Year in Industry

The Year in Industry allows you to work in a paid, full-time, graduate-level role for 9-12 months with a single employer in the UK or overseas.

Most placements will start from July – September following the completion of your second year. Although occasionally some will begin slightly earlier or later.

After successful completion of the additional placement year, and the associated LUBS8001 module, you will earn the (Industrial) variant of your degree title.

Please see the Requirements and Module Details page for a more information.

Completing a Year in Industry will help you:

• Develop practical workplace and life skills and gain valuable work experience
• Decide what job and career path you want to pursue when you graduate.
• Show employers that you are independent, capable, and confident of adapting to a working environment.
• Build professional networks and possibly gain a job offer before you graduate.

All LUBS undergraduate courses can apply for a Year in Industry.

International students on a student visa will need to consider student visa renewal costs and timelines. For further information including details on working hours during a placement year visit the University of Leeds Work Placements visa page or the Student Visa Advice Team pages.

You are responsible for sourcing and applying for opportunities that meet the criteria for a Year in Industry placement. However, there are many supports in place that can help with this process.

New placement vacancies are added to MyCareer regularly. Sign up for targeted alerts so you are the first to hear about opportunities you may be interested in. Join the scheme 'Exclusive to Leeds' to hear about exclusive opportunities available to Leeds students.

The University of Leeds Careers Service has a page dedicated to finding work, with several useful third-party websites. Included on this page are several useful websites the specialise in placement opportunities, including Bright Network, Prospects, Milkround, and RateMyPlacement.

The LUBS Employability and Opportunity team send out a fortnightly newsletter for undergraduates. This includes a section highlighting placement year opportunities that have come through the team inbox.

You can also check company websites, as not all employers advertise their positions on job boards.

Be proactive! Employers will often close applications early if they get a large response.

Each industry and employer has different timelines for when roles are advertised. Some LUBS students secure early offers midway through semester 1. However, the majority who receive offers will get these throughout semester 2.

Some employers (particularly large companies in the financial sector) sometimes open and close their applications during August and September. Be proactive - keep an eye on company websites or register your interest to avoid missing deadlines.