Professional placement year Lighting your path towards industry

An introduction

www.aston.ac.uk/eas

Why go on placement? ► Valuable industry experience helps you to differentiate yourself from other graduates. ► Better career prospects on graduation. ► Potentially gain a better degree result in your final year by increasing your subject knowledge whilst on placement. ► Gain new knowledge and the opportunity to develop transferable skills. ► Improve your finances and use money from your placement salary to help financially support you in your final year. ► Put the theory from your degree into practice. ► Increase your understanding of the subject by using it in a real work environment. ► Achieve an enhanced degree - important where professional registration is a career target, eg Chartered Engineer Status. Employer quote Paul B Slater “As a supervisor within IT, I have been involved in recruiting and supervising Industrial Placement students at GSK for 6 years now. I find the 12 month cycle very rewarding. The students are given the opportunity to mature in a professional working environment as well as learn new project, team and life skills that they may not experience at University. It is also extremely pleasing to see so many of them blossom as individuals and to leave GSK as confident outgoing people.”

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What is a placement? ► 10 - 12 months with a company in a real job. ► Uses knowledge from your degree in a real work environment. ► Normally paid. If you choose to undertake a low paid placement you may be eligible to receive a placement bursary from the University. Please check the web page below for more information: www.astonguild.org.uk/advice ► Can be in any geographical region (including placements outside of the UK). It is up to you to choose where you wish to apply for a placement (with your Placement Tutor’s approval). ► A report/diary/logbook normally needs to be completed in order to meet requirements for the award of a degree with industrial experience. Each group has its own specific requirements and your Placement Tutor will be able to tell you about the requirements for your group once you have started your second year. ► Can be called ‘sandwich’ or ‘industrial’ placement. Some companies will also call the placement an ‘internship’. Employer quote Neil Sykes “Having offered placements now for 7 years we see it as completely normal. We treat placement students as regular full time members of the team, they do not get special dispensation for being student interns, and are expected to act appropriately. The interns are appraised as other members of staff and as such partake of the same benefits as full time members of staff, i.e. Paid holidays, bonus scheme, social events.”

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Do I need to apply for a placement? You will need to apply to companies directly following their application procedures. Most companies will ask you to apply by CV or via an application form. They will normally want to interview you too.

How do I find a placement? Placement vacancies are advertised by the School Placement Office (SPO). For some subjects Placement Tutors will also have vacancies. You may try to find a placement yourself, but it must be approved before you enter into a contract. Approval: As the placement year forms an important part of your degree all placement vacancies must be approved before you accept to ensure that they are suitable for your degree programme. You should not accept a placement either verbally or in writing before it has been approved.

Student profile Jaydeep Patel BSc Automotive Product Design DENSO Manufacturing UK Ltd “The placement has opened my eyes to what the real engineering working life is like and what is expected from both an individual and a team point of view. From this experience I would like to have this type of role in my career and so develop further up the ladder having seen the various tasks and operations an engineer is involved with.”

Most of the vacancies on the placement intranet are approved. If you are unsure whether a vacancy has been approved or if you need approval for a vacancy you should check with the Placement Tutor or SPO. Placement intranet: The SPO advertises placement vacancies at http://placements.seas.aston.ac.uk/students. To access these vacancies you will need to register with the SPO. The registration form can be obtained either from the SPO or via Blackboard. The completed form should be returned to the SPO. 3

Placement Tutors: For some subjects Placement Tutors may also have vacancies. Notice boards: Check notice boards around your departments and around the SPO for opportunities and companies to contact. Be aware that the majority of placements are available via the Placement Intranet.

When should I start looking for a placement? You should start looking for a placement at the start of your second year of study. Some companies have deadlines for placement applications before Christmas.

When will I start the placement? When you have found a placement you will normally start the placement in June/July after your second year exams.

How long will the placement last? The placement will last for 10-12 months (a full academic year). You will return to Aston after your placement year to complete the final year of your degree. Further information on placements can be found at www.aston.ac.uk/eas/placement-year/information-for-students

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Who else can help me look for a placement? To find more information on placements please check the resources on Blackboard. Students may find it useful to consult the Careers Service Publication at www.careers.aston.ac.uk/d.php/faqs/placement.html The internet: ► Search on the internet for regional, national and international placement opportunities. ► Search words include intern, internship, sandwich placement, industrial placement and year in industry. ► If you are interested in a particular business, go to their website and see if they have any placement opportunities. Employer quote Company websites and speculative applications: Sonia Bannon If you are interested in specific “Placement students are key to companies, have a look at their the vitality and growth of our organisation.” websites as they may not widely advertise placements via University links. It is worth doing a speculative application as, if you can impress the company, they may create a placement opportunity. If you are interested in a particular career, find out which companies are in that industry (use Careers Services, Yellow Pages, etc) and contact them to see if they have any placement opportunities.

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Aston Careers Service: Not only do they give advice on CVs and application forms, they also have useful information on companies, the latest graduate job vacancies, recruitment fairs and generic careers advice. Please visit www.careers.aston.ac.uk for more information. Some useful websites: For general careers advice and links to employers please see the list below. Many of the vacancies on these sites are for graduates but you can look on individual employer’s websites to see if they offer placement vacancies too. ► www.ratemyplacement.co.uk/placement-job-search ► www.prospects.ac.uk ► www.get.hobsons.co.uk ► www.doctorjob.com.my ► www.realworldmagazine.com - click on “Employers’ Info” to see a list of major employers. ► www.placement-uk.com - Please note that placements advertised on this website are often short term placements (3-6 months) so make sure that you read the information carefully before applying. ► www.yini.org.uk is the website for The Year in Industry programme. Please note that to register for this service you will have to pay a fee. ► www.work-experience.org is the website for the National Council for Work Experience. ► www.targetjobs.co.uk ► www.opportunities.org.uk - This site also provides information & advice for people with disabilities. 6

Subject specific websites: ► www.engineerjobs.co.uk - some useful links to companies across all engineering disciplines. ► www.logisticsmanager.com - useful for students studying logistics and/or transport. ► www.theengineer.co.uk - click on “Jobs” and then “Employer A-Z” to give you an idea of companies in your sector. ► www.eef.org.uk - the Engineering Employers’ Federation offers an undergraduate placement service and will circulate your personal profile to its members. Follow the instructions on the website to submit your profile.

Student profile Ansar Sardar BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering Edwards Ltd “The diversity of different tasks made the working environment very interesting and allowed me to develop a variety of skills. It wasn’t simply a job but it was a once in a life time opportunity. I got the opportunity to analyse my strengths and weaknesses. It gave me a broad spectrum of what real engineering is like. Working in different departments at Edwards helped me to choose my future career.”

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Smaller employers: ► Many smaller employers will not advertise their vacancies via graduate directories or career websites. ► Often smaller companies will adverstise through the SPO.

The Times “Aston’s innovative sandwich degree courses in business, technology, science and languages make its graduates some of the most marketable in the country.”

► You will also need to contact smaller employers yourself to find out whether they have vacancies available. Local and regional newspapers: Keep an eye out in the newspapers for placement opportunities nationally, but beware that many vacancies may be aimed at graduates or may not be suitable for undergraduate placements. Job agencies: A very small number of students find placements through job agencies but they may charge a fee or the standard of placements may not be suitable. Be very cautious of paying a fee to agencies unless you have a clear idea of the kind of jobs that the agency is likely to be able to offer you and have checked that they offer long term work placements (many agencies will only have short term assignments which are not suitable for placements). Student profile Daniel Kelly BSc Construction Management Carillion “The placement has beaten my expectations because I was working with a fantastic team that was very supportive. I have learnt far more than I ever could have imagined.”

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Where can I gain other work experience? For part-time and vacation work related to your degree programme try: www.graduateadvantage.co.uk For other part-time work experience and vacation work try the Student’s JobShop. This is situated on the first floor of the Students’ Guild (opposite the Copy Shop) or visit www.astonguild.org.uk and click on the “Jobs” tab at the top of the page. For information on volunteering and student societies visit www.astonguild.org.uk and click on the “Activities” tab at the top of the page. For information about lots of other work experience opportunities visit: www.careers.aston.ac.uk/d.php/links/workexperience.html Student profile Ke Jia BSc Industrial Product Design Carmichael International Ltd. Co. “I am an overseas student from China and I found university challenging. I decided to do a one year placement which would give me wider experience of life and the chance to learn more about real industrial business. At the beginning, I expected to be given easy jobs having no knowledge and experience of fire vehicles. I was wrong. I was very busy from day one, read a lot of material and learnt a lot of the product. After one month I started my first project work which was to modify a cooling system. Other projects included acting as a translator for the Managing Director in surveying potential Chinese co-operators. After the one year placement, I feel more confident than before. And now I feel I am ready for my final year. I am glad I took my placement year in Carmichael.”

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Student profile Nicola A. Redfern BSc Technology & Enterprise Management 3M “Before my year at 3M if someone had said they were an engineer I can’t say I’d have known what they meant. I do now. Working as an engineer for 3M has shown me how manufacturing really works. It has allowed me to see diverse areas of engineering, know where what I’ve learnt fits into real tasks and given me drive for the final year as I know this is a job I would like to do. A placement is the chance to gain real experience and with it an edge over other students when you graduate as you have relevant experiences to talk about.”

Student profile David Nicholson BSc Computing for Business Intel, Swindon “My placement, working as a Business Analyst for Intel, has given me an extremely valuable experience working for a world-leading global corporation. The experience I have gained is experience that I couldn’t have gained in an academic setting and will be extremely beneficial for my future employability. I have had the opportunity to work with people around the world in a global working environment and I have had the responsibility of working on worldwide, important projects. I feel that through the experience of this placement, my existing skills have significantly developed and I have gained many valuable new skills too.”

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Student profile Sant Tachmazian MEng Chemical Engineering IMEG Ltd “The practical experience, exposure and insight that I have gleaned during my time with IMEG has been of unquantifiable personal, educational and professional benefit. However, it must be said that without the assistance and invaluable guidance of my supervisors and colleagues, this success would not have been realised.”

Student profile Rick Chang BSc Logistics Tube Lines “A placement is a chance to apply the skills and knowledge gained in University to the real world before final year. All experience helps to strength knowledge understanding of the background theory in a more practical way. On the other hand, placement also improves several skills such as communication, time management and planning. I personally find myself more organized than the other non-placement students and I am more confident in presenting myself to the others. The placement also allows me to have one more year before graduation to consider which industry and which field I should work in. It gives an opportunity to make connections with people in industry and so help with future job applications.”

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Top recruiters ► 3M

► Bosch

► Accenture

► Britvic Soft Drinks Ltd

► Akzo Nobel (ICI Paints)

► Brose Ltd

► AMEC

► Cargill

► ARM

► Carillion

► ArvinMeritor LVS (UK) Ltd

► Chevron

► Asidua (GB) Ltd

► Chiltern DC

► AstraZeneca plc

► Clegg

► Atos Origin

► Cocacola

► Avis Europe plc

► Conocophillips

► AYH plc

► Converteam

► B Masons

► Cooper Industries

► BAE

► Coors

► Balfour Beatty

► Corus

► Barclay Card

► CSC UK

► BBC

► Cummins

► BCU

► DASA

► Beca, NZ

► Davis Langdon LLP

► BMW

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► Defence Equipment and Support

► IBM

► Denso

► ICM

► Doncaster Aerospace

► Indesit

► Dow Chemicals

► Intel Corporation

► EC Harris

► Janssen Cilag Ltd

► EDDIE

► JCB

► English, Welsh & Scottish Railway

► Kimberly Clark

► Eon

► Kraft

► Esso Petroleum

► Lafarge

► EXXON MOBIL

► Link2ICT

► Fitzpatrick

► Lloyds TSB

► Fujitsu

► Lockheed Martin UK Ltd

► GE

► Mace

► Genzyme Pharmaceuticals

► Magnox

► GlaxoSmithKline

► Mattel

► GM

► McCormick

► Goodrich

► Merck Sharp and Dohme Ltd

► Haldex ► HP

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► Microsoft ► Middlemarch

► National Grid

► Roger Tym & Ptners

► Natural Power

► ROHM AND HAAS

► Nestlé UK Ltd

► Rolls-Royce

► Oracle Corporation

► RWE IT

► PEG

► Science and Technology Facilities Council

► Perkins Engines Co Ltd ► Peugeot ► Pilkington Glass ► Plymouth Marine Laboratory ► Procare Building Services ► ProspectSoft Ltd ► Provelio ► Prysmian Cables and Systems ► PUMA ► Reckitt Benckiser ► Renault ► Renishaw plc

► Sellafield Ltd (BNFL) ► Severn Trent ► Solid Solutions ► SPS Technologies Ltd ► TDG ► TG Target ► TNT ► TOYOTA ► Tube Lines Limited ► Volkswagen ► Xerox

► Research In Motion Ltd

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School Placement Office Engineering and Applied Science Aston University Aston Triangle Birmingham B4 7ET United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)121 204 3667 Fax: +44 (0)121 204 3676 Email: [email protected]