Top 5 skills you can gain on a Professional Training placement

A Professional Training placement offers students unique access to the world of work. Discover our list of the top benefits that can be gained from undertaking a placement.

Benefits of a placement

A Professional Training placement provides invaluable opportunities to develop transferrable skills, put your degree into practice and enhance your employability. While there are numerous anticipated advantages, such as developing interpersonal and team working skills, boosting your CV and forming industry links, there are also many surprising benefits that can be gained from a placement.

At the University of Surrey, we have one of the largest Professional Training placement programmes in the world, with over 2,300 partner organisations in the UK and overseas who collaborate with us to provide our students with fundamental skills. Our emphasis on providing students with real-world experience is ensuring that Surrey students graduate with enhanced prospects and incredible employment opportunities.

Top five skills you can gain

Here is our list of the top five benefits that can be gained from undertaking a Professional Training placement:

Social skills

Undertaking a placement enables you to grow your social skills by engaging with different people across various levels of an organisation. Working alongside unfamiliar people in a professional setting helps you to develop your ability to make friends and form connections, and learn how to communicate effectively in the workplace. A placement significantly develops your social confidence in and out of the workplace.

I met so many like-minded individuals, made friends for life, and improved my French in a real business setting. Alice, Modern Languages (French and Spanish) BA (Hons) - Administrator, Language Connexion, Paris

Communication skills

Our partner organisations endeavour to treat students on placement as valued employees, and the benefit of this is that you will gain experience in expressing your professional opinions and presenting your ideas. It is not uncommon for placement students to be asked to give presentations. Learning to present information clearly and confidently is a key skill to getting your message across that will benefit your future career, regardless of your area of work.

One big lesson I have learnt is to be proactive and take initiative. Seek out every learning opportunity and ask as many questions as possible... And network: use the opportunity to build professional connections within your field. It can lead to valuable mentorships and open doors to future job opportunities. Pearle , Sport and Exercise Science BSc - Sport and Exercise Science Intern, Texas A&M University

Work ethic

Gaining experience in industry means that you will be challenged to step up and take responsibility for your own work. Due to this, a placement inspires a strong work ethic. Having a good work ethic is central to the development of a successful career and the experience gained during a placement will encourage you to maintain a positive attitude, be self-motivated, and work as a team player - all key skills for your future career.

Once on placement, always put yourself forward for extra responsibility and opportunities – don't let a lack of confidence stop you. You’ll learn what you’re capable of and will get so much more out of the experience. I was promoted whilst on placement to Rescue Network Coordinator which had me organising and leading seal rescue training events all over Ireland which I absolutely loved. Maddie, Veterinary Biosciences BSc (Hons) - Animal Care and Conservation Intern, Seal Rescue Ireland

Self-awareness

Undertaking a placement allows you to really put your skills to the test and discover which aspects of work you thrive at and which aspects you find more challenging. This enables you to accurately identify your strengths and weaknesses. Developing self-awareness of your abilities is a crucial benefit of a placement, as it allows you to play to your strengths and evaluate how you could improve your weaker areas.

After my placement, I am now aware of the various pathways that a Chemist can go down, some pathways which I never even knew were possible. Without the placement, I would have never been informed about such opportunities and so this has really opened my eyes. Talha, Chemistry MChem - Research Scientist in Raman and Neutron Spectroscopy, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Resilience

Throughout your placement, you will overcome new challenges and solve problems; this helps you to develop resilience. Resilience is a key ability in life that will enable you to approach new challenges with a pragmatic outlook, deal with stress effectively, and respond proactively to daily pressures.

Moving to Munich and living independently in a different country increased my confidence. As a result, I am now considering jobs in various countries across the world including Germany, France, USA and even Japan! Annika, International Event Management BSc (Hons) - Events Assistant, Munich Olympic Park; Munich Olympic Park, Team Legends, FC Bayern Munich