Industrial placements

[BlueskyBluesea]

How are your DC getting on with arranging these? It seems like every placement is so competitive and really it is very lucky if a student is able to organise a placement that is relevant to their degree. Or do you have a son or daughter that found and completed a placement ....any advice gratefully appreciated ☺️

@NotDonna DHs old company put theirs on their web site under “careers”. Maybe look via this route? They should pay too. I do get the year in industry being part of the course but as it’s so difficult I’m just suggesting all is not lost. I would not rule out speculative but I think mid sized companies might advertise as well.

@fortyfifty good to hear that recruitment for placements carries on until the summer and as you say the odds get better. I'm hoping that ds is resilient and doesn't give up due to worries about accommodation.

What type of placement are they looking for? I think many students give up because of the worry of accommodation for final year if they don't manage to secure a placement.

@fortyfifty Software engineering. Luckily we live in a area with a lot of tech companies but there haven't been as many advertised as he thought there would be. His uni isnt that local but he could just about commute in the third year if he didnt get a placement and couldnt find accommodation late on.

My ds is applying for an engineering placement. Reading the info here has been educational and I am worried now how competitive it all is.
He was so pleased that his first application was moving forward but now I realise it's all computer generated.
So, just here to join the thread and see what everyone's experiences are.

@foghead What type of engineering?

Mechanical

@foghead Ah. Not DHs specialism. My advice would be to Google mechanical engineering consultants and see what’s around. Look at their careers pages. Often difficult for a year but look at summer internship too.

So a bit of a change of course, DC has signed accommodation contract in uni town for 3rd year after deciding against a year in industry placement and instead is applying for summer internships. A combination of factors really, placements were located largely in areas that would not be commutable from home (so money saved wouldn't be that large as rent would have to be paid) and although DC really enjoys their degree subject(chemistry) they are thinking perhaps they'd like to explore other areas of employment that accept stem degrees for the skills gained whilst taking them. DC has chosen a variety of courses within their degree that include high level maths and has studied python so hopefully the mix of skills will help 🤞. Best wishes to everyone else that has DS/DDs that are looking for placements/internships.

although DC really enjoys their degree subject(chemistry) they are thinking perhaps they'd like to explore other areas of employment that accept stem degrees for the skills gained whilst taking them. DC has chosen a variety of courses within their degree that include high level maths and has studied python so hopefully the mix of skills will help 🤞.

There's a bit of an explosion in scientific software development at the moment due to applications of machine learning combined with the sheer computational power now available. It's what I do - it's always been chemistry and maths in a variety of computer languages over the decades, with python being what the new hires are fluent in.

So that might be an area which would interest your DC (hopefully they're aware of this years chemistry Nobel prize, see also 2013)

In DH dept there was a dedicated FT member of staff who assisted students with placements. Most within the UK and some overseas. All had ok pay with a few earning a really decent wage. In the dept I worked in there were no placements and it was all about the internships. That’s where you could really see who had contacts via family and friends. One of my students returned having worked at the UN in Geneva over the summer, her Aunt worked there. DH got DS some amazing work experience at the HQ of a global firm plus experience for one of DS mate and DS GF with another organisation.

There are always people who know how to get what they want. Calling on friends and relatives is fairly normal but if others don’t get help, or there’s not enough placements to go round, what are students supposed to do? As we have seen - give up.

Had my DDs done civil and structural engineering, they would have had a ready made internship or year out with DHs company. . They might even have had a ready made job. Vast numbers of firms work like this. Many vets recruit their vet to be DC. As my DC went in very different directions, they had to find their own way in the world. DD1 who did MFLs had native speakers on her courses who had spent a considerable amount of time in the MFL speaking countries over many years becore rocking up at uni - life isn’t fair! DD had had a couple of weeks holiday.

I also think for Chemistry, it’s not vital for a year out. What I would do is explore internships for the summer and attend every career event going. He will be absolutely fine.

Competition for graduate jobs has now reached an all-time high. The average employer is now receiving 140 applications per graduate position in 2024 (Institute of Student Employers’ (ISE) annual Student Recruitment Survey) and this is a 60% rise compared to 2023.

A year of relevant experience in industry can make all the difference in whether a graduate is successful in finding a graduate role in an organisation. Engineering graduates of Imperial may not need the additional help, but the majority of graduates in a significant number of disciplines need all the help that they can get.

A year of relevant experience in industry can make all the difference on whether a graduate are successful in finding a graduate position

Maybe for some, but a year which turns out to not have been very relevant may be a year better spent doing some sort of postgrad qualification.

@AquaLeader Engineering employers can’t get enough engineers. Doing the MEng without a year in industry is perfectly normal. It’s a quicker route to getting qualified at the highest level. The employment figures are skewed by arts and humanities grads. Stem grads really should be employable if they make some effort to research jobs and how to make an attractive application plus pass any tests and interviews.

Also DHs company would love to get zillions of applications!

@TizerorFizz only engineers I’m guessing and not business students?

@NotDonna Yes. Afraid so. Their office side is much smaller. The business largely succeeds or fails on the calibre of the engineers - but obviously the office is an important cog too.

Has anyone dc had any luck obtaining a placement?
My ds has a second and final interview next week for a Software Engineering placement. The first stage was a short Teams interview with a real person so it hasn't dragged on too long. So hoping he gets it and can concentrate on his studies.

My DC has done 2 assessment centres now, rejected from one, hoping to hear from the other. His housemate has been offered a placement already after an assessment centre a few weeks ago for a very reputable well known company.

DC (chem student) decided to change from a year in industry option (combination of developing career interests in other areas, the location on year in industry options and deciding to keep the flow of learning going) and instead try and find summer placements instead. They have had 2 rejections (these were placement year ones), waiting on progress of a couple of applications and through to the final stage one application. Best wishes to everyone's DC looking for year in industry and summer placements

My DS is in this process.

No offers yet - plenty of aptitude tests, psychometric tests, and video interviews (computer led, not human led).

Has attended one assessment centre but wasn't successful.

It's an arduous process, and I hope it will be over soon.

He also doesn't know anyone on his course (Exeter) or any of his friends who have been successful yet

I think there needs to be far more transparency about success rates and how students actually get the placements. Universities advertise these courses and recruit but patently don’t deliver what they advertise. In another world you would ask for a refund or inform the advertising standards agency! It’s far from being a transparent transaction and is misleading many students. In my opinion.

There are a few parents on WIWIKAU at the moment with DC studying psychology struggling to get placements as psychology doesn't seem to be an area suitable for students at their level of knowledge.

I agree with @TizerorFizz that there needs to be a lot more transparency from unis about the help they offer and their success rate. Many unis have now included a placement year as an option, which looks great on paper, but there aren't enough placement years to go round, so inevitably there will be many disappointed applicants. @cyclingmum67 what course is your DC doing ? Best of luck to him, and everyone else applying, which is a full time job in itself at a time when DC should be studying and really enjoying their second year at uni !!