Academic excellence for business and the professions
ProfessionalPlacements and Pathway
Mohson Khan
Professional Liaison Unit
What You Will Find Out
• We’ll tell you– Why a professional placement is a good idea– When placements happen and where you work– What kinds of work you do– How we support you on placement
• City’s Professional Pathway– An alternative placement scheme and a unique reason
why students come to City
Industrial Experience: Why?
• A degree alone is not always enough – You also benefit from practical experience– Make yourself stand out in the graduate marketplace
• Practice makes perfect– Develop key transferable skills;
leadership, team-work, creativity
The Benefits of Placements• You get paid
– £12,000-20,000 p.a. for a typical IT placement
• May get a job offer when you graduate
• Experience of employers and types of work
• Ideas for your individual project
Improved education, employability and career prospects
Where Students Go…
What Students DoTomas – Games Programmer Monika – First line Support
What Students Do
Malak – Programmer & Data Analysis
Katherine - Systems Integration
Kunal - Technical Account Manager
Placement Process, Support• City has supported placements for over 20 years
– Specialists, experienced and integrated within your programme
• We support and assist you at all stages
– Industry knowledge - employer Q&A sessions, Hackathons,
site visits, tech talks– Application Support - 1:1 advice on CVs, cover letters, applications– Visits from work based learning advisors– Assessed deliverables
The Professional Pathway (PP)
• Start professional work on completion of first year• Same course content and exams as full-time students
– Requires one day per week at City four days in employment
– Degree with pathway placement takes 4 years
Same duration as one year placement students
Unique to City
Year 1
Professional Pathway (PP) : Route
2nd and Final year split over 3 years
Year 2Study /
Employment
Year 3Study /
Employment
Year 4Study /
Employment
Graduate with 3 years professional IT work experience
Professional Pathway (PP): Benefits
• Relevant paid work alongside studies– Possible to graduate without debt
• Greater variety of placements over three years• Accelerated entry to workplace
– Producing graduates who meet employer requirements– Industry finds PP graduates highly employable
Professional Pathway Mechanics• Requirements:
– Overall performance of 55%+– Securing an approved placement that allows PP study
• Study:– Study the same course content as other students
but at a slower pace
• Project work completed over summer
Placements Are Good For You
• What do you get– Improved education– Better career prospects– Paid
• What City offers you– A proven track record of supporting placements– A dedicated team to help you– A unique offering in UK Universities
• Questions?