www.le.ac.uk/careers

Finding an Industrial PlacementValerie Matthews-Lane

Careers Service

www.le.ac.uk/careers

‘With Industry’ year• MEng and BEng students are eligible for this option

• Placed with a company for a year between second and third years

• Undertake training and practical experience agreed between the department and the employer

• Regular contact with tutor during year

• Awarded ‘Certificate of Industrial Studies’

www.le.ac.uk/careers

Benefits of work experience

• Improves your employability

• Improved academic motivation & performance

• Develops your career thinking

• Develops personal & technical skills

• Evidence of skills demonstrated in context

• Increased commercial awareness

• Helps you stand out from the crowd

• Gain [relevant] experience

• Appreciate relevance of academic studies, better time management, increased self confidence;

• Post graduation: know what to expect, able to settle into work & make an impact more quickly

• Explore specific sectors/job roles & consider whether this might suit you

• Fast track to graduate recruitment/scheme

www.le.ac.uk/careers

Graduate labour market73

60%

400,000

£18-25k

Average number of applicants per vacancyAGR Summer Review 2012

Graduates receive a 2:1 or betterHesa 2010-11

New graduates each yearHesa

Average graduate salaryAGR Shortage of well qualified graduates for

Engineering/ITAGCAS 2012 & Royal Academy of Engineering 2010

13, 94013, 940 Eng. graduates 2010/11 achieved a 2:1 or better (total cohort of 22, 905) Hesa 2012

Note!

www.le.ac.uk/careers

How to be an employable graduate

90s

Now

Degree = employment

Degree + extracurricular = employment

UCAS tariff + 2:1 degree + good university extracurricular + work experience = employment

Higher UCAS tariff + 2:1 degree + top university extracurricular + work experience of measurable value + own personal brand = employment

www.le.ac.uk/careers

Registeronline

Onlineapplication

Assessment Centre &

InterviewsTelephone Interviews

Testing

The recruitment & selection process• Large organisations tend to be multi-stage, SMEs usually 2 stage

(application form & interviews)

• Large organisations, vacancies usually highly visible, early deadlines, competitive, need a strong application & ability to evidence the skills employers look for (e.g. via curricular & extra-curricular activities)

• Smaller organisations, vacancies less visible, may advertise via other recruitment sites e.g. careers.le.ac.uk/mycareers

www.le.ac.uk/careers

Where to look: employers websitesExamples of employers who offer industrial placements

• Airbus

• Arreva

• Augusta Westland

• Atkins

• Babcock

• BAE Systems

• Centrica

• Cummins

• Doosan Babcock

• EADS Astrium

• EON

• Lloyd’s Register

• Network Rail

• NPower

• QinetiQ

• Siemens

• Vauxhall

www.le.ac.uk/careers

Other websites

• Careers.le.ac.uk/mycareers• Gradcracker• Year in Industry• STEP• Prospects

• TARGETjobs

• e4s

• Inside Careers

• Rate My Placement

• All About Careers

www.le.ac.uk/careers

Using Social Media

• To research employers & develop awareness of what’s going on within the sector (commercial awareness)

• To find out about events & vacancies

• Engage with employers

www.le.ac.uk/careers

The Hidden Job Market

• Networking e.g. careers fairs

• Use personal & professional contacts

• Speculative applications

• Identify firms via business listings & directories e.g. www.yell.com, Leicester Chamber of Commerce, Professional organisations – Royal Aeronautical Society, Employer’s organisations e.g. Midlands Aerospace

• Student enterprise/volunteering/Leicester Award

www.le.ac.uk/careers

Opportunities to network with employers• Careers Fairs

• Other employer networking events and skills workshops

• Departmental events and contact with employers e.g. through the second year Engineering Design Project

• External and national events, competitions

• For information on events including those organised by the Careers Service www.le.ac.uk/careers/career/events

www.le.ac.uk/careers

Gain Work Experience

• Vacation Placements

• Voluntary work

• Part-time work

• Work shadowing

• Leicester Award

• Student Enterprise

• Project work (2nd & 3rd year)

www.le.ac.uk/careers

The Career Development Service • 1:1 Guidance inc. support with

identifying & approaching employers

• Feedback on draft CVs, CLs & Applications

• Workshops e.g. Applications, CVs & Interviews

• Work Placements/grad vacancies: MyCareers

• Website www.le.ac.uk/careers

• Book appointment by telephone (0116 252 2004) or at the Careers Help Desk in the Student Union 10.00 – 4.00pm Monday-Friday.

www.le.ac.uk/careers

We can help – keep in touch