UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME

I decided to apply for a placement to gain valuable experience in the work place. Being at channelcentral I believe, will help me develop my skill set and also gain a strong foothold in the job market. Placements are a great idea for students as there’s a chance of a firm offer of employment once you finish University. Also, the experience of teamwork and development of interpersonal skills. In addition, for me personally it’s given me great awareness of the current developments in the sector I study.

Rob Sanins

Web Developer channelcentral Undergraduate Programme

For a long time before I started University I had planned on doing a placement, but I always had one worry – finding the right placement, because it’s important to use the opportunity to gain skills that are required to help you pursue your interests. Working here at channelcentral is a great experience and a great privilege, as it is about what I enjoy doing and what I want to do after University. The placement helps me gain confidence and is giving me essential skills which are invaluable in the job market today – but also it gives me an insight into real-world problems and how to approach them.

To summarise what a placement is – basically it’s the biggest opportunity to develop your skills you can have while studying at the University, and therefore your chances of securing a good job after graduation.

Bart Kolodziejczyk

Web Developer channelcentral Undergraduate Programme

As a senior management team we’re committed to identifying and developing great talent to drive our business forward, and have enjoyed great success with graduate and apprenticeship schemes. Motivated by the proximity of the University of Gloucestershire’s very well-regarded Computing and Technology faculty, we approached the University with a proposal to create and support two 12-month Undergraduate placements for second-year Computer Science students.

The University proved an excellent partner, supporting us and their Student applicants through the process. We were very impressed with the quality of candidates – had we the scope and funding we would have been happy to offer placements to all four shortlisted applicants! We have high expectations of two students that we have selected for 2015/16, and look forward to seeing their skills and confidence grow over the year. I’d like to wish them all success in their time with us and for their future careers.

Graham Smith

Graham Smith, CIO of channelcentral

We are delighted to work with channelcentral this year on their placement programme and I am really pleased that they have selected our students and offer such a comprehensive support package.

At the University of Gloucestershire the School of Computing and Technology have been strong advocates of the 12 month placement scheme for undergraduates for many years and over the years we have seen a large number of students who have successfully completed their placement move onto excellent graduate roles or set up their own businesses. The impact of placement is really significant for both the employers and for the student.

For employers recruiting students this provides the opportunity to select and nurture talent into their organisations with the possibility of identifying talented graduates in the longer term.

For students the opportunity to work on live projects, to real deadlines usually within project teams has a significant impact on the technical and personal skills development. By the final year we see a significant enhancement in student’s confidence in their own abilities, drive and determination as well as increased commercial awareness and well-developed technical skills.

Simon Dove

Head of Placements at the University of Gloucestershire