Manufacturing Improvement Sandwich Placement 2024-25

The employer makes large steel and ceramic structures. It’s a great business, where huge importance is placed on developing staff. They are looking to take on a placement student for a year, starting in June or July 2024.

The business has less than 200 staff, and you will be the only placement student in the team (though they are also taking on 2 others doing different things). This means you will learn loads, and it will look great on your CV. As all the parts of the business are on one site, you’ll be able to see how they all work; right from when the product is designed to when it leaves the site.

You will be getting hands-on experience, working on real projects that will make a difference to the business.

You’ll learn about continuous improvement, and how to make such improvements sustainable in the real world.

You will be working on manufacturing projects that will help to enhance product quality and plant safety and productivity. There is a particular interest in implementing digital manufacturing. You will be assisting with:

• Factory layout design and implementation. Gathering manufacturing data and carrying out data analysis looking for improvement potential.
• Factory digitisation and automation projects
• Quality improvement projects

You’ll also be helping the Operations team to help improve processes; assisting with HSE risk assessments; and helping the team to improve and write up new procedures for the process.

Some of these specific things may not be familiar, but that’s ok as training will be given.

Feedback from the current placement student

The current placement student has been there since July, and as you will see he is getting a lot from it. If the dates work out the plan is for you to have a week or so with him when you start, so you can speak more about how he has found it.

I’m working on lots of different projects and I’m very busy which is good. The thing I have found most useful about the placement is the variety of work that I’m doing.

An example of this is a 3D model that I have created of the whole site, which has been extremely useful in planning new layouts as we’re getting a huge machine next year. I did not know how to do any kind of 3D modelling before this placement so I’m quickly gaining skills in lots of different areas.

I also like the amount of freedom and responsibility I’ve been given throughout the placement so far.

What you'll need

This is a year-long sandwich placement and only for undergraduates who are looking for a year-long placement as part of your course. There is some flexibility in degree type, as long as it has some relevance. There is a preference for something with some focus on Manufacturing Improvement.

Some previous work experience is ideally required; the type of work is not important (it can be retail, hospitality, administration, or bar work, for example).

Where you'll be working

A town which is in the area between Rotherham, Barnsley, and Doncaster. Also commutable from Sheffield. There is a train station nearby, or you can park on-site if you drive.

If applying, please make sure that you are able to get to the location, and if you need to relocate please consider if this will be feasible (think about cost etc). Previous students have relocated and have found housing easily.

What happens next

If you're interested please email your CV asap. The plan is for interviews to take place in January.