What is an Industrial Placement?
An Industrial Placement is a year spent employed full-time by an industrial
company between the second and third years of your degree course.
I am a first year student - what do I need to do?
Generally speaking, you do not need to do anything until your second year.
However, if you are keen to spend a year in industry, or are registered
for a "with Industrial Experience" degree, there is nothing to stop you
approaching companies to find out whether they would be prepared to offer
you a placement in due course.
I am a second year student, registered for a "with
Industrial Experience" degree. What do I need to do? You will not
need to change your course registration, but you will need to find a placement.
The onus is on YOU to find a placement. The department will offer any assistance
it can by advertising on the notice board any opportunities notified to
it. Copies of previous years' placement adverts are kept in files in the
departmental library, so you can look through those to see which companies
have offered placements in the past.
I would like to change my registration to a "with
Industrial Experience" degree. How do I go about this? If you are
funded in any way by an external body, such as an LEA, then you will need
to obtain their permission. Changing your registration in this way means
that you are changing from a 3-year degree to a 4-year one, so this has
funding implications for whoever is paying the bills. The University will
require that part fees be paid during your placement year. Normally, LEAs
will only agree to a change in course registration during the first 15
months of your current course -- that is, up until December in your second
year. Sometimes, it is possible to change after this deadline, but usually
LEAs will refuse such requests on financial grounds.
I am not registered for a "with Industrial Experience"
degree, but I would like to spend a year in industry. You have the
option to intercalate -- that is, to interrupt your studies for a year.
You should still obtain the Department's permission, and that of the University
and your funding authority.
I am not registered for a "with Industrial Experience"
degree, but I would like to get experience by taking a three month summer
placement. This is a good idea, although you are very much "on your
own" as the Department cannot take responsibility for any placement you
may accept. Advertising for short placements can be found at the same points
of reference as the full one year placements. Most companies that run one
year schemes also run short three month schemes, so refer to the placement
notice board and the careers service web pages to find information.
I am an overseas student, can I do a placement?
Where the placement is an essential part of your degree programme, which applies
to our CSwIE and MEng programmes only, then you do not require permission to
take a placement. If, however, you wish to intercalate then there are strict
controls and you will have to make an application for permission to undertake
paid employment to the
Department of Education and Employment.
How long should I work for? A placement is nominally
for one year, from summer to summer. The precise dates are a matter for
negotiation with the company concerned, but the Department would normally
regard a year as between 9 months and 12 months of full-time employment.
You could normally expect to take holidays during this period in line with
the company's policy.
When do I need to find a job? Most placements are
only notified to the Department between January and summer. Companies often
leave decisions on placements quite late because of funding restrictions,
budget fixing for their financial year etc. This means that it can be quite
late before you get a placement fixed. Although this may be stressful for
you, it is normal and there is not much we can do about it. By far the
best way to counter this problem is for you to be proactive in job hunting:
you should make an effort to track down jobs and impress companies with
your enthusiasm! Don't just wait passively for something to land in your
lap. Remember that lots of other students will also be looking for jobs.
In your favour is that you come from one of the best Computer Science departments
in the country.
What happens if I cannot find a job? You can always
continue with the final year of your degree programme without doing a placement.
In the case of those registered for "with Industrial Experience" degrees,
this will require the permission of their funding authority. In theory,
this is subject to the same 15-month rule mentioned above, but in practice
LEAs are not likely to refuse as reverting to a 3-year programme will actually
save them money.
How much will I earn? This is again a matter for
negotiation with the company. In effect, during a placement you are a trainee,
so you cannot expect a high salary. As a rough guide many companies pay
in the region of £10,000 to £13,000 per year, but if you are
lucky you may get more.
Am I entitled to get an NUS card whilst on placement? You
are registered with the University during your placement so your swipe card is still
valid. If your NUS card is renewed each year, you should contact the Students Union.
What should I do about my final year project? The Project Book will be published on the departmental web pages and you will be notified as soon as this is available. If you do not have access to the Web you may then request a printed copy to be sent to you.
There will be information in these web pages that tell you what steps you need to take to select projects.
If you are thinking of submitting your own project:-
- Develop an A4 outline of your project idea this should consist of -
- A description of the project
- What you expect to learn from carrying out this project
- What software you intend to use for the project
- What hardware you intend to use for the project
- Open negotiation with a lecturer here in the department, either someone you
feel would be interested in the project you are suggesting (possibly your
second year tutor) or ask the advice of Dr. Chris Kirkham as to who you
should contact. Note that you cannot do a project of your own devising without
a member of staff in the department supervising it!
Developing your own project idea is fine and may be a good exercise in examining what area and subject is of interest to you. The best way forward, if this it what you want to do, could be to outline your ideas, then when the project book is published see if there are any projects that have similarity to your idea. You could then open up a discussion with the lecturer concerned and develop your ideas from there.
I want accommodation in halls when I return after my year
in industry.
Do the following:
- Contact the Accommodation office and ask for a "Present Student Form".
- This form should be returned with your choices for accommodation by the end of
February.
- This request is then sent to the Hall and they make their selections by the
end of March.
- A second round of placements into halls is made when offers have been made
and responses from students received. Accommodation try to complete this second
round of placements by Mid April each year.
There is no guarantee that you will get the hall of your choice.