Year in Industry - 2019 entry

The Year in Industry module will provide you with an opportunity to undertake practical work experience in a business, commercial or public sector engineering environment that is of direct relevance to your development as an experienced professional. You will apply the knowledge and skills from taught modules in the workplace, which will give you important insights into your potential job role once you graduate from university.

You will be responsible for finding your own placement (with support from the Student Experience and Employability Team and Career Zone), having developed the technical and career management skills necessary under ECM2112. All paperwork must be submitted by you, and approved by the module leader at least 4 weeks in advance of the start date for your placement. You can undertake your work placement in the UK, any part of the European Union countries that participate in the Erasmus+ programme, or other approved international setting.

The aim of this module is to provide practical work experience in a business, commercial or public sector setting that is of direct relevance to the subject-specific aims of your degree programme. Crucially, the module will also develop and enhance critical soft skills which are in demand within the engineering sector, e.g. communication, team working, time management, planning, resilience, commercial awareness.

The work that you will carry out depends on the nature and type of placement you are undertaking. However, it is mandatory that your employer gives you the opportunity to work on a substantial piece of work. This piece of work should form the basis of the technical report section of your Year in Industry report.

Finding a suitable placement:

It is up to you to find and successfully apply for a suitable Placement Organisation that meets the criteria for this module. However, support for you in identifying potential placement providers and applying will be provided via module ECM2112 (Professional Studies and Skills Development 2), the Student Experience and Employability Team and Career Zone.

Before commencement of the placement:

The chosen Placement Organisation and the work to be undertaken are both subject to approval by the Module Convenor, who draws up a formal agreement to be deposited with the College. Usually, this agreement will be made on the basis of an exchange of letters between the Placement Organisation and the Module Convenor, which sets out aims and objectives, duties and obligations of all parties involved. Once this agreement is complete, the Module Convenor will make you aware of the named link person in the College and the named link person in the Placement Organisation who are responsible for your pastoral/tutorial support, and of the nature of this support. Where the Placement Organisation is overseas and the language spoken is not English, you may be required to demonstrate sufficient proficiency in the language concerned in tests set by the Foreign Language Centre. Before commencement of the placement, you will be issued with a copy of the Engineering Year in Industry Placement Handbook by the Module Convenor.

During the Placement:

Progress during the placement you will be monitored through:

- Termly submission of an updated IPD record

- Two monitoring meetings at the host organisation, attended by the link person within the College, to discuss progress and matters of interest and/or concern. Where it is not feasible for the College link to visit the host organisation in person then this meeting may take the form of a video conference or skype call.

After Completion of the Placement:

Towards the end of the Placement, the main form of assessment takes the form of a Year in Industry report. This will be due around the middle of July, and will include:

- a description of one or more technical projects you undertook during placement;

- a reflective aspect describing the skills you learned and challenges undertaken during the placement;

- a host employer evaluation of your performance during the placement;

- your completed independent professional development pack.

After you return from the Placement Organisation and undertake the next stage of your degree, you will also present a poster that outlines the key aspects of your placement in an exhibition of all placements undertaken by fellow College undergraduates.

Re-assessment is not available for this module. If you are unable to secure an industrial placement for this module, or you do not pass the placement module, then your programme registration will be transferred to the corresponding programme without ‘Year in Industry’.

Basic reading:

Davies, John W, Communication for Engineering Students, Harlow (1996)

Bowden,J, Writing a Report: How to Prepare, Write and Present Effective Reports, 8th, How To Books Ltd (2008), ISBN: 978-1845282936

Neugebaur, J, Making the Most of your Placement, Sage Publications (2009), ISBN: 978-184787


ELE: http://vle.exeter.ac.uk

Web based and Electronic Resources:

My Career Zone - https://mycareerzone.exeter.ac.uk/students/

Career Mentor Scheme - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/mentor/

eXepert - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/exepert/

Career Sectors - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/sector/

Gradcracker - https://www.gradcracker.com/

The Student Engineer - https://www.theengineer.co.uk/the-student-engineer/

Reading list for this module: