Industrial Placement + Covid = An Interesting CV

Hi all,

Welcome to my first contribution to the blog! My name is Sarah and I'm another of the unit's leaders.

Like Kirsty, I am still working through this lockdown period, however, as an office worker, I am fortunate enough to be able to do so from home. I am actually a university student nearing the end of a 12-month industrial placement to gain workplace experience that will complement my maths degree. I have completed the first two years of my course and will be returning to university next academic year to complete my degree.

My placement is with a well known company in the financial services and has been a fantastic, enriching experience. While for many industries work has ground to a halt or slowed to a minimum during lockdown, the financial services are working overtime. Hundreds of thousands of people are applying for payment holidays on mortgages and credit cards etc. Banks need to ensure they are assisting the general pubic at a time of need whilst being responsible and not providing lending that a customer is unlikely to be able to repay. The pandemic is such a dynamic, ever-changing event and it is certainly keeping us busy and on our toes.

Stressful as it may be at times, it is a valuable experience from the perspective of a placement student and an opportunity to make the most of my year in industry. I will have experienced something very out of the ordinary and gained so much more insight into the company. I will have learnt how to be so much more adaptable in the way that I work and I will have learnt how to work to much tighter deadlines.

Even without the extra experience of seeing how the company deals with a pandemic, the placement has been incredibly valuable. To anyone looking to go to university: I cannot recommend industrial placements enough. You will gain a wealth of experience that will help you stick out from other grads, and you'll enjoy yourself in the process.