Our placements give you the chance to work closely with industry partners on real-world projects and get a head-start in your engineering career even before you graduate.
What is a placement?
A work-based placement gives you the fantastic opportunity to spend time in the workplace, gaining real-life, hands-on work experience in a relevant field. You will engage in real-world challenges, apply the theories you learn in the classroom and put your developing skills to the test.
Why consider a placement?
Placements offer you an opportunity to gain valuable work experience related to your studies, even before you graduate. They provide an opportunity to apply what you have learned through lectures and tutorials to real-life working environments.
We strongly encourage all students to do a placement as part of their degree. Not only will it help you decide what you want to do when you graduate, it could potentially lead to a graduate job offer. Research suggests that those who have completed a placement achieve a higher degree classification overall. In general, 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 our current and past students have worked with some of the most influential businesses in the Engineering sector.
What Engineering placements are available?
On the following courses, you will have the opportunity to do an optional placement between Year 3 and Year 4 of your studies.
'My industry placement gave me the idea for my honours project. So it's safe to say that studying at Edinburgh Napier University has opened a lot of doors for me.'
- Annie, BEng Civil Engineering
Read Annie's placement story
'During my course, I joined the beX (Built Environmental Exchange) placement, and worked with an industrial partner during my dissertation. Thanks to that placement, my dissertation addressed real industry needs.'
- Bartosz, MSc Advanced Structural Engineering
Read Bartosz' placement story
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get credits towards my degree for taking a placement?
Yes, you will receive credits if you undertake an optional 20-week Electronic & Electrical Engineering placement during the course of your degree.
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 the start of your placement. These are tailored to the course you are enrolled on.
Sessions include an opportunity to hear from and meet employers and get support with all aspects of searching for a placement, from developing your 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 questions or concerns before, during or after your placement, you can always speak to a member of the team by contacting scebeplacements@napier.ac.uk.
Additional information for students about the Placement Process
I don't have a CV or a Cover Letter? Where do I start?
Students can find detailed guides on building a CV and how to write a great cover letter on our Career Hub. We offer virtual events you can sign up to participate in. The Employability and Careers team is a great resource for students throughout their studies.
Information for Employers
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.
Have a placement opportunity? We'd love to chat. Get in touch at: scebeplacements@napier.ac.uk.