Information for Employers

Students apply for placements during the second year of their course and take up the post in the Summer following their second year exams (June-September). 

Their placement finishes by September of the following year, when they return to University to complete the final year of their degree. 

From start to finish, a placement for an undergraduate must last for a minimum of 10 months.

A taught masters programme usually lasts one year – the industrial experience option extends this to two years. Students begin applying for placements any time after starting their first year (from Autumn time) and can take up a post from the September following the completion of their exams and MSc project. 

From start to finish, a placement for a postgraduate must last for a minimum of 8 months and a maximum of 12 months.

• Our undergraduate students study a broad range of subjects during the first two years of their degree so will come to you with a range of technical skills
• They’ll also bring a wealth of enthusiasm to learn and gain the from the experience
• You may find that, as few will have much experience in a business like yours, they will quickly adapt to ‘your way’ of doing things rather than having ingrained ways of working.

• Our postgraduate students study a range of specialised topics from Big Data Science to Sound and Music Computing – so you gain someone with advanced knowledge in a specialised field
• Many postgraduates already have prior work experience as well as their previous qualifications so come with a range of soft skills as well as advanced technical skills.

The University will provide support throughout the entire placement process. 

We will:

• Advertise your vacancy and assist with the recruitment process as required (at no cost)
• Ensure that the student is fully aware of the requirements of the placement year
• Ensure that you are aware of any requirements and responsibilities you have to the student before beginning the placement
• Be in regular contact with the student and visit them in their place of work during the placement year to ensure everything is going well
• Be available for you to contact (through our dedicated industrial placement manager) at any time during the placement with any queries or concerns you may have.

We do expect our students to receive a fair salary for the year’s work and the rate of pay varies widely according to the sector and role. Over the past few years salaries have ranged from £12K to £36K per annum.

No. You decide the precise length of the contract (within the limitations set out above) and following this, have no further employment obligations.

This makes the scheme an ideal option if you want to fill a skills gap or complete a fixed project without the long term commitment of a permanent employee.

In practice, however, we often see employers so impressed with our students that they decide to offer them a permanent position after they’ve completed their degree.

As the work placement is an integral part of their degree programme, overseas students doing a placement do not need additional work visas or paperwork from you as the employer.