colleagues can also help you secure a placement.

Frequently asked questions ‘With a graduate jobs becoming increasingly competitive, a year in industry provides you with useful industry contacts and a huge amount of knowledge and skills which ultimately make you much more employable. Most placements are paid, so you can earn some money too!’

I didn’t register for the 4-year degree course – can I still do a placement?

Charles Clack, BSc Agricultural Business Management with Industrial Training

Will I be assessed?

Yes, when you’ve accepted your placement we can arrange a transfer to the relevant 4-year degree course.

When will my placement start? This is often dependant on your employer – some schemes run from July, others from September.

Yes, the placement is allocated 120 credits and there are three pieces of assessment including a report from your employer and a presentation when you return to University.

‘Being able to leave university with a years work 'under my belt’ has not only helped with my employability but also given me great confidence.’

Will I get paid?

Will Streatfield, BSc Agriculture with Industrial Training

as well, e.g. a company car, European travel etc.

The majority of placements are paid, with the average organisation offering £16,000. Depending on your placement company, there may be other benefits Some companies will also give students a bursary for their final year of studies (usually on acceptance of a place on a graduate programme).

Industrial placements For more information, please contact:

Will I be offered a job when I finish my degree? Many companies use 12-month placements to identify recruits for their Graduate Recruitment Scheme.

Dr Gillian Rose

You’ll have to perform to a high standard throughout

Room 2U22 New Agriculture Building University of Reading Whiteknights Reading RG6 6AR United Kingdom

your placement to be eligible.

[email protected] Tel (0118) 378 8490

www.reading.ac.uk/apd

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