Access to students
There is strong industrial involvement in all of the undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes related to the Institute and we have close relationships with many companies.
There are a range of opportunities for your business to become involved in order to attract the most able students and generally raise your profile within our student community.
Some of the most popular ways to engage with us are described below:
Student projects
All undergraduate and postgraduate taught engineering courses require students to complete a research project, either individually or as part of a team. Projects designed by industry provide a real learning experience though no guarantees are made regarding results. The company provides only the resources needed for a project and a small amount of direction. Most undergraduate projects start in September with MSc projects starting in June. Ideas for projects are welcome a few months before the start of the project.
Input into courses and course development
Many opportunities exist for company staff to become involved in the delivery of modules through guest lectures, case studies or leadership of group work. Industrialists also like to volunteer to act as Engineering mentors/advisors to students. In addition, companies are welcome to propose future
members of the Institutes Industrial Advisory Group – we have a wide range of industrialists who advise and comment on course developments, skill requirements and organisation.
Undergraduate student sponsorship
An effective way for you to work with students during their degrees, as well as following completion, is through
undergraduate sponsorship. Typically, individual sponsorship by a business is arranged in return for vacation and/or graduate employment. Sponsorship may be either for the duration of the degree or for the final years of a course after a student has spent a period of time with the company.
Industrial placement
For our students, getting out in the real engineering world can be a great experience and many industrial
partners make this a reality. For undergraduates this can be either vacation or year out employment opportunities. Vacation work is often used by companies to meet seasonal demand or to complete a project within a specified time frame. Year out employment involves a student taking a year out of their course to work in a company on a full-time basis. This has the advantage of offering you the chance to carry out an ‘extended interview’ with a student with the view to permanent employment after graduation.
If your course does not have a compulsory placement, integrated year in industry or compulsory year abroad where there is already an opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of that experience, you may be able to apply to undertake an optional placement year. While it is the student's responsibility to find and secure a placement, our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout this process. Contact placements@nottingham.ac.uk to find out more.
The school/faculty you are joining may also have additional placement opportunities. Please visit the school/faculty website for more information.
Please note: In order to undertake an optional placement year, you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet any requirements specified by the placement host. There is no guarantee that you will be able to undertake an optional placement as part of your course.
Graduate placements
For postgraduates, placements are typically project-based with students applying their skills to an industry specific problem. Projects are typically of between 4 and 6 weeks duration with time scales to fit both company and a prospective intern’s schedules.
Engineering Research Placements scheme (ERPs)
The ERPs was developed by the Faculty of Engineering to provide a simple and effective method of promoting
research placement opportunities/internships to our best undergraduate students. Students are able to experience firsthand the work of a researcher, working in a supportive learning environment under the guidance of an academic supervisor. Students undertake placements over the summer vacation, working at the University and/or premises of a company sponsor. You can find more details on ERPs here.
Graduate recruitment
There are a range of options to help employers recruit graduates including advertising vacancies, opportunities to exhibit at our annual recruitment fairs, arranging employer presentations and making your details available from the Career Development Resource Centre and web-site. Several companies have agreed that the Faculty can include in advertising literature that a degree programme is of ‘Preferred Status’ and the company has specifically targeted graduates and students as one of a small group
of universities.