MMU Business School A Student Guide to Sandwich Placements MMU Business School Placement Service was a top 4 finalist in the UK Rate My Placement Awards in 2010 and 2011. Students who undertake sandwich degrees are not only more employable, but also obtain a higher degree qualification. In 2008/09, 80% of MMU Business School sandwich students achieved a first or 2:1.
Placement Programmes All of our courses are available with a sandwich year between your second and final year of study, where you work for a year within an organisation as part of your degree programme. You must work for a minimum of 36 weeks, however most placements last up to 12 months and offer a full salary. Organising your Placement There will be briefings about the placement programme during the start of your second year. This will provide you with information about the placement year, how to start applying for placements and examples of previous employers. The placement team will support you in this process, offering you guidance when you are researching and applying for jobs. Finance for Placement Students Students who undertake a placement year will pay a reduced tuition fee. In 2009/10, this was set at 640. You can claim your student loan whilst on placement but you will not be entitled to an MMU bursary. You can expect to be paid between 12,000-16,500 depending on the role and location of your placement. The Benefits of a Placement Year The placement year has many benefits: Gain first hand experience of working within an organisation. This will be crucial when applying for jobs when you graduate. Put theory into practice. You will apply the theory from your first two years at university and see how it relates to the real world. Prove your independence, responsibility and confidence. A placement will help you achieve these characteristics and show employers that you are adaptable. Earn a salary and gain experience at the same time. Develop new networks and contacts which will be invaluable in your future career. Enhance your employability skills. You will have the opportunity to improve on various skills such as time management, organisational skills, project management, event management, interpersonal and communication skills. Enhance your final year grades. Capitalising on the knowledge and skills gained in industry can improve your final year grades. Opportunity to undertake a Placement-Based Project which accounts for 50% of your final year unit. This has the advantage of maximising your learning and understanding whilst on placement and reducing your project workload during your final year. 2
In 2008/09 80% of MMUBS sandwich students achieved a First or 2:1. The placement office advertise placements around the Business School and on the placement portal - these notices were regularly updated which enabled me to have a wide range of job opportunities to choose from. I applied for a number of jobs but when I did not get many interviews, the placement team helped me improve my CV and I started to be invited to interview. They helped me with my interview technique and discussed with me examples of answers for popular questions asked in interviews. Sarah Collins BA (Hons) Business (Sandwich) student on placement with the MMU Recruitment and Admissions team working as an Education Liaison Events Co-ordinator. 3
Come and see us! Pop in for a chat, or e-mail a member of staff from the Placement Office. You can find our contact details on the back of the brochure. 4 Over the past five years, Mölnlycke Healthcare has worked very closely with MMU Business School with our industrial placement programme. The process for recruitment is very robust and starts with discussions with the Business School about our industry and the kind of candidate we require. Working together on this programme has resulted in our industrial student placements being of the highest quality, proven by the fact that 3 so far have achieved a first class honours in their chosen degree. The 2008 2009 student is on course for a similar outcome and our current student placement is proving to be of equal measure. Steve Evans, International Business Development & Marketing Manager, Mölnlycke Health Care.
The Placement Office Support and Services for you The placement team offer numerous services to help you secure your placement. At the start of each academic year, they hold CV workshops to give you advice and tips on how to write a CV and what information you need to include: The Placement Office have developed and fostered relationships with a variety of organisations to provide placement opportunities for our students. The Placement Office advertises over 1000 vacancies every year, ranging from local, national and international employers. Students have access to a number of specialist resources to help and assist in securing placements. Book a 1-2-1 session with a member of the Placement Team to go through your cover letters, CV or application forms. Gain advice on how to improve these and give yourself the best possible chance of getting through to the interview stage. Once you reach the interview stage, you can book to attend a mock interview. This is a chance to practice your interview technique, see how interviews are structured and how you should conduct yourself during the interview. All placement vacancies are advertised on notice boards outside the Placement Office and via the portal online. Students are also encouraged to find their own placements as long as they meet the guidelines set by the Placement Office. The Placement Office also organise an annual placement fair & career development event. This takes place on campus and is a chance to meet with employers to discuss placement and graduate opportunities. Companies who have previously attended include: IBM, Kellogg s and Aviva. Throughout my placement seeking experience, I met all of the MMU placement team on different occasions and found them all to be extremely helpful and caring. At first, I was helped with my CV structure and covering letter, which gave me a starting point in applying for placements. After I had been unsuccessful at my first interview, I was invited in to the placement office to work on interview techniques, which I believe gave me the self confidence and communication skills needed in order for me to secure my placement. Christopher Elliott - BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance student who undertook his placement year at Wythenshawe Hospital as an Accounts Assistant. 5
Employers In past years, students have successfully completed placements with a wide range of blue chip, small and medium-sized organisations. Students have worked in a variety of sectors including automotive, finance, technology and business. There is a huge variety in the job roles available, including marketing, finance, IT, management, advertising and human resources. Previous students have undertaken placements at various companies: 6 Abbott GmbH & Co. KG Accenture Adidas Aldi Arcadia Group Ltd Bentley BMW British Airways Co-operative Financial Services Corpfin Limited Danbro Depuy International DHL Enterprise Rent a Car Exxon Mobil Fortnum and Mason Fujitsu-Siemens General Motors Halfords IBM J D Williams Kellogg s KPMG L Oreal LIDL Lloyds TSB Makro Manchester Digital Development Agency Marks and Spencer McDonald s Mercedes Microsoft MIDAS Mölnlycke Health Care Network Rail NHS Nike Panasonic UK Ltd Pfizer Ltd PricewaterhouseCoopers Sony SSL International Waitrose Walt Disney Warner Bros Xerox Zolfo Cooper
I feel that the year spent in placement has been hugely beneficial to me when returning to complete my final year. It has given me the experience of putting things into practice outside the context of an educational environment, allowing me to understand concepts studied at University in more detail. The year in placement has made me more focused, able to deal with the pressure of large workloads, and able to prioritise my time much more easily. I feel that with the year s experience of working in a corporate environment behind me, my final year at MMU is something that I will embrace and enjoy. Rachael Keogh - BA (Hons) International Business student who completed her placement year at East Midlands Business Services. Now 6 months into my placement at Walt Disney World Florida, I cannot express enough in words just how life changing, educational and beneficial those 6 months have been. I have gained unique work experience in the hospitality and branding sectors of the Disney company which has been invaluable as I m learning from a diverse work ethic and approach. Not to mention the friendships I have formed. The Placement Office at MMU were supportive in helping me get my Visa paperwork sorted out as well as checking up on me ensuring my safety and happiness. I can proudly say that with the Placement Office s help this last year I have been presented with once in a lifetime opportunities I would never have dreamed of! I still have to pinch myself from time to time. I am now collecting research to carry out my dissertation for the final year and am very much looking forward to my final year! Grivas Kopti - BA (Hons) Advertising Management and Brand Management student who completed his placement year at Walt Disney World Florida. 7
This publication is available in alternative formats. Please telephone 0161 247 3725. I have been working at Vimto Soft Drinks for 5 months and continue to thoroughly enjoy being a part of the marketing team. I have been involved in projects under three brands, including signing off final artwork for two formats of the new Cherry Vimto product, being involved in the creative process for the re-design of Sunkist packaging, and managing changes to the Panda website. One exciting project I worked on was managing a series of advertisements to go out to media outlets following the partnership of the Panda brand with the movie Planet 51. As part of our promotion pre and post release of the film in November 2009, I was responsible for creating an advertisement for regional press titles, which went to newspapers all over the country. I was also responsible for briefing an agency to create an advert specifically for a range of children s magazines. Both of these tasks were extremely rewarding, especially when more and more publications ran both adverts. Tom Mulready - BA (Hons) Business (Sandwich) student who undertook his placement year at Vimto Soft Drinks. Further Information For more information on the placement scheme at the Business School, please visit: www.business.mmu.ac.uk/placements Tel: 0161 247 3839 or 6613 Email: busplacement@mmu.ac.uk To find out more about undergraduate study at the Business School visit: www.business.mmu.ac.uk