Over the last five years, the School of Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering and the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering have hosted an exclusive Engineering Placements Fair.

The aim, to support students in the search and attainment, for many, their first step on the professional careers ladder. Despite COVID-19 and social distancing restrictions, this year was no exception to deliver a fantastic networking opportunity. The Schools embraced the opportunities of a digital landscape, and teaming up with the School of Science, hosted Loughborough University’s first ever virtual STEM Placement and Graduate Careers Fair. 

The virtual fair saw 80 external companies attend, including Rolls Royce, Caterpillar, Mondelez International, Adidas, BAE Systems, Pirelli, Network Rail, Pepsico and Jaguar Land Rover, to name a few. Over the two-day event, 2,000 students had the opportunity to network and speak to the experts in their chosen fields and find out more about future career opportunities. Ultimately acquiring the essential careers advice needed to make their next step. In addition, students had the opportunity to speak to returning placement students to hear first-hand their advice on the application process, roles and responsibilities and what it takes to secure a graduate role whilst still studying. 

Industrial Professional Placements Co-ordinator, Jenny Taylor-Watson said of the event, “We are delighted with the success of the virtual STEM Placement and Graduate Careers Fair, especially for the students, with so many companies attending, all offering placements or graduate roles, there really was something for everyone.

“One of the best things about this year’s fair being virtual is that we’ve been able to share the digital content, such as company presentations, so that students who weren’t able to attend on the day can watch on demand, enabling them to thoroughly research organisations having heard directly from recruiters and thus better prepare when making applications. We hope that after a challenging year for all, we can maximise the opportunities for our students.”

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