How easy to find Placements (L’boro, Bath, Lanc, York)

[NotDonna]

DD very keen to do a degree that has a placement year & currently looking at Durham, Bath, L’Boro, York & Lancaster. All offer a placement year, say there’s an office to help but nothing guaranteed. Sounds fair enough. Given this is a deal breaker for DD I’m wondering if any of these universities have better links/support than others please? Love to hear people’s experiences.

I have had some experience of Bath based on company I used to work for (located in M4 corridor). They used to invite us in to present to their students. Got the impression that they went out their way to get placements for their students. We didn't agree a quota of students from Bath though.

It's a good point. DS2 signed up to a degree with placement only to find hardly anyone was successful at finding industrial placement. Nearby uni had better links and most got placements. It didn't matter in the end for him as he didn't love the subject so didn't do the placement year.

It's hard to answer without knowing what subject(s) your DD is taking, but DD's best friend went to Bath, and got an excellent placement at a well-known multinational company which was arranged by the university. She finished 2 years ago and has been working full-time at that same company since then.

DD's placement had the effect of showing her that she didn't want to do the job which her degree was designed for. She subsequently changed direction slightly (less practical, more theoretical) for her Masters. But neither of the universities she went to were on your list.

Which course and are there specific types of career your DD is aiming for?

Ds at Bath has just finished a placement year. It was a bit last minute as he was looking when Covid was still rife & many companies still had people mostly working from home. He is doing a vocational subject so probably easier to get a placement for that though.

I’m not sure how valuable the experience was - he was mainly working fro home. However they will probably offer him a job after graduation which will take the pressure off in his final year.

Bath has an exemplary placement support structure and excellent links with industry. Students have professional development and are supported by dedicated Placement Officers. Bath has just been named University of the Year 2023.

Thank you all for your input. She’s looking at Business/management degrees. So the placements really could be anywhere.

This is one of Bath's selling points. Two thirds of students do a placement year at Bath - many well paid. I believe they have been offering them for many years more than other universities so have built up connections with companies which only take Bath students.

DD is about to start her 2nd year and the process of getting ready to apply for a placement started in her 1st year. There is an air of confidence that the students ought not to worry and they will get a placement.

@NotDonna University of Bath also opened a new shiny School of Management building this year - so that might appeal to your DD.

That’s very reassuring @fortyfifty
Bath is by far her favourite to date. But won’t be the easiest to get into unfortunately.

DD just started at Bath doing Politics and IR and the placement year was one of its biggest selling points. When we went to offer holders day they had the placement officer in to talk to the group and she explained how it works. They are well supported but she did emphasise that it can be difficult to get a placement due to competition. In Baths favour though because they have been doing it for many years they have a lot more links in industry than others. DD loved the campus feel, very green and open but it compact and out of the City so not to everyones taste.

Family member did a degree at York with a placement year. The placement office seemed pretty good with lots of links in the 'local' (i.e. 50 miles!) area - companies and charities which offered a placement every year.
He applied to about 7 and got an offer from all except one! However he also applied to companies further afield in which he was interested and actually ended up going to one of those as it was a 'big name' with a great reputation in his field.
He's since graduated and secured an excellent grad job and thinks his placement year was key in getting him the new job.

My son is at Lancaster and couldn't find a placement year so has just gone straight into third year at Uni instead. A couple of his flat mates were also trying to get a placement but they didn't either. The careers office "talk the talk" but basically just checked over the CV, gave a bit of generic advice and a few links to placement websites, but that was it. They didn't seem to have any actual "relationships" with employers. All three of them are pretty unimpressed to be honest. The three of them were respectively studying accountancy, law and maths.

But, of course, it was this time last year when they were searching/applying, at a time when Lancaster staff were barely back at work as most hadn't been on campus for the 20/21 year due to the covid close down so weren't really back at work properly and fully functioning again this time last year.

My experience was many years ago now but Bath has always emphasised the placement options so expect they have built up strong relationships with companies over the years. The careers office provided lists of opportunities and we then went off and applied for them and went through the selection process as with any other job. The onus was on the student to do this.
Don't remember anyone who wanted a placement not getting one.

Been to open days at 3 of the unis you mention - Bath, L'boro and Lancaster for business / management. It was a question that came up quite a lot and there was actually a talk given by the plcaement officer at the Bath open day - lots of emphasis placed on this aspect, CV / interview support & lectures from Week 1 Year 1. Still responsible for finding your own placement but with masses of assistance. As others have said, quite a strong track record with students placed at the same companies year on year / working there when they graduate. I would say L'boro were also very encouraging too and set out quite a bit of support, not quite at Bath's level, and then Lancaster glossed over it a little although they do have schemes in place.

If your DD hasn't looked in detail at the courses, Bath is slightly odd / different to other unis for their Business course, its 2 x 6 month placements - 1 is at the start of the 2nd year and the other is at the end of the 3rd year. I think the other 4 yr courses (Management / Marketing) are more standard - a full year out in your 3rd year, but if its Business she's interested in, its worth bearing in mind. Depending on where the placements are, you probably wouldn't do the communal house share with friends you've met in halls etc that most students do in their 2nd year, and you'd be in Bath for the first half of the 3rd year when others on a standard 4 year course with gap year will be on their placements. Students said Bath is more than geared up for this but said their friends / housemates tended to be all on the same course due to the timings of being in Bath / on placement. It did sound like a brilliant course though with some impressive corporate placements.