What is a placement? 

Choosing to enrol in a placement will offer you a fantastic opportunity to engage in challenging real-world situations, allowing you to apply various theories from the classroom and putting your developing skills to the test. You will spend time in the workplace ranging from 1 week to 12 months, gaining real-life, hands-on work experience in a relevant field of study. For example, if you are looking to become a surveyor, previous students have had the chance to work with leading surveying firms during their placement trimester, which have resulted in opportunities for graduate employment.

Why consider a placement? 

Placements offer you an opportunity to gain valuable work experience, related to your studies, prior to graduation. They provide an opportunity to apply what you've learned through lecturers and tutorials to real life working environments.

We strongly encourage all students to do a placement as part of your degree. We have found that not only will it help you decide what you want to do when you graduate and potentially lead to graduate job offers, but research suggests that those who have completed a placement achieve a higher degree classification overall. Generally, more people who do a placement get higher final grades than non-placement students (C. Jones, et al, 2017).

At Edinburgh Napier, we pride ourselves on our strong links with industry, and that’s why our current and past students have worked with some of the most influential businesses in Building & Surveying sector. Here are a few thoughts from some of our students and alumni, who have completed placements as part of their course:

"Placement for me involved lots of different tasks. I was working for WGC Scotland and was involved with all elements of the job such as producing bills, completing take-offs, measuring quantities and completing valuations. I followed projects from start to finish, which required me to be on various sites as well as in the office."

 - Finlay, BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying. 

"I managed to secure my placement with the biggest surveying firm in Scotland, and already there is a possibility of being offered a permanent job come the end of my degree."

On the following courses, you will have the opportunity to take on a 12-month placement starting in Trimester 1 of your 3rd year. Whilst on placement, you will undertake work-related assessments alongside gaining valuable work experience.

• Quantity Surveying
• Real Estate Surveying
• Building Surveying 

On the following courses, you will have the opportunity to take part in an insight week, starting in Trimester 3 of your 3rd or 4th year studies.

• Architectural Technology
  
  

"Will I still get credits towards my degree for taking a placement?"

"Are placements beneficial?"

Placements are incredibly beneficial. They provide you with work experience that is related to your field of study and allows you to apply the skills you develop through your studies to the workplace. Several students who have undertaken placements in the past have received offers of graduate employment from the placement host company. Placements also provide an opportunity to explore your preferences, including the environment, culture and size of organisation you prefer working in.

"Where can I go to get help and support on placements?"

You will be encouraged to attend placement preparation sessions ahead of commencing your placement, which will be tailored to the course you are enrolled on.

Sessions include an opportunity to hear from and meet employers and support with all aspects of searching for a placement, from developing their CV and cover letters to interviewing and identifying suitable placement hosts.

The Placement Team works closely with employers across the UK and regularly promote the latest placement opportunities directly to you.

Proactive students are also free to source and secure their own placement before verifying it with the placement team.

If you have any queries or concerns before, during or after your placement, you can contact scebeplacements@napier.ac.uk to speak to a member of the team.

"I don’t have a CV or a Cover Letter? Where do I start?"

You can find detailed guides on building a CV and advice for cover letters on our Student Futures Career Hub. There are even virtual events you can sign up to participate in. You can find out more information on our Student Futures web-page.

Employer Information

We work with businesses, charities, and the public sector to advertise placement opportunities.

Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for you to work with our students and placements offer the following benefits to your organisation:

• Dedicate time to a project that may not otherwise be resourced
• Build a talent pool of work-ready graduates, potentially reducing recruitment costs
• Develop existing staff through mentorship or supervision opportunities
• Establish links with Edinburgh Napier, which will benefit your organisation’s growth and immediate business needs

When you make the choice to work with our students, your business will benefit from their skills and ideas. Through our research-based teaching, placements and extra-curricular activities, our students develop strengths in leadership, teamwork, and project management, which make them highly employable graduates. The University has continued to climb the ranks, making us the highest placed of the Scottish post-1992 modern universities in the table.

If you would like to discuss a placement opportunity, contact us at: scebeplacements@napier.ac.uk