Gain work experience in the UK
ONE of the advantages of studying a degree in the United Kingdom (UK) is that many universities provide students with an option to gain valuable work experience as part of their degree – this is called a professional training placement or work placement.
* Professional training placement: Professional training placement is a period of paid or unpaid employment, which takes place after the second year (or, in some cases, third year) of undergraduate study.
The professional training programme offers a unique experience for students to gain access to the working world as an integral part of their studies, to meet employers, to develop job search skills and to acquire the employability skills that employers look for.
On beginning the placement, students will discover that professional training is more than work experience.
They will be working in a professional environment where your academic and personal potential can develop, helping them to become an all-rounded and reflective individual. These qualities are widely recognised by placement providers.
* Duration of placements: Most professional training placements last for a year.
Generally most employers want students to work up to a year. However, in some cases students undertake shorter placement with more than one employer.
* Benefits of placements: Professional training provides the opportunity to put a degree into practice.
Key benefits include:
> Gaining confidence, maturity and motivation:
The responsibility of a year in industry means that you will be challenged to step up and use your knowledge and skills to deliver a job or project.
> Providing focus for final year of study: Putting study into context within a professional environment often makes your final year more enjoyable and successful.
> Chance to test out a career path: Undertaking a professional training placement enables you to experience what your future career could hold and can open doors to graduate job opportunities.
> Introducing new opportunities: Discover possibilities you had not previously considered and speak with a variety of professionals about what their roles are really about – this is useful when you have not yet decided on a career path.
* Students’ reaction to professional training placement: Many students at the University of Surrey take advantages of the scheme and gain valuable experience.
“I would definitely recommend a professional training placement as it is a great way to find out about what you really want to do after graduation and makes you more employable in your final year,” said BSc (Hons) Business Management student Sifat Hasan.
“It is a great asset to have a year of professional experience under your belt before you graduate.”
Benefits of work placements are not just about gaining work experience.
Student of BSc (Hons) Mathematics Bethany Breed said: “My confidence increased tenfold during my professional training year and I’ve become much more driven, which has led me to have improved work ethics in my final year.”
The University of Surrey is one of the pioneers of professional training, with a history dating back to the late 19th century.
It is a crucial part of the process of personal and professional development which runs throughout the undergraduate programmes at Surrey.
The professional training placement programme is one of the largest in the world, with over 2,300 partners in the UK and overseas.
These organisations provide opportunities for students to put their skills into practice and to experience a real working environment.
For more on the professional training placement at Surrey, visit www.surrey.ac.uk or come and speak to the representatives at the British Council Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.