Piers - Computer Science
My name is Piers and I’m entering my final year of computer science. I recently finished my placement year at Lighthouse Systems, a software development company located just outside of Crawley.
My placement year allowed me not only to improve upon my technical ability through working frequently with C# and SQL, but also on soft skills such as teamwork, relationship building, and communication. The year in industry has boosted my confidence in my postgraduate employability enormously.
I would recommend all students to do a placement year, as it is an experience that opens up so many opportunities.
Daniel - Engineering
My placement was in the Airbus Defence and Space mechanical design office in Portsmouth. Here I was involved in 3D modelling of parts and assemblies, 3D printing prototypes, and reviewing 3D designs using the virtual reality equipment in the office!
I was able to secure my placement thanks to the help and guidance of the placements team.
Despite having very limited work experience and CV writing experience, the team were able to proof read my applications and run mock interviews with me to boost my confidence. I would highly recommend any student to apply for a placement.
Marta - Maths
Hi, I’m Marta and I’m a maths student, currently on placement at Clarksons Research.
I started in my role as a Data Technician while working from home: it was a situation in which me, or my employers, have never been in due to the COVID pandemic. I can confidently say that, after my short time at the company, my organisational and IT skills have sharpened.
Clarksons has given me a better insight into how the research industry works, which has given me a better idea of what I want to do in the future.
Jake - Environmental Sciences
My name is Jake and I am currently studying Environmental Science BSc(Hons). I undertook my year-long placement as a Geo-Environmental Engineer at Land Science (Burgess Hill).
Throughout this placement, I developed new industry-based skills that enabled me to confidently conduct tests and interpret data to produce a clear and coherent report. These were specific to a client’s needs and/or engineering specifications.
This placement gave me an excellent insight into how the geo-technical industry works, and how process is applied to individual cases can create a coherent investigation. This knowledge will allow me to enter the industry with an excellent understanding of the direction I wish to go in, and, areas where I can improve personally.
Niveka - Geography
My name is Niveka Victoria, and I’m currently studying Geography BSc(Hons). I did my placement year at OFGEM, in Canary Wharf as a data analyst. It was nothing short of anything but a great experience. I was blessed with such an amazing manager and had a great team to work with. I learnt so much through each one I met at this organisation. This placement will benefit me in the future, as it’s a great experience to have in this competitive world and I have made a great group of connections, and I believe networking is important.
I am glad that the University of Brighton pushed me to venture out of my comfort zone and persuaded me to do a placement year.
I would recommend all students to do a placement year, as it is an experience that opens up so many opportunities.
Katarzyna - Biomedical Science
Although my placement-seeking journey was exceptionally long, I managed to land my Marketing Placement at Stryker, one of the top 10 medical devices and technologies companies in the world.
As an intern in Spine division, I was supporting execution of the marketing strategy for all European markets and some of my responsibilities included conducting market and competitor analysis, designing marketing collateral and managing internal communication channels.
Having had a chance to observe surgeons using Stryker’s products during live surgeries, I developed deeper understanding of the customer-facing roles and realised the impact we, as a company, had on patients’ lives.
As a person that has always had a profound desire to help people, this realisation opened a door to new career opportunities for me.
Ben - Product Design
My placement year was at Focusrite, a music technology company located in London. The year was an opportunity to build upon existing knowledge and learn new skills from seasoned professionals, such as app development, designing for accessibility, and reacting to user feedback throughout the design process.
Participating in a placement year is a great opportunity to put your course knowledge to practice, and work on real, valuable projects that can make a difference in the world.
Not only did it set me up with a plethora of new and improved skills for final year, my work ethic and focus improved dramatically. Do not hesitate to undertake a placement year.