We’re well known for producing graduates with the skills that employers are looking for, and we’ve taken that a step further by ensuring that every single student at BU has the opportunity to take a work placement as part of their course.
Work placement on every degree
We’re the only university in the country that offers a work placement on every degree. Many last for a year, while others are shorter and fit in around other study units, but they all offer an invaluable insight into the career that our degrees prepare students for. They offer the chance to acquire new skills, to put theory into practice, and to network and make invaluable contacts.
More students on work placements
According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), we have more students on sandwich course work placements than any other university in Great Britain.
Further research by graduate-jobs.com found that nearly nine out of ten BU students who graduated in 2013 had spent time in a workplace before finishing their degree, further proof that we are delivering graduates who can hit the ground running.
Working with industry
Our commitment to employability goes beyond work placements, however. We work with big and small businesses to make sure our courses are evolving in the same way that their industries are.
Accreditations and partnerships
We’re also proud of the wide range of accreditations and partnerships we have with professional bodies. These include areas such as marketing, tourism, psychology, computing and sport. By talking to these bodies, we can tailor our degrees to meet their needs, as well as offering some exemptions from further professional exams.
It’s all proven to work as well. In all, 92% of our graduates are working or in further education within six months of leaving us (Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2014). Many of them return to us year after year as they climb the career ladder themselves, employing graduates or taking students on work placement because they know that, like them, our graduates have the skills and understanding to make a difference from the moment they join a business.
What our students say
“My placement helped me in my final year as I had a much more in-depth understanding of a business environment and its day-to-day operations, which I could apply to many of the modules.”
Shauna Carroll, BA (Hons) Retail Management
“I think every degree should have a placement year – it gives you skills that you can’t learn in university.”
Ben East, BA (Hons) Business Studies