Why I took a Placement Year

Omotola’s experience

Honestly, its God’s willing I took a placement year last year and the constant probing from my mum to keep applying for one. The placement year is an optional part of my course in University and I did not find out about it until towards the end-of-the year, when applications had been open for a while but the placements team at the University were a saving grace.

As this was an amazing opportunity and gave my mum a break from paying tuition fees, she was obviously all for it and reminded me everyday to make sure I was applying for placement jobs. In case you are not aware, a placement year is a programme that involves you taking a year out of university to gain some all important work experience with an employer in the UK or abroad. It’s basically a 12-month period internship. With this, I thought “Oh, It would be a nice break off uni” and as the process went on, I found my own reasons why I wanted a placement year and here they are.

Exploring Career Options

As an International Business student, I have come to realise the broad variety of career options and role opportunities I can take on. This ranges from marketing, HR, finance to supply chain, operations, international trade and many more. I had touched on many topics in my course, to the point that I wasn’t sure what singular career path to take. Therefore, taking a placement year gave me a real opportunity in deciding and having a feel of what it is like to work in the chosen field.

Gaining experience

The job market is hectic at the moment, due to the amount of applicants applying to one role. Statistics say that in 2024, the UK saw a record high in competition for graduate positions, with 1.2 million applications for just 17,000 roles. Majority of employers are also looking for any sort of work experience you have had. Aside from pursuing a field I was interested in, gaining experience through a placement year was a plus for me, giving me a bit more edge over the competition regarding work experience.

Personal Development

From taking a slight academic break to working full-time for a year, you come back anew. There are so many skills and knowledge to be gained from a placement year. The experience will help you learn about yourself and grow as a person. It puts you in new situations you had not dealt with before and you would be surprised by your capabilities. That was what I was hoping would happen during my placement and it did.

There are so many benefits and opportunities from taking a placement year. Gaining networks, building your skills and who knows you might come out of it with a secure job opportunity waiting for you during and after your university, just like I did and many other people I know. Taking a placement year is worth it. I definitely recommend doing one!

Find out more about placement opportunities at UON by speaking with our Student Futures team:

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Omotola Olagunju

Omotola is a third year International Business Management student. She loves travelling to and gaining new cultural experiences, reading, and drawing.