Professional Liaison Unit
Placements and internships Your next step towards a brilliant career
School of Mathematics, Computer Science & Engineering Professional Liaison Unit www.city.ac.uk
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School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering
Operating exclusively within the School of Mathematics, Computer Science & Engineering, the Professional Liaison Unit (PLU) supports students and employers through the process of undertaking or providing placements, internships and work-based learning. There is no substitute for gaining hands-on experience in your chosen field during your degree. We will help you to achieve this.
Mohson Khan Professional Liaison Unit Manager
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Professional Liaison Unit
Take the next step Undertaking a placement or internship during your time at City, University of London offers an excellent opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills you have gained in the classroom. But the benefits don’t stop there… Enhance your employability
Potential employers are looking for graduates with professional experience, and your placement or internship provider may even offer you a graduate level job if you perform well.
Develop new skills
On-the-job learning and bespoke training will add to your skill set and enhance your CV.
Develop your professional network Applying for graduate jobs or completing project work in your final year will be easier if you’ve already made useful contacts in industry.
Gaining industry experience during your time at City will provide a vital stepping stone towards your future career. The PLU is here to support you and we look forward to accompanying you on your journey to success.
Improve your academic performance In general, students who complete a placement or internship perform better in their final year.
Earn while you study
Placement students can earn up to £25,000, with some organisations paying significantly more.
Get a head start in your chosen field The experience you gain may help you to enter an organisation at a higher level on completion of your studies.
Find out more To find out more about the benefits of seizing the opportunity to interact with industry, head to www.city.ac.uk/plu-schemes
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School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering
Explore your options
The PLU is dedicated to enhancing your experience at City and equipping you with the tools you will need to bridge the gap between education and employment. To achieve this, we offer a variety of bespoke work-based learning programmes, all of which have been designed to accommodate the wide-ranging and constantly changing needs of students and employers. All departments of the School of Mathematics, Computer Science & Engineering offer oneyear placements and summer internships, and Computer Sciences students can also take advantage of the Professional Pathway scheme. Placements
Our one-year placement scheme enables you to apply the skills and knowledge you have developed to manage real-life challenges in the workplace. You could earn up to ÂŁ25,000 while on placement, before returning to City to complete your final year of studies. A year spent in industry is a valuable opportunity to develop your technical skills and business knowledge. It can also lead to sponsorship and even future graduate employment. You will return to your studies with more maturity, motivation and a much better understanding of key concepts,
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having applied them on placement. For many students, the result is a higher class of degree.
Internships
Summer internships can last up to 12 weeks and enable you to gain an insight into your future career and to really understand your industry. You will gain exposure to a range of projects or can work on one specific project. This deeper understanding will help you to stand out in a highly competitive job market.
The Professional Pathway (PP) scheme
This innovative mode of study allows Computer Sciences students to transfer to relevant employment and complete their degree through a combination of dayrelease and e-learning. You can join the scheme at various points during your degree, providing you have met certain academic requirements. You will be employed for up to four days a week and study your course for 45 weeks of the year. You will attend lectures and other course components with full-time students, undertaking the same course content, but over a longer period.
Professional Liaison Unit
Getting started
Once you have decided which type of placement is right for you, research potential employers and establish exactly what working with them will involve.
Professional Pathway (PP): Routes
When looking for a suitable placement, consider the size, location and ethos of the company; decide whether you want to work in a particular sector or department of a business; and ask yourself whether there are any particular skills you are keen to develop.
2nd and final year split over 3 years
PP early entry Year 1
Full-time study
Year 2
Study/ Employment
Year 3
Study/ Employment
Year 4
Study/ Employment
This is a highly competitive environment, so you will need to act quickly, especially if your target is a large company. Respect the application deadlines, applying as early as possible to get ahead of the competition.
Full-time study
The application process usually involves filling out an online application form on the company’s website or sending a CV and covering letter. Your application will usually be made directly to the company, but many employers have close links with City, so you may be able to apply through the PLU.
PP late entry
Final year split over 2 years
Year 1
Year 2
Full-time study
Year 3
Study/ Employment
Year 4
Study/ Employment
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PP early entry is the most popular route. Students join PP early entry on completion of year 1
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PP late entry can either be taken on completion of year 2 as above OR on completion of a one-year placement. If joining after a placement the degree will be extended to 5 years
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Students on the MSci cannot join PP
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Students on a tier 4 visa can only join PP on completion of year 2
Thinking big?
If your initial application is successful, you may be invited to attend an interview or asked to visit an assessment centre to undertake a variety of tasks ranging from presentations and group work exercises to technical interviews and psychometric tests. Whatever you are asked to do will provide a useful insight into the expectations of large organisations.
A personal approach
Although they may not explicitly offer placements or internships, many smaller or medium-sized employers are open to an informal call or a speculative application. This enterprising approach to securing a placement or internship reflects the importance of networking, and many employers will be impressed by candidates who have the courage to contact them directly. The School of Mathematics, Computer Science & Engineering (SMEs) may also have a less complex application process, rewarding your display of initiative with a more straightforward route to your goal. Think carefully before applying speculatively to a corporate organisation that already advertises a placement scheme. If the channels already exist, you will be expected to use them.
Taking the Professional Pathway
The PP is unique to Computer Science students and will not always follow the usual application process. You will only be required to register your interest once you start your course and you will not start PP until you complete your first year. The PLU will source placement providers who are open to hiring a PP student and you will usually apply through the PLU, though you can also source your own roles.
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School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering
A culture of support
The PLU has helped City students to secure placement employment across a range of industries for over 20 years, sourcing exclusive opportunities with a wide range of employers. We are committed to providing attentive support in a variety of ways throughout your placement, ensuring that you benefit from the experience and giving you the knowledge and confidence to take control of your career. We run a range of workshops and one-toone sessions to help you make successful applications and prepare for interviews. These offer expert guidance on CV development, cover letters, application forms, interview technique and how to deal with assessment centres. You will also be assigned a work-based learning advisor (WLA) who will provide assistance for the duration of the placement by visiting the workplace and ensuring that both you and your employer are meeting a set of agreed deliverables. As part of our commitment to building your industry knowledge, we organise employer Q&A sessions, speed-networking events, hackathons, site visits and tech talks. We also run placement fairs to attract multinationals and SMEs.
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We are continually working to source more opportunities for students who understand that undertaking a placement or internship is a critical stage of their professional development. This involves encouraging potential employers to create opportunities that reflect your aspirations and will prepare you for a fast-moving and competitive employment marketplace.
Professional Liaison Unit
Leading by example
I have settled in well and I’m part of a great team who are ambitious and willing to help develop my skills and knowledge.
Managing my own project at such an early stage in my career will help me to develop good management skills for larger-scale projects later in my career.
Having selected placements that meet their interests and career goals, many of our students are happy to report back on their experiences. Here are some of their stories.
Biomedical Engineering
Civil & Structural Engineering
Harriett Rossouw is a Biomedical Engineering student who undertook placements at Royal Brompton Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Stefan Marsenic is currently on a one-year Highways & Transportation industrial placement with AECOM.
I started my placement year at the Royal Brompton Hospital as a trainee clinical technologist. A key skill was communicating with doctors and nurses to ensure that we coordinated our jobs with their needs. At Christmas, I moved to Great Ormond Street Hospital as a ventilator technician. During my placement, I learned more about being a part of a team and about the needs of the hospital. I also met people from the companies that make and repair our equipment and realised the importance of having been in the workplace, rather than just having a degree, when applying for jobs. Prior to my placement, I was unsure about the sort of career I wanted to pursue, but I knew that experience in the workplace would give me some time to work it out. After working in two leading London hospitals, I really feel like a part of the NHS, with a deeper understanding of the importance of the service.
Since joining AECOM, I have settled in well and I’m part of a great team who are ambitious and willing to help develop my skills and knowledge. In my first week, I was briefed on the new Metro service being built in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and asked to check outfall directions, existing locations and chainages of the drainage system of an entire line on the network. Southwark Council recently invited me to work with their Highways and Parking team in a graduate engineer role, even though I am still a student. I have been given the privilege of project managing the analysis and implementation of a controlled parking zone in the Elephant and Castle area. Managing my own project at such an early stage in my career will help me to develop good management skills for larger-scale projects later in my career.
Harriett Rossouw
Stefan Marsenic
Royal Brompton Hospital & Great Ormond Street Hospital
AECOM
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School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering
Computer Science
BSc Computer Science student Lahini Sivaganeshan is spending the third year of her degree with Oracle. I am having an incredible time at Oracle. I have been involved in numerous projects and opportunities that are both encouraging and challenging. A major project I have been involved with is Bloodhound SSC – a supersonic car that will cover a mile in just 3.4 seconds. I was able to visit the Bloodhound technical centre on numerous occasions, learning the technical and engineering aspects of the car from the engineers and my colleagues. I even had the chance to see the car in action on its first test run at Newquay airport.
Lahini Sivaganeshan
Placements like this are a great way to develop skills and grow confidence. Students should definitely try to get a placement, as it gives you a real insight to working life and can help you decide what sort of environment you would like to work in following university.
Placements like this are a great way to develop skills and grow confidence.
Oracle
Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Ibrahim Habib spent his placement year with BMW Mini.
During my placement year at BMW, I worked in the Assembly Process Planning department, which is responsible for all car-related assembly processes in the plant. I worked with multiple engineers who were responsible for different sections of the car. I joined the company at a very exciting time, as my mentor was leading the integration of the highly anticipated electric MINI.
Ibrahim Habib BMW Mini
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Very early into my placement, it was evident that there would be many challenges ahead because it was the first time a fully electric car was being integrated into an internal combustion engine vehicle assembly line across the whole BMW group. I was in a unique position to gain a great understanding of how real engineering problems are solved in a high-pressure environment.
I would highly recommend undertaking a placement year. You will learn so many skills that will be extremely useful when applying for jobs post-graduation. It’s a great opportunity to network with people at all levels and create key contacts who could be of great use in the future. I have been recommended by my manager for the BMW graduate scheme and also told that I would be very welcome to return to the department as a full-time engineer.
I was in a unique position to gain a great understanding of how real engineering problems are solved in a high-pressure environment.
Professional Liaison Unit
her placement, Banhu Nithianan Mathematics During is working as a Finance Analyst at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
I work in a team that focuses on 18 GSK manufacturing sites around Europe. During my placement, I have had the opportunity to network with people from different sites and departments, which has enabled me to enhance my communication skills. Organisation and time management are also key areas I have improved on, completing timed tasks with specific deadlines.
Banhu Nithianan
For the rest of the year, I hope to get an insight into the different sides of production accounting. Shadowing the accounting leads will also give me experience outside of my specific tasks. I also hope to learn about other roles within finance and develop key skills that will be useful in the workplace.
Before starting, I was unsure about the specific career path that I wanted to go down. Now I have been able to learn about a new side of accounting and I have also been able to broaden my network early in my career.
I have been able to broaden my network early in my career.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Engineering student Elma Mechanical & Aeronautical Akter is undertaking a one-year placement Aeronautical at DHL Air. Engineering I am currently based at East Midlands Airport, working as an Aircraft Engineering Intern at DHL Air. My first project consisted of developing an Engineering Department Handbook containing a detailed description of the roles and responsibilities of individual Engineering team members. I have recently started working on my second project, which involves monitoring brake unit component replacements of all DHL Air B767 aircraft during C-checks. I also undertake ad hoc tasks such as amending engineering procedures and performing data analysis of aircraft delays and cancellations.
Elma Akter DHL Air
Although I have only been working here for four months, I have learned a variety of aircraft engineering-based skills. I have also gained a good understanding of the technical language specific to aviation. Most importantly, I have developed great communication skills by interacting with a variety of people at DHL Air and external organisations.
By the end of my placement, I am hoping to have a deeper understanding of how an airline works. This is essential for my future goals, as I aspire to continue working within the aviation industry after graduating.
I have developed great communication skills by interacting with a variety of people. Find out more For more information about placement and internship opportunities in your subject area, head to www.city.ac.uk/plu-schemes
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School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering
Find your place
The School of Mathematics, Computer Science & Engineering is located in the heart of our cosmopolitan capital city. Our unique Central London location will allow you to develop your potential in the vibrant area of Clerkenwell, close to well-known and innovative businesses in the fields of software engineering, civil and structural engineering, design and finance. These companies employ our graduates to fuel their teams with fresh ideas and creativity. Over 700 former City students have found employment and placements within local companies and continued their personal development. During the last twenty years, Clerkenwell’s unique buildings have been transformed into modern design studios, showrooms and workshop spaces, attracting architectural, design and creative practices across the world. This is a truly dynamic area that combines traditional creative industries with high-profile contemporary designers, independent producers and international brands.
The nearby City of London is one of the world’s leading financial centres. With over 17,000 businesses employing over 454,000 professionals from all backgrounds, the district contributes over £45 billion to the UK’s national income and offers fantastic opportunities to students seeking employment within the insurance, banking and financial technology sectors. Also on our doorstep is Tech City – one of the biggest tech start-up clusters in the world. Originally developed in 2009, Tech City is supported by local and national government. It currently headquarters over 40,000 businesses and 36 business accelerators, and has attracted over £80 million in venture funding since 2010. Whatever your field of study, you’re in the right place to find a placement or internship suited to your strengths and career aspirations.
Find out more To find out more and explore companies, their activities and relevant opportunities within local hotspots, check out our interactive map at www.city.ac.uk/plu-london
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Professional Liaison Unit
You will be studying and working in close proximity to some of the world’s leading companies employing mathematicians, computer scientists and engineers.
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City, University of London Northampton Square London EC1V 0HB United Kingdom Email enquiries smcse-placements@city.ac.uk Telephone enquiries +44 (0) 20 7040 8409 Find out more www.city.ac.uk/plu
Find out more, visit www.city.ac.uk/plu
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