I was lucky enough to find a placement opportunity very early on in my time at Loughborough, and I got the chance to spend 12 months as an Industrial Design Intern at DCA and I learnt far more than I could have hoped for on placement, with DCA supporting me in the goals I wanted to achieve over the 12 months from understanding design for manufacture to having real exposure to clients.
Even though I was the intern, I was treated as if I was already a junior designer – so no coffee runs or menial tasks – fully collaborating on projects and having my input heard. I got the opportunity to work on multiple live client projects, from early ideation sketching and brainstorming to CAD and visualisation work, as well as being put through professional training and having access to online courses to broaden my skill set.
My advice to anyone considering studying a Design course with a placement year is do it. I learnt more on my placement year than I would have ever expected. Made lifelong friends and secured a full-time job for when I graduate. It’s a year to show what you are truly made of and utilise your passion for design to its fullest.