School of Creative Technologies (CT)

Benefits for Employers:

Employing a placement student will potentially provide your organisation with considerable benefits:

• Increased profitability.
• IT skills and knowledge of new technologies.
• Extra resource with additional skills to tackle projects otherwise put on the backburner.
• An injection of new ideas in an area where you, perhaps, have a skills gap.
• Fresh enthusiasm and the potential for innovation.
• Opportunity to lower the workload of permanent members of staff and free them up to take on more complicated and skilled work.
• Completion of specific tasks.
• Providing staff with opportunities to use and develop management skills and the chance to mentor students.
• Chance to give potential employee a thorough trial without obligation.
• Reduction of recruitment and training costs when placement students are employed after they graduate. 
• Useful recruiting ground for graduates.
• Awareness of the latest research through closer links to the University.
• Cost effective method of overcoming temporary staff shortages, particularly during busy periods.

 Length of the placement:

Students are generally available from the end of June until mid to late September of the following year and usually spend their entire third year working for their placement employer.  The minimum placement length is 36 weeks (full time) excluding holiday. 

When should I start the recruitment process?

Advertising your vacancy with us is free of charge.  We suggest that employers start the recruitment process from mid-September onwards as this is when the second-year students start their placement search.  Advertising early in the academic year also means that the maximum number of students will see your vacancy and you can select the very best student.  Obviously it is not always possible for organisations to start recruiting at this early stage and recruitment continues throughout the year.  Looking at our term dates can help plan your recruitment.

Salary

Payment is negotiable between the student and the employer.  Please contact us if you would like advice on average salaries.  We will advertise voluntary vacancies, but these tend to attract much less interest as most students are not in a position to work for free.

Employing International Students

Work placements are not normally subject to the usual work restrictions for international students but it is always advisable to check with the Home Office UK Border Agency regarding any individual circumstances.  The UK Council for International Student Affairs also provides useful information.

How we can help

We can co-ordinate the advertising and recruitment for student placement positions.  We can assist you in a number of ways:

• Draft adverts.
• Advertise vacancies.
• Arrange placement presentations on campus so you can promote your opportunities directly to the students.
• Collect applications form students and forward them to you.
• Arrange interviews on University premises, if required.
• Liaise with students after the interviews have taken place.

We also provide support to both employers and students during the placement period.  If you want your company to benefit from employing a placement student then contact us.  If you have an advert already, please email it to ctsplacements@gmail.com  Help with creating your advert is available in the information required for adverts document.  You should also read the employers’ responsibilities information so you know what is expected of your organisation.

The Purple Door Careers and Recruitment  pages detail other ways to promote your organisation to our students, including the Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair and advertising other vacancies such as graduate, part-time and summer placements. 

Contact Us

For more information about the student placement scheme or any enquiries please contact: