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University of Exeter Business School

Industrial placements

Work placements for employers

Add value to your business

  • Recruit high calibre, enthusiastic students
  • Assess fresh thinking
  • Test run an employee
  • Fill a skills gap
  • Resource a project
  • Raise your profile on campus

As the competition to recruit the best graduates intensifies, a way of identifying future talent is by offering student the opportunity to undertake a work placement within your organisation.

The University of Exeter Business School develops high-calibre, ‘work ready’ students. We encourage our students to enhance their employability through a guided programme of study and practice business experience.

Many employers offer industrial placements to identify, test, and develop future graduate talent. Students take the placement in their third year and receive 120 credits towards their degree. The minimum placement length is 33 weeks (plus holidays), but placements typically last for 12 months. Direction is provided through subject-based seminars, interactive e-resources and personal guidance. Opportunities, which usually start in July, August or September, are welcomed in the UK and internationally.

Industrial placement students are often paid an average of £21,000 per annum, but this can vary depending on sector and location.

Accounting and Finance, Economics, Business and Management.

We can advertise your placement free of charge. You simply need to provide a job description which should include: an organisation introduction, placement overview, remuneration, person specification, preferred start and end dates and application instructions. We advise advertising 6-9 months ahead of industrial placements.

To find out more about working with the Business School Careers Team contact us via: business-school-careers@exeter.ac.uk or +44 (0)1392 723829.

As a Business and Technology Consultant at IBM, I used innovative technology and industry expertise to facilitate BP’s global digital transformation. My roles were high responsibility and client-facing, including Automation Developer, Business Analyst, Junior Data Engineer and leading a team of Data Scientists as a Certified Scrum Master.

Joseph Cernuschi

BSc Economics with Industrial Experience

Accenture’s relationship with the Business School is proving evermore valuable in meeting the needs of our business. Both on a graduate and undergraduate level, their maturity, analytical approach and business acumen puts them in high standing at our assessment centres, and on countless occasions the students at Exeter have proven themselves to be a great fit to a career in consulting.

Francesca Seeley

Undergraduate Placements Recruiter, Accenture

We have hired a number of Exeter students into our industrial placement roles this year and the quality has been outstanding. With a reputation for being one the best Universities in the UK for Business students, this is also reflected in the services offered by the Business School Careers Team.

Harriette Gwilt

University Recruitment Graduate, Johnson & Johnson