Benefits of studying a sandwich year

Many of our students at Swansea University choose to spend a Year in Industry as part of their degree, which can have huge benefits for the company involved and the student working within the company.

A Year in Industry can be taken as part of a BEng or MEng degree programme.

As part of your undergraduate course, a Year in Industry can provide a great enhancement to your degree and future career. Through the Year in Industry scheme, you will:

  • Increase your confidence in a work environment
  • Enhance your prospect of employment on graduation with evidence of work experience
  • Earn a wage with a year out from University (average salary of £16k during the placement year) 
  • Have the opportunity to improve both technical and non-technical skills through company training
  • Improve your planning capability 
  • Increase awareness of the importance of real world priorities and deadlines
  • Put your reporting and presentation skills into action
  • Increase your competence level towards Professional Status 
  • Develop your network of contacts in the industry
  • Improve your awareness of business criteria in general 

Statistical analysis also offers evidence that participation in a placement scheme increases the chances of obtaining an upper second or higher degree class.

On successful completion of the Year in Industry, you will have the potential for credit for reduced time to Incorporated or Chartered Professional Engineering Status by up to one year.

Through the placement year, you will be able to assess the particular working environment, including the type of work, the company organisation, culture and future opportunities.

Student Experiences

Find out more from our students who have completed their placement year on our Year in Industry students and their placement year webpage.

"The Year in Industry proved to be an extremely useful experience where I gained many skills directly learnt from real world experiences that can be applied to both future employment and university study."

"The industrial placement has been hugely beneficial to me. Personal development improved from being in a professional environment and was a valuable experience for my future career."

"The Year in Industry was a brilliant experience. It improved my confidence and was good for my CV."

"I would definitely encourage first year students to go on a placement year, as this is an experience that no-one can get after graduation, because of the commitments. It gives you a chance to decide which field of work you enjoy."