Industrial placements offer route to careers
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Sheffield Hallam University product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Oct 19, 2006
Business Technology and IT students at Sheffield Hallam University are in increased demand this summer after completing industrial placements.
Business Technology and IT students at Sheffield Hallam University are in increased demand this summer after completing industrial placements - many resulting in employment retainers as they finish their final year.
The students will now use this experience to highlight the importance of industrial placements for succeeding in future careers, to students across the city.
The skills and enthusiasm of more than three hundred third year students have benefited Sheffield businesses during the year long placement, which began in summer 2005.
The professional, social and technical experience gained by working in their chosen career has expanded the students' career horizons and put them ahead of the competition in employment prospects.
The placements have also proven financially and academically beneficial for those involved, with several students securing employment retainers and places on graduate schemes.
Peter Millard, aged 21 from Grimsby, became such an important part of the web design team during his placement at print design agency Zionhill that they were reluctant to let him leave.
Peter has been persuaded to return with a monthly salary paid during his final year at university and the offer of a significant starting salary after he graduates in June 2007.
Millard said: "A placement gives all round experience so that after graduating you are really ready for the job".
"There are a number of situations university doesn't prepare you for, which a placement does".
"I am also financially better off for completing a year out on placement, being able to work for Zionhill in whatever spare time I have and securing a job with them after university".
Sheffield Hallam students are strongly advised to consider work placements, particularly in more competitive industries such as business technology and IT.
Industrial placement liaison tutor and senior lecturer in information systems, Andy McEwan, said: "Going to university is a vital learning curve, but the successful completion of industrial placements can open doors and add more strings to your bow".
"Industrial placements help to improve employability by linking academic skills to practical use in industry, and can also prove financially rewarding in the long and short term".
The students experienced a range of work related situations according to their chosen industry.
Emma Renshaw, 21, a business information systems student from Sheffield, travelled to Finland and Sweden as part of a special project undertaken at Sheffield based stainless steel distributor Outokumpu.
The placement helped her refocus her academic enthusiasm.
Renshaw said: "After two years of working hard at university, the placement was a welcome break from an academic atmosphere".
"In our final year most modules are business related and the placement means you can relate this to a real life work environment and see how it is used".
"It also helps to clarify and narrow down the type of career and working environment you can work in".
Work placements are a beneficial experience to employers also, many offering placements year on year.
Technology team leader Peter Bell from Eli Lilly said: "We take great pride in our placement programme".
"It has been running for over twenty years and many of our senior IT managers are ex-placement students".
"The programme is our official means of identifying and recruiting talented IT graduates into our UK organisation".
Previous placement students have taken their academic and honed professional skills forward to achieve quick career successes.
Computer studies graduates James Fox and Tim Jones have joined forces to form their own web business 3Squared.
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