Year in Industry

The Year in Industry provides you with an opportunity to engage with enthusiastic and knowledgeable students who can make a valuable contribution to your company.

  • An opportunity to establish a relationship with bright and enthusiastic students
  • A chance to have new perspectives and ideas while the students perform useful work to help achieve business objectives
  • An opportunity to review their performance and potential for future sponsorship or recruitment 
  • Raise your company profile with students and academics thereby supporting potential future collaborations (e.g., embedded industry projects and research)

Students on the following degree programmes can complete a Year in Industry:

  • Aerospace Engineering 
  • Civil Engineering 
  • Engineering Design / Design Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering 
  • Mechanical and Electrical Engineering 
  • Engineering Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering

You can find out more about the individual programme content via our study pages.

Students will apply for placements during their second year of study and start their Year in Industry after successfully passing their second year exams.

The Year in Industry team in the Industrial Liaison Office will: 

  • Advertise and promote placement opportunities to engineering students.
  •  Provide companies with the opportunity to raise their profile by engaging with students through Talks, Professional Skills workshops (e.g., mock interviews), Technical Challenges and Networking Events. 
  • Coordinate the approvals process for placement opportunities and secured Year in Industry placements
  • Ensure students receive training on professional behaviours and Health and Safety before their Year in Industry placements start.
  • Support students and placement providers during the Year in Industry 
    • Provide an Academic Supervisor who supports the Year in Industry assessments
    • Schedule regular drop-in sessions for the students

 

Year in Industry placements MUST:

  • Meet the university's Intended Learning Outcomes for the engineering Year in Industry programme and it's associated assessments 
  • Be salaried at a minimum rate of the National Living Wage
    • Our average salary for student on placement in 2025/2026 is £24, 000 per annum.
    • We strongly advocate for students to receive a placement salary at the National Living Wage.
  • Be full-time for a minimum of 9 months and a maximum of 12 months
  • Allocate a supervisor (line manager), who is responsible for the student's work, professional mentoring and wellbeing during their placement.
  • Ensure students are employees and subject to the terms and conditions of the company, related Employment and Health and Safety laws and regulations.

All placement opportunities and secured placements will be reviewed and approved by our team to ensure they meet the criteria indicated above.

We are happy to discuss your placements opportunities with you and answer your questions (email: engf-yearinindustry@bristol.ac.uk).

  • Email the Year in Industry team at engf-yearinindustry@bristol.ac.uk with details of your placement opportunity (i.e., a detailed job description)
    • We can provide you with our Placement Opportunities Form to complete.
  • We will review and approve your Year in Industry placement opportunity before advertising it to our students.
    • All placement opportunities must meet our minimum placement requirements (shown above) to be approved.
  • Students directly apply to your opportunity and you arrange interviews
  • Once a student has been offered a placement, and that offer has been accepted, you will issue the student with a contract of employment.
  • The University MUST conduct due diligence checks for each placement offered. This will involve:
    • Academic approval to ensure the placement meets our intended learning outcomes and UK-SPEC competences
    • Health & Safety and insurance approvals (and requests for supporting documentation).
    • Issuing a Letter of Engagement for you to sign. 
  • We would recommend that you advertise your opportunity between September and May.
  • We anticipate interviews and job offers will be conducted in a similar timeframe.
    • The University will conduct Academic and Health & Safety approvals for all placements offered in this time with an aim to complete these before a student starts their Year in Industry placement.
    • All secured placements must be confirmed and approved by 30 June.
  • We recommend you do not hold interviews, assessments or schedule deadlines during university assessment preparation and exam periods.
  • Students can start their placements from July.
    • Students must pass their second year exams to continue onto their Year in Industry.
    • We recommend that they begin their placement before the end of September.
    • Placements can be extended if agreed between the company and the student.
    • Students are required to finish their placement before September of their next academic year.

 

Before the placement begins:

  • Return the required details and paperwork in a timely manner. This will include:
    • Confirmation that the Year in Industry placement meets the University's placement requirements (detailed job description and statement on line management).
    • Health and Safety contact details.
    • Copy of Public Liability and Employer's Liability insurance.
    • Confirmation that the company operates in accordance with employer's statutory responsibilities on equality and wellbeing
      • This can be in form of the company's EDI policy.
    • Signed and dated Letter of Engagement (issued by the University)
  • Allocate the student an industrial supervisor (line manager).
    • They are responsible for the student's work, professional development and wellbeing during their placement.
  • Provide an induction for the student.
  • If recruiting student visa holders, please refer to our Student Visas website and UKCISA website for additional guidance.

During the placement:

  • The Academic Supervisor (a University of Bristol academic) will visit the student and their line manager at least twice during the placement. These visits will be either virtually or in-person and are linked to the student's Year in Industry assessments.
  • Both the student and company maintain contact with the university during the placement.

 

Year in Industry Assessments:

Students will complete three assessment during their Year in Industry. These will be assessed by their Academic Supervisor, with input from the student's line manager:

  • Initial Assessment report and presentation (due in November/ December)
  • Mid-Placement review and Professional Development Plan (due in March)
  • Final Assessment report and presentation (due in May/ June)

As the placement provider, you will be required to undertake a review of the students' progress on a regular basis throughout the placement.