Pure & Applied Chemistry

Industrial Placement Scheme

Our Industrial Placement Scheme is one of the largest and longest established schemes in Europe. We place around 60 students with over 30 companies, across all branches of the chemical industry, every year.

We work with a wide range of businesses, including:

  • small and medium sized enterprises
  • multi-nationals
  • government organisations
  • charities
  • universities
  • research establishments

By the time our students go on placement, they're qualified for a BSc degree. 

Students are placed according to their subject specialisation and interest. The department and the University careers service are on hand to help find the most appropriate placement. However, industrial partners have the final say in which, if any, students they take on.

Students are taken on under normal terms and conditions of employment and the student fits in with the normal work practices of the employer.

The placement

The placement is undertaken during year 4 of an MChem degree course and is compulsory for the following courses:

Placements are usually 12 months long. They can also take between nine and 15 months. 

During the placement, students are given both an academic and an industrial supervisor. They work together to support both the student and organisation. The academic supervisor will visit the student on site during the placement.

Preparing from day one

Students work towards their placement from the first day of their course.  In year 2, they'll submit a CV along with their areas of interest with a view to securing a suitable position. 

Before applying, we help students write their CVs and prepare for interviews. We also help them prepare for activities they might be likely to do on placement, along with the placement itself.

We make it easy

We know how busy employers are. That's why we've made the recruitment process easier.

It's designed to minimise assessment input from the partner organisation, which means we do most of the work for you.

We'll provide you with a selection of CVs and help arrange interviews, either in Glasgow or at the company site. We inform students of interview dates and organise their travel. This is to make sure we minimise your time, while keeping you informed at all times.

What's in it for you?

As an employer, having a student in on a work placement has so many benefits.

  • a fresh perspective 
  • hard-working, BSc qualified students, eager to learn
  • support from academic supervisors and the dedicated Industrial Placement team within the Department
  • The chance to assess students for future graduate vacancies
  • new contacts

Highly confidential

All students are required to write a report which is assessed by the academic supervisor. There's often an exchange of Confidentiality Agreements in advance of the placement commencing and we accommodate company requirements involving both the placement student and academic supervisor. Usually no confidential reports leave the company site and are instead assessed on site during a visit by the academic supervisor.