1. My Placement Story
Name: Michael Underwood
Course: Computer Science
Placement Company: edwardthompson
 Why did you choose a placement?
I chose a placement to gain key experience in a working environment outside of university.
Whilst university can prepare you for employment and teach you the skills you will need,
only working in a real life business environment will allow you hone and develop all aspects
of yourself. I believe I am now more employable beyond my degree classification.
 What has been the best thing about your placement?
Having the opportunity to work with every department in the business has meant I had great
diversity in my placement year. I got to know a lot of new people, and had to adapt to their
working requirements which gave me a more flexible approach to how I work.
 Why would you recommend doing a placement to others?
A placement is a great opportunity to get an edge over other students, as ultimately they
will be your competitors for jobs after university. It is also a great opportunity to meet new
people, and enhance your personal and technical skills. I fully endorse it as a way to stand
out from the crowd.
 Anything unique about your placement experience that other students may be
interested in e.g. location, your role, the industry, the opportunities it has provided
My placement was very close to St. Peters campus so is ideal for students that don’t want to
move too far away from their current location. It is also a great place for liaising with
management, as a mid-sized organisation they are a lot more ‘hands on’ with employees
which afforded me the opportunity of being able to consult with senior employees on a day
to day basis.
 Has doing a placement opened any doors for you to progress in employment? E.g.
have you been kept on, have you been offered a graduate role, have you gone on to
do other things to enhance your employability skills?
After completing my placement, I was offered a one year part time extension at
edwardthompson to coincide with the third year of my degree. I have also been offered
sponsorship on a final year dissertation project from the company.