Last week, Placements Officer Helen Green hosted an Industry Bootcamp, preparing second-year students to search for, apply for and secure work placements.

Across two days, around 70 students, mostly in their second year studying Engineering and Materials Science, took part in activities to write cover letters and ace interviews, as well as meeting real employers from WSP and AWE.

Alumnus Max Woolmer, who now works at AWE, and student Zainab - who is currently on placement there - both joined the event to give their advice and perspectives as people who had previously been in the students' shoes.

Professor Nike Folayan also joined the event to help the students with their networking and up-skilling, and Careers Consultant Pash Selopal led sessions on employability.

A pre and post-event survey demonstrated that students' confidence in being able to secure a placement rose by nearly a whole point on a five-point scale.

Reflecting on the event, Helen said "these results provide encouraging evidence that targeted employability and personal development interventions can help students feel better prepared to navigate recruitment processes, present themselves effectively to employers and pursue future career opportunities with greater confidence."

Some of the students who attended commented:

"It was useful for identifying what my strengths are, which I found really helpful for when I need to sell myself in cover letters and interviews."

"Very informative with discussion and collaboration with people who have worked in industries and other students."

"I learnt about finding my strengths and how to present them. Also learned of new tools to track and improve my applications."

This is now an annual event, taking place at the beginning of September each year. Keep an eye out for next year's dates next summer.