Overview

The Placement Office in Queen’s Management School has been working closely with a wide range of employers over the last few decades to develop a first class placement programme. The programme prepares students for their year in industry and matches students with employer needs. The Placement Office offers a holistic approach to the development of student employability skills.

Preparation for placement begins in first year with an induction course educating students on the placement process. In second year, students attend a number of workshops on interview techniques, commercial awareness, presentation skills, peer learning, stress management and report writing. They also receive one to one support and guidance.

In addition to the formal placement programme, first year students are encouraged to apply for the City Scholarship programme (5 or 10 days’ work shadowing senior professionals) and other company summer/insight programmes.

Undergraduate students complete a minimum 9 month placement in their third year. Students studying a degree with a language spend their third year abroad on a compulsory international work placement in a region of the globe where the language being studied is the dominant tongue. 

The Placement Office run a series of annual events including the Finance, Actuarial and Business Fair, Placement Celebration Event, SIG trading game and a variety of employer led master classes. They also host biennially an Employer Liaison meeting, which allows employers to have an opportunity to contribute to the degree programmes and influence the direction of finance and actuarial education.  In 2020, 142 students went on placement, spread across 57 firms, and five countries.

Degree programmes

The placement programme applies to the following undergraduate degree programmes:

• BSc Actuarial Science and Risk Management
• BSc Accounting with a Modern Language
• BSc Economics with a Modern Language
• BSc Finance
• BSc International Business with a Modern Language
• BSc Business Management

Postgraduate students undertaking the MSc Marketing course also work closely with the Placement Office to develop the necessary skills to secure a 12 week summer internship.

Benefits of placement

A placement provides students with:

• Valuable work experience in a relevant business area and the chance to develop a range of work related skills demanded by graduate employers which will dramatically enhance overall employability.
• The opportunity to put academic theory into practice and apply textbook learning.
• Creation of a network of industry contacts and subsequent job opportunities.
• An insight into a particular career and future job opportunities thus enabling students to make informed career choices.
• Personal as well as professional development including self-confidence, self-discipline and responsibility.
• Experience of job application and adapting to workplace culture within a supported environment.

Benefits for employers

Regardless of the size of your organisation the recruitment of placement students has many benefits to offer.  Below are some of the main benefits:

• Overall by offering students a period of work experience your business will gain new ideas and fresh enthusiasm as well as a cost-effective flexible solution to your recruitment needs.
• Cost effective means of training and evaluating placement students for potential graduate opportunities.
• An extra resource.
• Developing links with Queen’s University Belfast and in particular Queen’s Management School.
• New skills and knowledge of modern practices/technologies.
• Provide existing staff the opportunity to develop supervisory skills through mentoring a student on placement

If you would like to find out more about the above programmes please email placementmae@qub.ac.uk or tel. 028 9097 4103.

Connect with us on linkedin.com/in/qms-placement-office