The academic year 2014-15 has seen more students from the Faculty of Social Sciences than ever before secure work based placements.
Over 40 students from the Faculty have seen off fierce competition to secure placements with companies and organisations such as the House of Commons, BMW and Samsung.
The placements, spanning the six departments, schools and centres within the Faculty have been obtained by students at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
ProfessorTodd Landman, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences said, "We are delighted that so many of our students are taking up work based learning opportunities through our placements programme. Research shows that students on placement gain significant new knowledge and experience while on placement and significantly raise the probability of finding graduate level employment after completing their studies."
Notable placements at undergraduate level include Ben Abbott, who is studying for a BSc Economics, and George McCann, a BSc Accounting and Finance student at Essex Business School. Both will be taking project management placements with TransPerfect - a global, multi award winning translating and interpreting agency that boasts an impressive client list including the White House, Coca Cola and Prada.
Speaking of his placement, George said, “Getting a placement, for me, means that I gain an advantage when I enter the job market for the first time after graduation. The work placement team were great to work with and made it easy for me to sort everything out. I'm looking forward to the job and hopefully it will be a success.”
Nishan Balasingham, who is studying for a BSc Banking and Finance at Essex Business School will be working at BMW Financial Services. Speaking of the opportunity, Nishan said, “Finding a placement has not been easy. It has been a challenging experience that has required commitment and patience. With the continued help of the Social Sciences placements team throughout my second year at university, I am fortunate to have received a one year internship with BMW working in the financial services department. The placements team has helped me develop my confidence in asserting myself when demonstrating my competency skills through providing mock telephone interviews and running mock assessment centre workshops”
Andreea Ghita, currently studying for a BA Politics and Law, has just become the third Essex student in 5 years to be placed with Fleishman Hillard, an award winning PR and communication agency with over 85 offices in 31 countries. Andreea will be based in Brussels.
At postgraduate level, Jia Tao and Haiqing Chai, who are both studying for an MA in Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting, have been hired by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service to work as interpreters and translators for a specialist training programme they are providing for the Jiangsu Fire Service in China. On hearing she had been selected for the role, Jia Tao said “Being employed by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service comes with many opportunities for my personal and professional development. This valuable experience will maximize my skill-building capability and make me more competitive in my future career path.”
And finally, Madeleine Leathley, who is studying for a BA Politics is one of four Social Science students whose placement will be funded as a result of the University’s Q-Step Affiliate Status. Madeleine will be working with YouGov, whilst her counterparts will be at the World Land Trust, Colchester Borough Council and SAGE Publications. Q-Step Affiliate Status is awarded to universities that demonstrate a high level of commitment to the aims of Q-Step, a £19.5 million programme designed to promote a step-change in quantitative undergraduate social science in the UK over a five year period from 2013.