Work Placements and Company Linked Projects
In addition to gaining a masters, work experience provides a central component of developing employability. LEC hosts an Enterprise and Business Partnerships (EBP) unit which is charged with developing collaborative links between the University and the commercial sector. One of the core roles of this unit is to run the LEC Graduate Consultancy Programme, which provides postgraduate students with an opportunity to gain real-world experience through working on a collaborative project with a business. These projects are designed so that students act as consultants, applying their university-gained expertise to perform environmental research for a commercial partner.
The EBP graduate projects are offered in two formats. There is the Work Placement module, a 5 week module, which offers Taught Masters students the opportunity to spend time with a company helping them develop solutions for a particular environmental problem. At the end of the module the student writes report on which they are assessed.
There are also projects designed to provide a full research dissertation which gives Taught Masters students an opportunity to work with an outside organisation in the public or private sector for five months. As well as an industrial supervisor students receive guidance from a member of academic staff. Students work on a well defined problem and produce a report on which they are assessed and which is of benefit to the project partner.
EBP engages with over 40 businesses a year for the LEC Graduate Consultancy Programme, both in the UK and throughout Europe.
Industrial placement and project partners have included:
- Apollo Energy
- Beck Mickle Hydro plc
- Blackpool Council
- British Gypsum
- Envirolink
- Environment Agency
- National Trust
- Nexia Solutions Ltd
- Small World Consulting
- United Utilities
- Wesmar Bioenergy
- Woods Waste Management
LEC Graduate Consultancy Scheme Leads to Employment
LEC graduate Olivia Thompson says she owes her current job to the experience and contacts gained through her industry placement as part of her MSc in Pollution and Protection.
"I was privileged to gain consultancy experience as a student. It taught me many valuable lessons and it put me in contact with various organisations working within the environmental sector. An added bonus of undertaking this work placement is that I will be able to present my report to potential employers as an example of my research and report writing skills."
Jennifer Austin, MSc Environmental Pollution and Protection
"The MRes course opened up many opportunities for me, including the chance to undertake my research project at Westlakes Research Institute in Cumbria. This was a fantastic experience! Working with a large research team made me realise how rewarding research can be."
Angela Wakefield, MRes Science and the Environment