The Gateway to Your Future
Reece Heathcote as part of his work placement with gait and Motion Technology Ltd.
University Studies offers direct support in maximising our students’ employability - regardless of whether they will be a freelancer, commissioned contractor, part-time or full-time employee.
‘Work Placements’ is a broad term encompassing all sorts of employer engagement activities. As a student at University Studies, you are encouraged to seek out and take advantage of opportunities to engage with potential future employers through various ventures, for example:
Live projects commissioned by employers (this may take place as part of a course module).
Interactive Q&A sessions from guest speakers in key sectors of the economy.
Relevant industry experience in the shape of formalised work placements and internships.
Work Placement Officer, Andy, with Trudy and Tom from TM Services.
These are all great ways of improving your chances of gaining relevant and meaningful employment at the end of your course. For many of us, it is a critical early experience of a professional working environment and a primary way of understanding more about how the employment market operates. This is powerful because, on completion of your course, employers will be looking particularly for those completing Higher Education programmes that have taken the initiative in boosting their professional portfolios and CV’s with evidence of their involvement in meaningful industry experiences.
Graduate recruiters often use work experience in the form of internship or placement schemes as a means of assessing potential candidates for employment. Placement durations vary, from a few hours to a few months and can be completed during term-time or breaks. At University Studies, we are passionate about helping you explore your own personal career options and making industry contacts through our diverse network of local and regional organisations. Work placements are also crucial in developing transferrable skills such as communication, teamworking, adaptability and putting theoretical knowledge into practice.
We regularly have students out on placements. For our full list of vacancies, please visit the ‘Careers and Work Placements’ pages on Canvas. You can also make suggestions of companies that you would like to approach and we can support you with this.
University Studies at West Suffolk College has a dedicated Work Placement team here to help you as you engage with employers during your course. You can contact your work placement officers, Jenny Gibson and Andy Fraser, by emailing: