Year in Industry

• An opportunity to establish a relationship with bright and enthusiastic students
• A chance to have new perspectives and ideas while the students perform useful work to help achieve business objectives
• An opportunity to review their performance and potential for future sponsorship or recruitment 
• Raise your company profile with students and academics thereby supporting potential future collaborations (e.g., embedded industry projects and research)

Students on the following degree programmes can complete a Year in Industry:

• Aerospace Engineering 
• Civil Engineering 
• Engineering Design 
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering 
• Mechanical and Electrical Engineering 
• Engineering Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering

You can find out more about the individual programme content via our study pages.

Students will start their Year in Industry after they successfully complete their second year of study.

• We advertise and promote placement opportunities to engineering students.
• Contact the Year in Industry team at engf-yearinindustry@bristol.ac.uk and complete our Placement Opportunities Form with details of your opportunities.
•  We provide companies with the opportunity to raise their profile by engaging with students through:

• • Talks
  • Technical challenges 
  • Professional Skills workshops e.g., mock interviews
  • Networking events

• We coordinate the approvals process for placement opportunities and secured Year in Industry placements
• We ensure students receive training on professional behaviours and Health and Safety before their Year in Industry placements start.
• We support students and the organisation during the Year in Industry 
  • Provide an Academic Supervisor who supports the Year in Industry assessments
  • We schedule regular drop-in sessions for the students

Year in Industry placements must:

• Meet the university's Intended Learning Outcomes for the engineering Year in Industry programme and it's associated assessments 
• Be salaried at a minimum rate of the National Living Wage
  • from April 2025,  the National Living Wage has been set as £12.21 per hour.
  • Our average salary for student on placement in 2024/2025 is £23, 000 per annum.
• Be full-time for a minimum of 9 months and a maximum of 12 months
• Allocate the student a supervisor (line manager), who is responsible for the student's work, professional mentoring and wellbeing during their placement.
• Ensure students are employees and subject to the terms and conditions of the company, related Employment and Health and Safety laws and regulations.

All placement opportunities and secured placements will be reviewed and approved by our team to ensure they meet the criteria indicated above.

We are happy to discuss your placements opportunities with you and answer your questions (email: engf-yearinindustry@bristol.ac.uk).

• Email the Year in Industry team at engf-yearinindustry@bristol.ac.uk with details of your placement opportunity (i.e., a detailed job description)
  • We can provide you with our Placement Opportunities Form to complete.
• We will review and approve your Year in Industry placement opportunity prior to advertising it to our students.
  • All placement opportunities must meet our minimum placement requirements (shown above) for approval
    .
• Students directly apply to your opportunity and you arrange interviews
• Once a student has been offered a placement, and that offer has been accepted, you issue the student with a contract of employment.
• The University must conduct due diligence checks for each placement offered. This will involve:
  • Academic approval to ensure the placement meets our intended learning outcomes and UK-SPEC competences
  • Health & Safety and insurance approvals (and requests for supporting documentation). 
  • Issuing a Letter of Engagement for you to sign. 

• We would recommend that you advertise your opportunity between September 2024 and May 2025.
• We anticipate interviews and job offers will be conducted in a similar timeframe.
  • The University will conduct checks on all placements offered in this time with an aim to complete these before a student starts their Year in Industry placement.
  • All secured placements must confirmed and approved by the end of June 2025.

• We recommend to not hold interviews, assessments or schedule deadlines during university assessment preparation and exam periods.
  • You can find our University term dates for 2025/2026 on our website.

• Students can start their placements from July.
  • We recommend that they begin their placement before the end of September.
  • Placements can be extended if agreed between the company and the student.
  • Students are required to have finished their placement by September when they return to university.

Before the placement begins:

• Return the required details and paperwork in a timely manner. This will include:
  • Confirmation that the Year in Industry placement meets the University's placement requirements.
  • Health and Safety contact details.
  • Copy of employer's liability insurance.
  • Copy of the company's EDI statement.
  • Signed and dated letter of engagement (issued by the University)
• Allocate the student an industrial supervisor/ line manager. They are responsible for the student's work, professional development and wellbeing during their placement.
• Provide an induction for the student.
• If recruiting student visa holders, please refer to our Student Visas website and UKCISA website for additional guidance.

During the placement:

• The academic supervisor (a University of Bristol academic) will visit the student and industrial supervisor/ line manager at least twice during the placement. These visits will be either virtually or in-person and are linked to the student's Year in Industry assessments
• Both the student and company maintain contact with the university during the placement

Year in Industry Assessments:

Students will write and present two reports. These will be assessed by their Academic Supervisor, with input from the industrial supervisor:

• Mid-November / six to eight weeks after starting: a two-page report describing the company, the student's intended work, and identifying potential training and mentoring needs.
• Mid-May / shortly before completion of the placement: a 3,000 word report describing the work undertaken and its likely impact for  the company, plus personal development activites.

Students will also submit a Personal Development Plan (PDP) in March to review their progress and development during their year against UK-SPEC Competences. 

As the placement provider, you will be required to undertake a review of the students' progress on a regular basis throughout the placement.