← Engineering Student Portfolio
Stage 3 of 5
Placement or industrial training: learn how engineering really works
A placement, called industrial training or SIWES in Nigeria, is where your theory meets real projects. Places are competitive and becoming harder to get, so plan early. And if you do not get one, it is not the end of your career.
Part 1
Getting a placement
Start early
Begin planning in your middle years, not the term before you need it. Many applications open months in advance.
Use every guest lecture
Guest speakers and industry visitors are your first contacts. Ask a good question, introduce yourself afterwards, and connect on LinkedIn with a short, polite message saying what you enjoyed about their talk.
Use all the support your university offers
Careers services, placement or industrial training coordinators, CV reviews, mock interviews and employer events are there for you. Use them early and positively: the students who ask for help are the ones who get it.
Apply directly, and learn how to search
Where to look
Company careers pages, LinkedIn jobs and student job boards.
What to search
Your discipline with words such as “placement”, “industrial training”, “internship” or “summer”.
How to apply
Set alerts, tailor every application to the company, and keep a record of each one.
If you do not get one
It is not the end of your career. Look for summer work, volunteering, a research assistant role, extra site visits or short courses. Keep applying, record what you learn from each application, and ask for feedback where you can.
Part 2
Making the most of your placement
What you do will depend on your company and its projects. Whatever your tasks, these matter everywhere.
Your attitude comes first
Willingness to learn
Say yes to new tasks, even small ones.
Humility
You do not know much yet, so do not act as if you do. People notice, and they help those who are open to learning.
Punctuality
Be on time, every time. It is the easiest way to earn trust.
Take notes
Keep a notebook with you, including on site.
Ask questions
At the right moment, and after you have tried to find the answer yourself.
Be proactive
Volunteer for tasks and offer help before you are asked.
Build relationships with everyone, from senior engineers to site operatives. Excellence in character and attitude is remembered long after the technical work.
Link your theory to the work
Let people see that your theory is sound, and use it: connect what you learned in lectures to each task you do. Ask how and why things are done the way they are. Look out for the things you have learned about but never seen, and watch how they are done for real. If drawings are part of the work, practise reading them.
Learn how the workplace runs
Who does what
Understand the hierarchy and how decisions are made.
Tools and software
Learn what is used, and why.
Codes and standards
Note which ones the company works to.
Health and safety
Take inductions seriously and follow the policies.
Construction methods
See how work is planned, built and checked.
Communication
Give clear updates, and write emails your manager can act on.
Look ahead
Take part in any training or CPD the company offers. Ask about graduate schemes, sponsorship and recruitment: many companies offer roles to placement students who impressed them.
Your portfolio on placement: write a short entry every week or two while it is fresh, and ask your supervisor for written feedback before you leave. Always ask before keeping photos or company documents, and never keep anything confidential.
If you are an apprentice, everything in Part 2 applies to you every day. Use it to check how you are doing.
By the end of your placement
Signs you made the most of it
Tick the ones that feel true. Your ticks are saved in this browser.
Keep going
Capture it while it is fresh
A short entry every week or two is all it takes.
Get the free template