Year in Industry Students and Placements

"My course involved a Year in Industry and for me, it was an excellent opportunity. I enjoyed my work thoroughly. It not only gave me very valuable experience, it also helped me to realise where I want to go in the future.

A Year in Industry provides a very important bullet point for my CV. Nowadays it is not only necessary to have a very good result, but you will definitely go to top of the list if you have practical experience with a good grade.

My Year in Industry was a good break from studying and helped me financially as all placements are well paid."

"I chose to integrate a year in industry into my course so that I could develop skills and experience in industry.

I worked with the Electronics team, designing and developing trackside equipment and testing circuit boards in the Energy Recovery and Energy Storage systems in the Mercedes F1 Power Units.

The Year In Industry gave me the chance to develop transferable skills such as organisation, communication and report writing, as well as practical electronics. I also used a range of professional software that i wouldn't have had the chance to use otherwise."

"For my Year in Industry, I was a Student Development Engineer at Zimmer Biomet, designing and developing hip replacements and surgical instrumentation. When I graduate, I will return to the same company as a Development Engineer.

My advice to others looking for a placement would be to just keep trying and don’t be afraid of emailing small companies that don’t advertise a Year in Industry—many companies have never even heard of the scheme before. And the Employability Team will also be able to give you advice when searching for placements/jobs. They are always there to offer support.

My favourite memories of my time in Swansea University have been my Year in Industry, being Treasurer of the Medical Engineering Society and making lots of great friendships."

"My placement year was extraordinary as I had the chance to work on two large scale infrastructure projects on opposite sides of the world. The first of which was a $500m+ water treatment plant in regional Queensland, Australia. After 10 months on that project I moved back to the UK to work on Bond Street Station upgrade in London.

Throughout the year I was challenged with different roles and I always felt like an important part of the team. When I was in Australia, I was involved with managing the in-situ concrete package of works on site. At the end of my 10 months on the project, I had wide reaching responsibilities from interfacing with the client, subcontractors and suppliers to planning works and quality assurance.

I am now a scholar of the company I worked for during my Year in Industry and I am looking forward to continuing my development with them after graduation."

"I would highly recommend doing a Year in Industry in your home country. I was able to do a placement endorsed by the university without travelling far from home. It is a win-win situation and I haven’t regretted making this decision since then.

Moreover, studying in UK but taking placement in Malaysia makes you aware of global trends and issues, giving you the tools to solve problems using the other country’s approach.

These placements help students to build professional networks in their home country even before they graduate. If students do well in their placement, it is no doubt that they will have increased their chances of getting a competitive graduate job upon returning to their hometown."