Placements at NTU
What’s learning, without doing? How can you really know what professional life looks like until you’ve experienced it first-hand?
At NTU, we work closely with employers to ensure every undergraduate student gains real-world insight and professional experience. Employer-led learning is built into every degree, with all students completing at least eight weeks of assessed work-like experience.
If you want to take it further, all our undergraduate degrees offer the option of a year-long placement. This is an invaluable chance to immerse yourself in a professional setting, build connections and gain a competitive edge. These placements typically take place in the third year of a four-year 'sandwich' course, which you can switch to from a 'full-time' pathway during your first or second year.
Beth shares her experience of doing a placement year with global recruitment company, Metric.
Real Estate student Alexander Grace shares how his NTU placement with Carter Jonas gave him hands-on
Why should I complete a placement?
Because the job market’s a competitive place, and today’s employers are looking for more than just technical skills. They want people, not just professionals — confident, mature, proactive graduates with great communication skills. Our placement students get snapped up in the job market quicker and usually achieve a higher degree outcome as a result of their experience.
Even with our outstanding teaching, you can’t learn everything inside a lecture theatre. Finding the right placement has been a life-changing experience for generations of our students: a chance to put their knowledge to the test, to grow, to get paid, and to make priceless new connections. Working day-to-day with employers, getting noticed, it’s not unusual for our students to be offered jobs before they’ve even graduated!
Want to go all in? Take a year-long placement – our gold standard for hands-on experience. Prefer something shorter? Many courses offer placements between two and eight weeks, giving you a real taste of the industry and a chance to make valuable connections.
Your experience doesn’t stop there. Use your university breaks and part-time jobs to build skills and stand out. Every experience shapes your future. Make it count.
If it’s relevant to your course, close to your heart, and bringing a genuinely new and useful dimension to your studies, you could complete a placement anywhere.Thousands of our students have partnered with organisations at home and abroad — from international banks, law firms and pharmaceutical companies, to architects, art galleries, theatres, wildlife sanctuaries, charities, crime-fighting agencies, and the hottest up-and-coming names in fashion, games design, and publishing. If the right organisation and the right opportunity’s out there for you, let’s make it happen!
Whether it’s a short placement, or a paid, year-long placement, you’ll have exclusive access to the MyEmployability vacancies portal, where organisations register their interest in working with NTU talent.
You’re also free to source your own opportunities, whether that’s through the huge range of independent search engines dedicated to student placements, or just approaching an organisation and asking!
It might feel daunting, but finding your own opportunity is a great way to build confidence and develop key professional skills. Our Employability team is here to support you every step of the way.
Our Employability team have got your back at every step of the placement journey — from finding positions, to guiding you through the application and interview process, to making sure you’re happy and comfortable once the placement begins. They’ll work closely with your course teaching team to ensure you’re the first to know about any great new opportunities.
Hear from the people who know best — our students
The opportunity to gain hands-on experience with a reputable institution like NTU, bolsters my professional profile. The commitment of NTU towards its employees is evident in their support and dedication to fostering growth and success.
Anisa Nasir – Sports Marketing Placement
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