A guide for companies

Since joining our team, E has been fantastic. He is very focused and enthusiastic, understands the requirement and the goal, asks right questions and works very hard and efficiently. I also believe he likes what he is doing here, so I am very pleased for him too. "

Imagination Technologies

 

The sixth month industrial placement takes place from April - September in the student's penultimate year (third year of a four year degree).

During this time, the student is employed to work on an industrial project which is directly relevant to their degree of study.

It gives the student the opportunity to build on a rigorous academic and technical education by providing hands-on experience and insight into the industrial and commercial challenges of business today.

For the employer, the Industrial Placement Scheme offers:

  •     an effective vehicle for recruiting our top graduates
  •     a cost-effective way of getting a project done at the highest technical standards
  •     the opportunity to encourage and invest in engineers of the future

The role of the Company: A summary of the process for participating companies is outlined in the Guide for Participating Companies section below. You can also read more details about employment conditions, confidentiality and the role of the industrial supervisor.

The role of Imperial College: We will guide you through the process, including advertising your placements to students and arranging interviews at Imperial if necessary. We will keep in close contact with the students and designated industrial supervisors/mentors during the placement, including a site visit in June/July to assess the student’s progress.

"Employer Bytes"

S is a very quick learner and always ready to take on new challenges. She has been proactive in picking up new skills and contribute towards the team deliverables. She has shown exceptional skills in Python programming where she is currently developing a data profiling application. Overall really impressive. "

Barclays

Regarding M, I met with his supervisor yesterday. He is doing very well indeed. He is both smart and ambitious - I suspect we will all end up working for him!"

Oliver Whyman

We already had high expectations of A and I’m happy to say he has exceeded them. He worked quickly through a structured training program and is now embedded in a live project and making a real contribution. This afternoon he is holding an architecture review to present his ideas to the design team, and later in the week he is due to be in the lab making device measurements. "

Semtech


 

A guide for participating companies

In addition to their project report and log-book, the student will also give a 15 minute presentation on their project as part of their academic assessment

We recommend that the company resolve any confidentiality concerns regarding the placement report, logbook and/or the presentation before the placement begins.  The company can ask the student to get his/her coursework approved by an internal manager in charge of the project or the IP Department.  This would enable the company to remove any commercially sensitive material and give the student a fair chance of assessment. This should not, however, prevent the student from discussing your organisation, the technologies they used or what they have learned from their work experience.

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) 
Some projects may contain confidential information.  NDAs may be put in place between a company and the employee i.e. the student and the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering.  Please note that NDAs must be signed by the Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering on behalf of Imperial College, London and cannot be signed by an individual academic assessor.

The placement student lies with the placement provider.  Industrial Placement students are usually paid for their work, and although the College does not stipulate a rate of pay, we recommend that the student is paid above the minimum wage.  Other statutory terms and conditions will also apply, including holiday leave allowance. It is expected that students on a placement will be able to take “leave” of 15 working days during the 6 months.  Please read the Imperial College Placement Learning Policy for full details. 

These conditions will be part of the contract of employment or appointment letter agreed between the company and their employee, i.e. the student.

Work permits

As the Industrial Placement is a component of the degree programme, overseas students do not require a work permit to undertake the placement.

We will require a signed Employer Details Form to be returned giving details of insurance and health and safety arrangements.  It is expected that students will be covered in the same manner as permanent employees under health and safety legislation.  Students must also be provided with a thorough health and safety induction and details of the individual in charge of health and safety.

Assessment of the student’s contribution and achievements by a company supervisor during the placement will form part of the assessment. We will require employers to complete an online assessment of the the student's work at the end of the placement which accounts for 30% of the student's total mark for the project.  Ongoing support, training, reviews and appraisals will also be given by the employer. 

Placement students are required to produce a weekly written account of their work in the form of an engineering logbook, describing their training and technical work.  This is submitted at the end of the placement with a report which will be a summary of the work completed.  The placement manager/supervisor is required to sign off the project report and logbook before submission.

ADVERTISE
Oct - Feb
RECRUIT
Oct - Feb
PLACEMENT
Apr - Sept
REVIEW
Oct
Contact us to discuss placement opportunities Review applications. Companies will follow their usual recruitment practices and policies to select suitable candidates.  Visit from Imperial tutor (June/July)  
Advertise vacanices using online submission Interview students   Advertise next year's placements
  Make offers    
  Complete details including any contractual / confidentiality arrangements    
What our students say about industrial experience: 

 

 

 

The successes and challenges of my work placement - Katarzyna Zukowska

 

 “Having just finished my placement, I have a lot of thoughts on what met my expectations and where I could do better during that time. As part of my Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree, I had an opportunity to do a six-month internship over the last term of my third year and the summer. Now that I’m going into my fourth and final year of study, I can fully recognise just how much it has shaped my career goals.”  Read more at: https://blogs.imperial.ac.uk/student-blogs/author/katarzyna/

 

Real life problems - Olivia

“From attempting real projects to managing cultural differences; my internship was full of incredible and memorable experiences.  Many of the real life problems turned out to be much more complicated than those faced in lectures.  There were many more factors to consider and so much more than a project grade riding on the outcome! The internship gave me an insight into working life and how large business works.  I came back to College with a clearer view of my future and consequently could make smarter choices about classes and career options”

Commercial knowledge - Ashley

“Overall this internship has shown me how to work in a much more commercial way and how to work closely with other engineers to ensure that a project runs smoothly and will work as expected with other aspects of the product”

Professionalism and new-found confidence - Chris

“I faced deadlines, presentations and experienced real life pressure which would have made the old Chris wilt and hide. But the desire to impress and succeed pushed me to be more creative, energetic and malleable than I’ve ever been. I now approach everything with a higher level of professionalism and a new-found burst of confidence, which is really making itself useful at a time when I’m juggling coursework and more”