Placements and work experience

What is a placement?
Also referred to as a placement-year, sandwich-year, work-placement or year in industry. For many subject areas a placement is an integrated part of your degree, entirely optional, but strongly encouraged. Taking place after your second year of study, you’ll work for a company/organisation for six to twelve months (depending on your degree). Once complete you return for your final year of study, with a whole year of work experience to add to your CV.

Why do a Placement?
In addition to providing you with an opportunity to apply your subject knowledge and technical skills in a professional environment, a placement also provides an invaluable insight into organisational communication, culture, professional workplace behaviours, applied skills and working relationships. Placement students also feedback how incredibly valuable the experience has been in increasing self-confidence and encouraging reflective practice, while also developing many ‘missing skills’ that employers look for in graduates. 

Benefits of a placement

• Enhanced employment prospects – many students go back to their placement provider at the graduate level
• Improved skills and knowledge, including ‘softer’ employability skills, and specific technical skills and competencies
• Increased understanding and awareness of the world of work, ability to articulate skills and achievements and self-awareness
• Broaden your network of professional contacts.

Who can do a placement?
Many courses provide the option of a placement. Before looking for opportunities check your programme specification or speak to your personal tutor to find out whether an optional placement year is available to you. If your course doesn't offer a placement or work-based learning, the Careers Service can explore other work experience options with you.

What is an internship?
An internship is traditionally shorter in length than a placement-year, with some lasting two weeks, and others 3-6 months. Internships are a great way to gain experience in a working environment that relates to your field of study, as well as build upon the theory you have learned at University and you’ll gain practical skills and knowledge that will boost your overall employability prospects. 

Benefits of an internship: 

• Improves your range employability skills
• Flexibility – often internships can be completed during the holiday periods or on a part-time basis around your studies
• Network with professionals in your field of study – an internship could lead to future employment
• Gain valuable work experience to put on your CV and boost future applications.

Internships via the Careers Service:

Micro-internships
Micro-internships are a new and increasingly popular programme available to undergraduates and finalist students, with three cycles a year – winter, spring and summer. These are bite-size, voluntary experiences lasting up to two weeks. Typically, the micro-internships provide students with a focused project or several agreed tasks with a department internal to the University or an external business. A micro-internship helps students enhance their CV and employability skills before embarking on a placement-year or prior to entering the graduate market. 

How do I get involved with micro-internships?

• The Careers Service will send updates and announcements via myCareer.
• All opportunities will be posted on myCareer.
• Once you have submitted your application (CV and cover letter) you’ll know within one week if you have been successful in securing a micro-internship.

How do micro-internships work?

• Due to the pandemic all micro-internships are currently working ‘remotely’, meaning you can complete the experience from home.
• If successful, you’ll be provided with a start date and confirmation of the internship you’ve secured.
• On your first day you’ll have an introductory call with your supervisor on Zoom. Like an induction, you’ll find out more about the department/company, and importantly, talk through the project you will be working.
• Throughout the week you’ll have update calls with your supervisor.
• You’ll get to meet other team members via Zoom, like you would if the internship was in person.
• At the end you’ll have a concluding meeting with your supervisor to talk through the project.

If you are interested in participating then do get in touch via employer.careers@plymouth.ac.uk.

Summer Internships
A summer internship (also referred to as a summer placement) has all the benefits of a shorter internship, and more, as these can last between one and three months. 

An increasing number of students and employers are seeking/offering these opportunities each year because a lot can be achieved over a summer experience. Also, as great as a placement-year can be, it’s not necessarily possible for everyone, but if you did three summer internships whilst at University you could be graduating with up to nine months of work experience on your CV. Perhaps with the same company or three separate ones, which is very appealing to employers at the graduate level.

Where to look?
The Careers Service advertise summer internships via myCareer, so check this regularly for new opportunities.

Other recommended platforms include:

• Gradcracker
• Prospects
• Rate My Placement
• All About Careers
• Milkround

Graduate level – STEM Graduates into Business
The STEM Graduates into Business project aims to connect recent university graduates with small businesses in Devon to undertake internships lasting 6 to 12 months in roles related to Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics. Working with an SME (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise) has many benefits including opportunities to work on key projects from the start, the potential of being given responsibility from an early stage and exposure to cutting-edge innovations and new-to-market products. All opportunities are paid and a great way to secure relevant industry experience in your chosen sector post-graduation, also many of the businesses we are working with are keen to offer a permanent position for the right candidate.  

You can register your interest now to hear about future opportunities or search our current live vacancies here. 

Working part-time is an excellent way to gain valuable work experience around your studies, whilst earning some money.

Part-time work can be in a setting relevant to your degree subject but often is more informal and flexible. Whilst part-time work, in many cases, is more casual, don’t underestimate its benefit to you and your CV. Employers like to see that you have been employed, it shows you are therefore ‘employable’ and you will still gain important experience. It’s also a good CV builder which is important when applying for graduate opportunities. 

If you are looking for a part-time job on campus or in the local area visit myCareer, sign in using your University login and search for opportunities today. For more information visit our looking for work page.

Becoming a Student Ambassador can be a great way to gain some part-time work experience whilst at University. Once you’ve passed a recruitment process you are part of a dedicated and professional team, supporting a variety of departments across the University at open, applicant and interview days and other events.

• Central Student Ambassadors undertake activities on open days such as guest registration or campus tours.
• Subject-Specific Student Ambassadors talk about their course in more depth.

The careers service recruit Student Ambassadors from across the full range of courses and from diverse backgrounds and experiences. It’s a great team to be part of! 

Find out more about becoming a Student Ambassador

You can also gain experience and insight into your chosen profession via different mentoring programmes run by the University. When joining the Professional Mentoring Programme, run from the Careers Service, you’ll be allocated with a mentor for six months, giving you the opportunity to ask various questions about their career journey, industry/sector knowledge, recruitment related top tips, and more.

Find out more about our different mentoring programmes

 

An ‘extracurricular activity’ is something you participate in outside of your studies. There are many ways you can do this at University and all will provide you with the opportunity to develop soft skills and experience favoured by employers.

Examples include, joining a club and/or society with a role to play on the committee, or, being a course rep for your year group (SU LINK).

The Careers Service also run a number of events for you, such as, the FLUX competition and the creative CV competition. All geared around providing you with a platform to push some comfort barriers, as you would in the real world once you graduate.

Volunteering with the SU
Volunteering is a fun and flexible way to gain valuable experience, to develop your skillset whilst making a positive impact and giving back to the community. It also says a lot about you as an individual and can be an interesting talking point when in future job interviews. The University of Plymouth SU collaborates with charities and organisations so that you can be more than just your degree and develop so much more.

For information visit https://www.upsu.com/volunteer/

Work Based Learning (WBL)
WBL is like mini placement where you gain work experience over one module during your normal studies, with some credit attached. Different courses have work-based learning modules in different years, so ask your lecturer or personal tutor if this is an option that is available to you. Remember, if WBL learning is not part of your degree then speak with the Careers Service about an internship or placement.