STEM Placements

Undertaking a work placement is a great chance for you to apply your current skills and gain new ones from a real-world setting, as well as putting you ahead of the competition when you graduate.

At USW we create graduates who are prepared for tomorrow. We offer learning that reflects employer demands, and equip our students with the skills and experience to succeed. We produce employment-ready graduates who are a step ahead of their competitors. 

• Real-world experience
• Great for your CV
• Apply what you've learnt
• Get an insight into what you enjoy (and what you might not)
• Potential to secure a job before graduating
• Gain confidence and skills which will help you in the final year of your degree
  

"I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience of working in the industry and constantly meeting new people. Having the opportunity to go on search warrants was one of the most exciting parts of the placement as I was able to see how an investigation progresses from an initial warrant to being submitted to the Hi-Tech Crime Unit for examination. 

These are opportunities that I would’ve never experienced from my university course alone, so I made sure to value every opportunity offered to me."

Daisy Stoyle, BSc (Hons) Computer Forensics

“I believe the technical skills I developed at the University of South Wales have assisted me a lot, as they gave me a general, broad understanding of the aviation industry, allowing me to pick things up more easily when starting the role. 

In particular, the Gas Turbines module along with my dissertation, ‘Future of Aircraft Propulsion’ significantly improved my understanding of the hardware and principles applied to jet engines. This gave me an advantage, as I understood key technical terms, processes and names of parts that others might not have."

Joshua,  BSc (Hons) Aircraft Maintenance Engineering

“During the third year of my MMath Mathematics degree, I completed a summer placement with the University of South Wales and Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) analysing critical care beds for the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran which is due to open in 2021.

“As part of this placement, I had regular meetings and direct access with ABUHB and visited the critical care unit at the Royal Gwent Hospital. The placement allowed me to use the skills and knowledge I have learnt during my university education and apply this to a real-world scenario.

Lizzie Williams, MMaths Mathematics

"In my first year, I went on a short work experience within the pharmacy unit of the Prince Charles Hospital where I was exposed to the clinical trials unit. This sparked an interest for me in this field, so when I heard of a three-month paid placement opportunity at PRA Health Sciences, a clinical trials company in Swansea, I thought it could show me a different side of the clinical trials process.

At PRA, I was assigned to a study that assessed the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a treatment undergoing clinical trials for breast cancer.  I learned how to use relevant software such as Datalabs and JReview, and a new function within Microsoft Excel, vlookup, which helped me to run listings."

Laura Pegg, Pharmaceutical Sciences

At USW we also have a scheme called Network75 which is a combined work placement and part-time study route to a degree. This is available for a select number of courses across the University.

Network75 Trainees are able to apply their academic knowledge to real-life work within their host company gaining the necessary skills, experience and qualifications that are highly sought after by industry.