Placement year - How important?
Hello guys, my sister is currently studying chemical engineering and she is in her second year wanting to take a year out to do a placement year. My Dad & Mum are opposed to the idea and want her to finish her degree not taking the placement year. I was just wondering, how important it is to take a placement year for chemical engineering in terms of getting an engineering job as a graduate?
Do employers only hire people who take a placement year.
Also in terms of job prospects what is looked at more your A-Level grades or the degree you have achieved when applying for jobs?
How useful is a placement year honestly
Do employers only hire people who take a placement year.
Also in terms of job prospects what is looked at more your A-Level grades or the degree you have achieved when applying for jobs?
How useful is a placement year honestly
(edited 8 years ago)
Great question. I would urge your sister in the strongest terms to do a placement year if one is offered by her university. There are a number of reasons:-
- It gives real world experience in the field she will go into upon graduation and that is far more valuable than any grades when it comes to getting a job after graduation.
- It will give her an incite into her potential future career and whether she wishes to pursue it further.
- Many companies will hire former placement students directly.
- She will earn some much needed cash to replenish the coffers.
- If the year has been really successful, she will have something to aim for which is a huge motivator for that all important final year.
I can think of absolutely no reason for not doing a year out (unless of course it is another £9k of debt). In fact, I would employ someone with a year's experience but average results over a 1st class honours with A* at A-level but no experience.
Good luck to all!
- It gives real world experience in the field she will go into upon graduation and that is far more valuable than any grades when it comes to getting a job after graduation.
- It will give her an incite into her potential future career and whether she wishes to pursue it further.
- Many companies will hire former placement students directly.
- She will earn some much needed cash to replenish the coffers.
- If the year has been really successful, she will have something to aim for which is a huge motivator for that all important final year.
I can think of absolutely no reason for not doing a year out (unless of course it is another £9k of debt). In fact, I would employ someone with a year's experience but average results over a 1st class honours with A* at A-level but no experience.
Good luck to all!
Original post by Hudl
Hello guys, my sister is currently studies chemical engineering and she is in her second year wanting to take a year out to do a placement year. My Dad & Mum are opposed to the idea and want her to finish her degree not taking the placement year. I was just wondering, how important it is to take a placement year for chemical engineering in terms of getting an engineering job as a graduate?
Do employers only hire people who take a placement year.
Also in terms of job prospects what is looked at more your A-Level grades or the degree you have achieved when applying for jobs?
How useful is a placement year honestly
Do employers only hire people who take a placement year.
Also in terms of job prospects what is looked at more your A-Level grades or the degree you have achieved when applying for jobs?
How useful is a placement year honestly
Experience is very important, perhaps even paramount, in securing a job upon graduation. Therefore placement years are very valuable. Of course they're not the only way to gain such experience - it can also be gained via summer placements. But I think anyone who is opposed to the idea is, quite simply, foolish.
Original post by Smack
Experience is very important, perhaps even paramount, in securing a job upon graduation. Therefore placement years are very valuable. Of course they're not the only way to gain such experience - it can also be gained via summer placements. But I think anyone who is opposed to the idea is, quite simply, foolish.
As a parent I can say that when my son and I went to visit Derby (his insurance choice uni ) the course leader said that the uni thought it was so important that students actually got experience in their chosen field that they only offer a 4 year course (which includes the 1 yr industrial placement ) - I think that is a pretty powerful reason to put to your parents.
Employers don't just hire people with year-long placement experience, you can still get a job without one.A placement year gives you that extra edge (which can be very important if you want to work in hard to penetrate areas like F1) but you can still get hired even if you just take the conventional route of undertaking summer placements throughout your course.The problem I have always had with placement years is that they pay is so low when compared with entry level wages that undertaking a placement year is unlikely to pay off financially.
Original post by Minionmum
As a parent I can say that when my son and I went to visit Derby (his insurance choice uni ) the course leader said that the uni thought it was so important that students actually got experience in their chosen field that they only offer a 4 year course (which includes the 1 yr industrial placement ) - I think that is a pretty powerful reason to put to your parents.
This is not true. Perhaps that is the case for your son's degree choice but I am a student at Uni of Derby and we are not guaranteed a placement year. However, if we are able to secure a placement year ourselves we can take a year out. I'm doing a BEng in Mech Engineering.
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