Most of you would know about Internships – their advantages, the work involved, 
different seasons, etc. The case of finding a year-in-industry placement is similar. In this post I will be discussing one of my favourite organisations for finding a year-in-industry placement or longer internships. I have used the resources of this organisation to get an offer of an year-in-industry placement myself.
How to get a Year-In-Industry Placement?
Doing a year-in-industry placement is very advantageous. 
It gives you 12 solid months of working in an industry related to your degree, and thus it is similar to a year out between your academic years, the only difference being you would be working in the industry you’re interested in. There are many online websites, including the big names, that advertise 12-month placements. But there is one that stands out from the rest. It is The Year in Industry Organisation.
Whilst at university, I signed up with them FREE of cost, some of my friends also did, and as far as I know, those of us who kept a tab and tried hard, did get a placement offer from those companies that interviewed us through them. So, I strongly suggest that any Science/Engineering students should sign up with them and follow the vacancies advertised, if you are looking for a year-in-industry placement.
How does the Year In Industry Organisation work?
Simply put, they act as a recruiting agent, but ONLY for year-in-industry placements. They leverage their specialised recruiting skills and advertise vacancies for employers in the UK.
You have to submit some documents to the YINI organisation and your case will be assigned to somebody in the organisation. Please remember that hundreds of students have signed up with them and you have to follow it up with them, asking them to send your CV to any employers who have advertised vacancies with them, if you think you match the skills.
They will send out your CV, which needs to be filled in in a standard YINI CV-template. So all the applicants apply in the same format, and only what is on your CV will be used to filter students. The employers will then decide if they want to interview you. If selected, you will be asked to attend an interview. After the interview the YINI officer will be informed of who the employer wants to employ. And you will be informed of the offer by YINI. You don’t pay a penny for any of the discussions/consultations.
To summarise, have a look at their website and if there is anything you want to comment on, drop me a comment below. For any basic questions, have a look at these YINI FAQs.
Any other resources to find a Year-in-Industry placement?
Apart from YINI org., the other traditional methods of finding a placement are useful too. Except, please be careful of how much time you spend of graduate and job websites, as they don’t specialise in catering for year-in-industry placements.
Personally, I find speculative applications, or speaking to professors and trying to find a contact as the best way to have a breakthrough. Try looking at your university’s job portal for year long internships, work-experience etc., as smaller or local companies at times decide to take on a year-in-industry student as late as September.
Remember, for a year-in-industry placement it is never too late, and you can try and find one until the first day of next year. So don’t give up, if you really want a year-in-industry placement.
