Integrating a placement year into your degree is a great way of developing skills and kickstarting your career.
The Workplace offers a great range of opportunities for current students to gather much valued work experience during their course of study at the University of Wolverhampton. Our FAQ's listed below might help to answer some of your questions but do get in touch with the Careers and the Workplace Team.
Placements are periods of professional experience that could range from a few weeks to 12 months. They may be part of your course and may offer you academic credits towards your degree.
Industrial placements are a 12 month opportunity to work in a professional environment whilst still benefitting from the perks of being a student! It takes place between your second and final year of undergraduate study.
During a placement, you will be doing similar work to a normal employee of the organisation giving you a unique insight into your chosen profession or sector, the opportunity to acquire crucial personal skills and also the opportunity to build a network of useful contacts.
"Without work experience 52% of graduate employers rate your chances of receiving a job offer as not very likely".....ratemyplacement.co.uk
Placements offer a fantastic opportunity to gain experience and develop an understanding of your chosen field. Many companies that employ graduates use placement programmes as a method of recruitment so you could be fast tracked into employment or onto one of their graduate schemes if you impress them!
So, by doing a placement you can:
- Gain valuable work experience and insight to an area you are interested in
- Develop a range of employability skills
- Get paid for your placement (average £18,000 per annum)
- Potential to secure a graduate position within the organisation after completing your final year of study
- Develop an important network of business contacts
- Possibly contribute towards professional qualifications or final credits of your academic grade
- Explore career opportunities
- Have something practical to draw from in future interviews
- Become more Employable!
A placement can be undertaken anywhere - local, national – or even, in some instances, international – the choice is yours.
The team at 'The Workplace' constantly search for new placement opportunities but if you find an opportunity that interests you or you have been successful in securing one yourself, contact us for further support!
We would strongly encourage you to meet the team at 'The Workplace' who will ensure that all processes are completed so you can start your placement on time.
Visit: The Workplace, MD (Ambika Paul Building) Corridor, City Campus
Tel: 01902 323400
E-mail: theworkplace@wlv.ac.uk
Hear directly in this short video from Amy Rebic who graduated with a degree in BA(Hons) Human Resources Management of the many benefits of doing an industrial placement as a part of your course.