Year-In Industry Placements

Real world experience is essential for those studying a degree in a construction related field and if the industry is to attract the best future minds, companies like us must help individuals like you to gain a head start.

PROVIDING A REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE

Real world experience is essential for those studying a degree in a construction related field and if the industry is to attract the best future minds, companies like Winvic must help these individuals gain a head start. Previous industry placement students have acquired knowledge to enhance their remaining academic studies as well as learn valuable hands-on lessons ready for their forthcoming careers.

We ensure those who join us for a year gain plenty of experience across different sectors, from large-scale infrastructure projects to multi-room builds and mega-sheds, and understand the different challenges through every phase of a scheme. Previous gap year students, like George and Nirav, who share their experiences below, acquired knowledge to help them with the remainder of their courses as well as set them in good stead for their careers… their career at Winvic. Many students have impressed us from the off and we have offered them permanent positions after graduation, just like Mark and Adam.

You can learn more about what our current exciting year-in industry opportunities comprise here:

Although our head office is in Northamptonshire, we work nationally – we therefore welcome applications for year in industry placements from people across the UK.

If you’re looking for a Year in Industry placement to complement your studies, click here to find out why Winvic could be the employer for you and please get in touch with our HR Department for more information.

Visit our blog to read about our current Year in Industry students’ experiences.

HEAR WHAT OUR YEAR-IN INDUSTRY PLACEMENT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY:

Name: Ammara Dassu
Placement: Trainee Site Engineer between July 2020 and September 2021
Permanent Role: Site Engineer from September 2022
Studied: BSc (Hons) Civil Engineering

Describe Your Role: At the start of my year out at Winvic I learned a lot with the health and safety department who took me round different sites and gave me a full overview of Winvic’s ‘Doing It Right’ approach and commitments. I started to shadow a site engineer at Mercia Park, and I helped on the groundworks, levels for manholes and the storm and foul drains. As the weeks went on, I started to feel more confident and I was given more responsibilities across many areas, like the substations, kerbs, footpaths, cycleways, roads, roundabouts, water mains and ducts for other services. For example, in setting out the footpaths I would use my equipment to measure the required width from the kerb that has been installed, spray the areas, check the levels and use tape to mark where the edging should be laid to. I then work closely with the subcontractors to examine the finish. It’s felt really amazing that the team trusts me to carry out tasks independently and I think I’ve learned much faster this way.

Advice for people wanting to join Winvic? Don’t get too worried because everyone is on your side, and they understand you’re learning – at first, I felt too nervous to ask questions to experienced members of staff. It feels a bit silly to say this now because I quickly learned there wasn’t a single person who didn’t genuinely want to help me progress, asking questions is how you learn faster and there isn’t such a thing as a stupid question.

Name: Ed Hern
Placement: Trainee Quantity Surveyor between July 2020 and September 2021
Permanent Role: Assistant Quantity Surveyor from September 2022
Studied: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveyor

Describe Your Role: A lot of my job entails getting quotes, presenting costs to the team and organising orders, but a really important part of it is to build good relationships with everyone, and I enjoy being on the phone to subcontractors negotiating. I love my degree but it’s like construction is a practical language – when you see it for real, that’s when you learn the most and it’s really important for me to understand how the operations and design side fits together with the commercial side. I frequently walk out on site with an engineer to do inspections, like examining the block work setting out and that the rebar – for the concrete building frame – is laid correctly. I’ve also done a groundworks workshop, because that package was already complete at the Aubrey Place project when I started, and placements with Health and Safety and the Design Manager.

Advice for people wanting to join Winvic? Speak to as many people as you can and learn about different roles and it will help you decide your direction. My dad thought quantity surveying would be a good career for me and I spoke a lot to my dad’s colleague who has been a QS for many years, so that’s what helped me make the decision about my degree. Then, when you’re on your placement, do the same – it’s a great opportunity to be around experience professionals. I’ve gone from being quite nervous to being confident about doing independent tasks and it’s with their support.

STUDENT HOLIDAY PLACEMENTS

Throughout the summer, Christmas and Easter holidays each year, a number of students come to work for us on short-term placements, which range from one to four weeks. We have no set rules in place about the subject or subjects that applicants need to be studying, and in fact, we support the need for wider awareness of the construction industry.

Of course most of the young men and women that apply for a holiday placement with us are learning about a construction related discipline, and we ensure they have the opportunity to learn as much as possible and get hands on in their field of choice.

“I would like to thank Winvic for giving me the opportunity to spend time at East Midlands Distribution Centre (EMDC), especially the project manager Josh, and Dean, who was the engineer I shadowed. It wasn’t as I expected at all but in a good way! I thought I’d be sat in an office but from the first day I was out on-site doing bits and bobs all day. I used GPS equipment, set out kerbs, measured various areas and put pins in the ground as part of marking out tasks. It has helped me loads with my Level 3 qualification in Construction and the Built Environment too because I could ask the experts and visualise things, which you can’t always do in the classroom. I can’t wait to come back!”

Maddie Wood, Civil Engineering Student, Level 3 Construction and the Built Environment

To find out more about our current ‘year in industry’ opportunities and student holiday placements download our brochure or get in touch with our HR department below.