Education UK 2009 exhibitions - What is a sandwich course?

What is a sandwich course?

Indeed, sandwiches are a lunchtime favourite in the UK. However, the term ‘sandwich’ also features on a university degree menu, where you have the option of choosing a sandwich course. This course basically includes an additional year of work experience that is sandwiched between two or three years of concentrated study. During the extra year, you can work with an employer, organisation or department that is related to your field of study.

This kind of a course serves to give both you and your degree a boost. You have to understand at the onset, even before taking up a sandwich course that you will be spending one year away from university. During your initial years in the university, you will gather a great amount of theoretical knowledge. All will be good when notes are presented by your lecturers to you within the comfort zone of your lovely lecture halls.

However, in your sandwich year, you will be asked to step out to the real working world to put this knowledge to the test. While you may study many aspects of accountancy for instance, it is only in an accounting work environment that you will discover whether you prefer taxation to auditing or costing.

Most students who return to university after their sandwich year, are described as more mature, confident and responsible. In addition, they tend to perform better in their last year at university and often emerge with exceptionally good results. Some are offered permanent jobs with their placement employers even before they graduate.

Generally, the time taken away from university, if spent working hard and learning the ropes well, will make you very attractive to graduate employers. Also, instead of you going out there to secure a job (more so in these difficult economic times) the chances are you could have a ready employer, willing to hire you after having observed you for 12 months previously.

For example, in the UK, the IT industry is thriving in spite of the economic gloom. LexisNexis, the fastest growing sector of Reed Elsevier, is a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions. In 2008, the company, which has more than 1,000 staff, increased its number of placements from 294 to 393 and the recruitment efforts were expected to intensify this year at its London, Croydon, Twyford and Leeds centres.

Another technology employer that is continuously recruiting is IBM UK. Its industrial placements are for a minimum of one year and usually begin in June or July, the end of the British academic year. The prerequisite is that you are on course for 2:1 degree or above.

GlaxoSmithKline is also another prime example of a major corporation which is actively recruiting undergraduates, especially in the fields of manufacturing, IT, science research and development, sales and marketing, communications and human resources. Current undergraduates have praised the company for the support, patience and commitment rendered to them as they try to adapt to working life while training in their respective fields of study.

It would be safe to say that most universities have sandwich degree courses incorporated into their scope of study. More often than not, there is a special tutor or department that handles this aspect of the degree. You can make enquiries to find out if the course you are interested in has the sandwich option. You can also find out from the University & Colleges Admission Service , or UCAS (www.ucas.ac.uk), the agency responsible for student admissions. Its website has details of all courses available at UK institutions.

The availability will vary according to the university, from minimal to abundant. The placements last for one year and almost always start after the successful completion of the second year.

The University of Birmingham Chemical Engineering faculty, for example, has strong links with large multinational companies which approach the school frequently with the aim of offering sponsorships or summer placements to students. The sponsorships are aimed at second year Bachelor of Engineering students and third year Master of Engineering students.

Students considering the Master’s degree should apply in their second year for summer placements. To date, undergraduates from this university have been placed in Exxon Mobil, GlaxoSmithKline, Cadbury’s, Lafarge, Shell and Nestlé. Students can expect to earn £12,000 to £15,000 per annum while gaining relevant work expertise in one of these major corporations.

Brunel University in West London has two types of sandwich courses to offer; the four-year thick-sandwich route and the four-year thin-sandwich route. The former requires you to spend the whole of year three gaining work experience while the latter allows you to divide your work placements between year two and year three. For both options, you will have to work through the summer vacation to ensure that you put in the necessary time.

If you are studying languages like French or Japanese, you could be offered an industrial placement in France or Japan where you can truly experience the feel and flow of the language while living among the locals of the land.

The simplest way to ensuring a good industrial placement is to choose a university that has sufficient experience and expertise in handling the sandwich degree course. It should be one that has full-time industrial placement officers who will be responsible for seeking competent and challenging placements for you. They will also assist you in your job applications and help you with your interview techniques.

Yet, you should make it your responsibility to ensure that the kind of experience you will gain is best suited to your knowledge and the demands of your particular degree course.

Visit www.ratemyplacement.co.uk to find out more about what current and former undergraduates think of their industrial placements. You will need to sign up to be able to read the reviews. This website will give you a good idea of what to expect from leading employers when they take you in.

Just like how sandwiches only taste good when they have the right filling, your degree will only be highly regarded if you choose the right university and course of study. Prepare well to ensure that the path ahead is a smooth one.