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Industry Placements

One year Industry Placements offer real employment and pay!

Many students in the School take advantage of an optional industry placement between years two and three of their degree. This year-long, paid placement allows students to develop a range of skills and enhance their employment prospects.

The School has excellent links with a wide range of businesses and research institutes and recent students have enjoyed placements at companies like Cadbury, Dairy Crest, Dr Oetker, GlaxoSmithKline, Kellogg’s, Tesco, Trebor Bassett, Unilever, Mars, Kraft, and Sainsbury’s, The Environment Agency and the John Innes Centre. Placement students become employees of their chosen organisation and are paid a salary for the work they undertake.

Students undertaking an industrial placement during this intercalated year may have their degree certificate endorsed with " Industrial Placement Award " in recognition. Further information . pdf file

Here are some profiles of recent student experiences on placements:

Steffi Lundy

BSc Nutrition and Food Science

Steffi’s placement was with Cadbury, as a project technician in the Product and Ingredient Innovation Department.

 “ During my year I worked in the Project Research  Centre, the Pilot Plant and the Consumer Science Division. At Cadbury, a number of project managers work on long-term technology projects, which, if successful, will be commercialised in the next two to three years. Steffi Lundy

I learnt how to make a wide range of confectionery products ranging from chewing gum to hard candy – I think I was best at making jelly/gummy sweets! I also got an opportunity to go on a factory tour of Bourneville and see manufacturing, which was a very different part of the food industry from my day-to-day job. I was fortunate too to travel to Cadbury France in Lille to conduct a pilot scale trial on one of my projects. From speaking to colleagues I gained an understanding of commercialisation, supply chain, marketing and consumer knowledge.

The whole experience has given me a good idea of what I want to do in the future – I definitely want to work in new product development rather than a research role. I feel I learn and develop much better from hands-on experience. My placement also helped me choose my final-year project – it’s not a confectionery application, but a savoury product showing future employers that I can be diverse and work on a wide range of different food products.

I have learnt so much and developed so many useful skills for both university and the future while having a lot of fun along the way!”

Steffi is taking a year to go travelling before applying for graduate jobs.

 

Jennifer Spencer

BSc Microbiology

For her year in industry, Jennifer worked as a research and development microbiologist for GlaxoSmithKline at their factory site in Gloucestershire where they manufacture soft drinks including Lucozade, Ribena and Horlicks.

 

"The placement was based on researching soft drink preservation and spoilage. During the placement I gained practical experience in microbiology test methods, project management and presentation skills. I also received a greater understanding of the role of microbiology in the food industry.

Studying BSc Microbiology had prepared me for a microbiology placement, enabling me to complete research projects and answer queries from colleagues on the subject.

I had experience of working in a laboratory from practical classes at university. This meant I knew the basic techniques and just had to apply them to different experiments and different pieces of equipment.

The year in industry experience has shown me that I want a career in microbiology. I would like to do more research in the future. I believe I am now much better placed to get a job after university. Not only do I have a better understanding of the companies which employ microbiologists and the types of jobs available, I have made valuable contacts, both with people in industry and with university professors. I am also hoping to have a research paper, based on one of my projects, published in the near future.

I now have much higher aims and expectations. I feel I have the potential to achieve much more than before. I am more focused and passionate about microbiology and scientific research and also feel more confident. The experience has affected my personal and professional life really positively. I would advise all students to go for it! It has been one of the best things I’ve ever done."

Jennifer has a place on The M&S Graduate Scheme and started in September 2011.

 

Dan Freeman

BSc Environmental Science

Dan is undertaking a 12-month industry placement in environmental management at Bombardier Transportation, the UK’s last remaining train manufacturer.

"My placement was advertised through the School’s email bulletin and I applied a few days later. I work in the Health, Safety and Environment Department which is unique because the work we do directly applies to everyone within the company.

Most of my job revolves around five key pieces of environmentally related legislation – covering batteries, waste,packaging, Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) and the Carbon Reduction Commitment(CRC). In short, these all require submission of accurate data (such as solvent usage during the painting of trains), which is compiled on some very sophisticated Excel spreadsheets –most of which I get to work on – and my skills have benefitted as a result.

The most interesting part of my job involves carrying out audits of the production bays where the trains are built. I assess each bay’s environmental performance based on how well they segregate their waste, their energy usage and behavioural measures. Seeing theory put into practice in an exciting workplace makes this all the more enjoyable.

I can really recommend doing a placement to every student. Mine has taught me more than just a handful of specific skills on the job. Even if you don’t get a placement that exactly fits your career plans, it will give you a new perspective and raise questions that help you decide what you really want – all while increasing your employability dramatically. The transferable skills that you pick up are invaluable to any employer.

Being in a business environment really keeps you on your toes; the rate at which you learn things is incredible. Added to this, I feel more prepared for my final year at university, and having been on a salary for a year, I have learnt to manage my money better – something which I think every student could benefit from!"

Dan returned to University in September 2011 for his final year of studies.

 

 

Divya Malik

BSc Biotechnology

Divya undertook a one-year placement at Campden BRI, a company that carries out research and development for the food and drinks industry worldwide.

"I worked as a lab technician in the Department of Microbiology for 13 months, based primarily with the Processing, Preservation and Spoilage group. They conduct research into the growth and survival of both pathogens and spoilage organisms, which are damaging to food products and in some cases lead to food poisoning. Predictive modelling, shelf-life tests and produce decontamination are all utilised.

One of the projects I worked on involved a practical study regarding the evaluation and validation of shelf-life testing protocols. The aim of this project was to assess a simplified

Campden BRI type approach to Listeria challenge testing against a more detailed EU approach to find out whether the simplified method would give results similar to a much more complex and expensive method.

The placement has improved my interpersonal and communication skills as working on a project like this, with multiple aspects, teaches you to be in touch with the project supervisor at all times to avoid mistakes which can be costly to the company.

I’ve learned numerous technical skills from working in a lab full-time, some of which I had never heard of before embarking on this journey! I am now fully competent when it comes to most microbiological techniques as well as utilising most machines used in the lab. I also got to work with numerous organisms including Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria and even the pathogen Clostridium botulinum, a chance most undergraduates rarely get.

Being surrounded by researchers during my year out in industry and having the opportunity to ask them about their experiences has motivated me to opt for a PhD as my future career path, probably in molecular genetics."

Divya has been offered a Darwin studentship to study for a PhD at Edinburgh University.

May Ling

BSc Nutrition and Food Science

May Ling spent her placement at GalxoSmithKline in the Research and Development department at Coleford, where the company develops consumer products like Ribena and Horlicks.

 

"During my time in R&D, my main responsibility was to work with the sensory team. I also worked with both trained sensory panellists as well as untrained consumers. Sensory analysis is the scientific discipline that applies principles of scientific design and statistical analysis to the use of human senses for the purpose of evaluating consumer products. We have a trained panel to tell us how the products taste like and we have consumers to tell us how much they like the products

My daily job involved working in the sensory laboratory, setting up sensory tests, analysing sensory data and running the panel sessions. I was also given many different responsibilities through different mini projects to demonstrate my organisation and problem solving skills.

My main project allowed me to participate in choosing appropriate research methodologies, coordinating sensory tests, analysing and interpreting experimental data and finally providing technical recommendations to sensory and business through oral and written presentations. Through this project, I have learned to analyse panel performance, to understand the influence of packaging and to help organise and analyse a ring trial between different panels.

My placement at GSK has not only allowed me to experience and learn about sensory science, it has also allowed me to broaden my knowledge in both scientific knowledge and business awareness. I have developed a wide range of important skills that will benefit me in my future career, including organisation, accountability, effectiveness, teamwork, communication, problem solving and leadership. I have also developed my self confidence and the ability to use my own initiative. And most importantly, I had so much fun working and learning from experienced and knowledgeable people."

May Ling graduated in July 2009 and is now studying for a PhD in flavour research.

 

 

Chris Sorrell

BSc Environmental Science

Chris worked at the aero-engine provider Rolls-Royce for his Industrial Placement year.

 

Chris chose to take a year out in order to broaden his horizons and gain an insight into what opportunities exist in the world of work.

He was responsible for conducting a major statistics project on manufacturing issues, working with principal Rolls-Royce technologists, where the statistical training he had received from his course was useful. He also had to juggle many different analysis tasks and learnt to appreciate the practicalities of working with people, such as chasing them up and treading carefully when required! He had opportunities to experience other project areas within Rolls-Royce including technical drawings and processing.

 

Fiona West

BSc Plant Science

Fiona worked in the Pathology Department at NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany), a plant science research organisation in Cambridge.

NIAB" During my time at NIAB I was introduced to the UK CPVS (UK cereal pathogen virulence survey). I was shown how to inoculate plants with diseases like rust and mildew. I was also taught how to carry out DNA extractions. I had the opportunity to inoculate test beds with barley yellow and brown rust and wheat yellow and brown rust. This was done to asses the effectiveness of different fungicides.

I think the most important thing I have learnt is how to write a scientific report. This will be most valuable to me when writing my final year project. Other important skills that I will take away are how to keep a lab book, report presentation skills, time management, independent working, and team working skills."

Fiona graduated in 2011.

 

Lucy Harris

BSc Nutrition and Food Science, third year

Lucy’s one year placement was with Dr Oetker, an international family enterprise and producers of home-baking products and pizzas.

Lucy Harris

“I was based at the UK Head Office in Leeds, where I worked in the Research and Development Department. My project work focused on ‘mixes’ in six categories: brownie, cookie, muffin, cakes (adults and kids) and tarts. The aim was to determine which product is the best in its category by looking at many different parameters, across all major competitor products.

I devised a test schedule for each category and over a six-week period produced weekly tasting sessions for volunteers, baking a different category each week – in my first week of this project, I had nine separate brownie mixes to bake-up! I had to prepare detailed questionnaires for each mixes category.

Apart from taste, some of the other factors I considered in my assessment parameters were the number of servings per product, the bake time, whether electrical equipment was required and the amount of packaging per product.

Undertaking a placement has been a fantastic way for me to get to know what I like and what I don’t like in the food industry. I produced items for photography which appeared on recipe cards in ASDA and in the BBC Good Food magazine. I thoroughly enjoyed this role and am now considering a career in food styling.

Rajiv Perumal

BSc Food Science

Rajiv secured a one-year placement as a Technologist within the Applied Science Team in the Research and Development department of Mars Snack-food UK

Rajiv Perumal"My project involved investigations toward the scientific understanding of the structure and potential applications of vacuum expanded fat-based creams. I conducted research to gather the required information through reading previous reports, talking to sources, brainstorming and if necessary a brief lab practice session to give an indication of the experiments’ success.

Coming from full-time education I had to adapt considerably for my first full time job. This was mostly planning where to stay, to familiarise myself with bus routes, to manage time effectively, and acquire the professionalism to carry out my duties accordingly.

I entered into a formal agreement between Mars and the University to allow me to voluntarily undertake a final year research project with direct links to Mars. I intend to stay within the confectionery industry and learn more about science and trends before I focus my postgraduate studies on the business side of things. By working together with the university and Mars, I feel that the quality of my degree is enhanced thorough the reputation of my supporting sponsors.

My best advice would be when being inducted into the company, whether you’re in a multinational or a small/medium business, is that it is important to complete this process as inquisitively and as thoroughly as possible. Try and diversify your contacts and work-types. Try to get a week to shadow someone with a different project or in a different department and learn all about that department. It would be great to be able to say at the end of your placement that you learned all about R&D, Sales, Marketing and Manufacturing during your placement year."

Rajiv is currently completing an industry funded PhD in Food Sciences.

 

 

School of Biosciences

University of Nottingham
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telephone: +44 (0)115 9516400
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email: biosciences-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk