Year In Industry placement sets Business Management student up for the future
A student has had a glimpse into life after university thanks to an exciting Year In Industry placement opportunity.
Third year Business Management student Emma Robertson is currently completing her Year In Industry, which gives students the chance to complete a one-year work placement in their chosen industry.
The experience, which is great for student employability, can even lead to a graduate role in some cases.
Emma secured herself a placement with Scottish Power, where she has had the chance to work alongside their media, digital and communication teams.
Now on month four of the placement, Emma is already thinking about applying towards a Graduate Programme after having the chance to work on some exciting projects; including travelling to Madrid to visit their international offices.
After being initially unsure about which area of business she would like to specialize in, Emma now has a clearer idea of her career aspirations. She explained: “I really liked how broad the Business Management course was and the fact that you’re able to choose modules across different business areas. It lets you get an idea of what area you’d like to work in, especially since I wasn’t that sure beforehand.”
She added: “We were told about the Year In Industry opportunity during our induction and it really interested me; the fact that it gives you the chance to study whilst gaining real work experience really appealed to me.”
Through the placement, Emma has had the chance to experience the inner workings of teams across Scottish Power.
“I got to work with the Media Communications, Internal Communications, Digital and Brand Marketing teams on their partnership with Scottish Women’s Football.” She explained.
“I got to meet with the different teams and work on the event marketing, such as producing tickets at Hampden and the SPFL. It was such a good experience and let me cover a range of areas, just like how my Business Management operates.
When I worked with the Digital team, they hadn’t realised that I was already interested in that kind of area in the future. Now that I’ve had the opportunity, I can see myself doing it as a career option. Getting to manage social media channels, planning the posts and gathering content is something that I’d like to do.”
After her first month, Emma was invited to put her newfound knowledge to the test and create a video about her placement experience for Scottish Power’s social media channels. She said: “It felt good to build on my confidence and feel like I could actually produce something myself using the skills that they trained me to use. I really enjoyed getting to work with the studio team to help make sure the music and subtitles were working properly on the video – it was a great learning experience!
I’ve never done anything like this before but I’ve definitely had an interest in it. It involves a wide range of skills; filming, editing, and even using Microsoft Excel so I learned a lot from it.”
With six months to go, Emma has reflected on what has been a great learning experience. She explained: “A definite highlight for me is when we got to visit GoRadio and access the podcast facilities. As well as that, just getting to see a project from start to finish and seeing the final product – I loved that.”
Emma understands that some students may feel unsure about taking a year out of university to complete a work placement but explained that taking the step is worth it. She said: “It’s been so beneficial for me. I’ve been doing it officially for around 4 months now with 6 months to go, but I now want to apply towards their Graduate Scheme.
I would definitely go for it! Initially, I felt quite hesitant to do it and was worried about the idea of taking time out and leaving my university friends. It was a big step but it’s been one of the best things that I’ve ever done.”
By Rachael McAlonan
Got a SCEBE or GSBS story? Email me at Rachael.McAlonan@gcu.ac.uk or connect with me on social media