Year in Industry Placements

A programme of paid placements with employers ranging from leading FTSE 100 companies to small innovative start-ups... for school leavers or undergraduates to gain valuable work experience and develop professional skills!

Ages 18 to 19
Offsite - Multiple locations
1 September 2022 to 1 September 2023
Free

Run by EDT.

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EDT help place school leavers and undergraduates with companies across the UK every year.

The Year in Industry programme lasts between 10 and 12 months and is a paid placement with companies working in technology, computing, science, engineering, business, marketing and finance across the UK – from leading FTSE 100 companies to small innovative start-ups.

Around a quarter of placed students will secure university sponsorship each year or return to guaranteed vacation work with their host company. Many of EDT's partner companies see The Year in Industry as an important part of their graduate recruitment programme or an introduction to a future apprentice.

Students will be employed by an EDT partner company and work on projects that will enable them to gain valuable work experience and develop professional skills that employers are looking for. They will receive full support through a volunteer mentoring service and the Placements Team for the duration of their placement year.

Students can apply to the programme during their university studies for their industrial year out, or in their final year of A levels/ Highers/ Advanced Highers or equivalent study, for a year’s work experience prior to going to university or as a year to help decide on the future direction of their career.

Accredited at Industrial Cadets Platinum level.

Learning outcomes

Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects
Improve attainment and progress in STEM subjects
Learning what the engineering workplace is like
Develop engineering employability skills
Improve awareness and aspirations for STEM-related study and careers
Challenge stereotypes by showing the diversity of disciplines, people and skills involved in engineering

Subjects and topics

- Chemistry
- Computing
- Design and Technology
- Engineering
- Maths
- Physics
- Chemical engineering
- Electronics, robotics and programming
- Energy and environment
- Materials, products and manufacturing
- Mechanical engineering, systems and processes
- Space and aerospace engineering
- Transport

Gatsby benchmarks

The Gatsby benchmarks are a framework for good careers guidance for schools across all of England and in some areas across the rest of the UK. This experience helps your school to reach the following benchmarks:

Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education

Essential skills

The essential skills every young person needs to succeed in education and their future career. Find out more at the Skills Builder Partnership. This experience builds the following skills:

Aiming high - the ability to set clear, tangible goals and devise a robust route to achieving them.
Creativity - the use of imagination and the generation of new ideas.
Leadership - supporting, encouraging and motivating others to achieve a shared goal.
Listening - the ability to listen and understand information.
Problem solving - the ability to find a solution to a complex situation or challenge.
Speaking - the oral transmission of information or ideas.
Staying positive - the ability to use tactics to overcome setbacks and achieve goals.
Teamwork - working cooperatively with others towards achieving a shared goal.