Science work placements are as varied as the job market itself, and they’re one of the best ways of improving your CV. According to Jez Chance, Marketing Communications Manager at the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, it’s all about employability.

’Employability should be the word that students are thinking about all the way through their time at university,’ says Chance. ’Most employers don’t concentrate on academic performance alone. We’re after individuals with a balance in their portfolio of skills and experience.’

Finding a science work placement

Most of the big players in science offer work placements, which last anything from eight weeks to a year and are usually paid. If you don’t secure a place on a structured internship, you could consider work shadowing, or even getting some relevant work experience abroad.

Work experience to be gained

Many science work placements involve laboratory work, not unfamiliar territory for a science undergraduate. What is different is that the work is underpinned by commercial considerations and that interns have the opportunity to work on live projects.

As well as improving your transferable skills like teamworking, communication and influencing, placements are a chance to test out an industry, company and job. You could end up with the promise of permanent work after graduation, and even sponsorship in your final year.

Available science placements

There is a huge range of science work-experience opportunities available. Below is a sample of what’s out there.

Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE)
AWE provides and maintains the warheads for the country’s nuclear deterrent. It offers summer vacation placements and year-long industrial placements.

Food Standards Agency
Provides advice on food safety, food law enforcement, food labelling, nutrition and diet.

Innovex
Innovex is a service group of Quintiles Transnational, a contract pharmaceutical organisation. Its services comprise clinical research, nurse adviser and sales solutions.

Go to the science career advice area.