An Industrial Placement – the amazing work opportunity for maturing your personal growth, fast-tracking technical knowledge, and developing your practical skills – is a big life transition to settle into. It crucially challenges your capabilities, adaptability attitude and how you act in your day-to-day life!

Firstly, ‘work life’ creates continuously challenging situations for you to face, overcome and grow as an individual in the process. In your ‘9-5’ day you liaise with the client and your team that depends on you, you apply analytical skills and use your judgement to resolve complex issues. With every new situation and ‘trial and error’ you learn to build methods of dealing with important problems and become more resilient and efficient. Communication is key! It may seem intimidating to ask questions from the professionals in their field, but – in the end – everyone is happy to share their knowledge and help you out! Moreover, taking initiative to engage with your role beyond its ‘job description’ is a pathway for gaining more valuable experiences and responsibilities.

Secondly, you’re being handed a new level of responsibility, so you need to get organised and be proactive. Within the business world, you encounter a multitude of new, unfamiliar – and even overwhelming – tasks that need to be managed according to deadlines and your team’s needs. For this reason, it is key from the start to keep track of your duties, have a tidy workspace and ensure you understand your assignments. Being on top of your priorities and clearly communicating any issues are essential steps to ensuring you smoothly transition to full-time work life; and concurrently best plan for fully utilising the placement.

Thirdly, you need to conscientiously put into practice all the theoretical knowledge from your course. The immersion into the industry opportunely pushes you to gain a deeper insight into your course subject and how it is applied in the business world. You should think critically about the technical processes you encounter in your hands-on experience. This can be done through the reflective reports you write to your academic advisor throughout the year, and your own initiative for getting a greater understanding, through questions and feedback. Your inner analysis and development are what make your work role a learning experience!

Finally, you should plan how you will maintain a balance between your work commitments and your social life. Your work role, and studies towards professional qualifications, will significantly shift your day-to-day schedule. Thus, it is crucial to employ time management as to successfully attain your responsibilities, while simultaneously allowing yourself free time.

To conclude, an industrial placement is a year where you gain a wealth of invaluable knowledge, experience, and growth. Over time you learn to work within a business environment, develop new skills and ways of working. The placement also informs your academic and career journey as you learn more about your course and its industry. It is important to act proactively and with an open and curious mind when tackling this centrally critical opportunity, as to best take advantage of what it offers to you!

Written by Lida, current BSc Accounting student at AMBS

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