What are short placements for Geography Environmental Science and Planning (GEP)?

The main purpose of a short placement in all areas are to enable students to identify and develop a range of professional skills appropriate to the business or service context, to test out the suitability of types of work for them, to build confidence in the workplace, to apply their knowledge and to build professional networks.  Through short placements our students can bring fresh perspectives and add value to work projects as well as helping you build long lasting relationships with the University.

What are the courses involved?

Geography Environmental Science and Planning (GEP) – BSc Geography, BSc Environmental Science, and BA Human Geography

When do they happen?

GEP – The placements will need to be undertaken between January and March

Below shows you the detailed timeline of what takes place before the placement begins;

How do I apply?

Please register your interest via the application form – https://unihub.shu.ac.uk/Form.aspx?id=1313848

Examples of previous placements/types of placements required.

GEP –  All three of our individual degree courses are broad ranging in the content they cover, and even more so when considered as a programme.

As a cohort they have a wide range of subject knowledge with some students being quite specialized in their area of expertise and interest, and others studying a more balanced curriculum. However, themes of sustainability (both in terms of climate science, policy, development, adaptation and mitigation, and natural resource planning and management) cut across all three courses.

Our graduates go on to work in an extremely wide range of careers. Some geographically related (such as ecology, planning, hydrology, education, community activism and the charity sector, transport, geospatial analysis etc), but many non-geographically specialized (such as accountancy, law, recruitment, marketing, sales, copywriting, journalism etc).

We would be interested in setting up placements with organisations where there is some geographical or environmental slant or interest. This could either be through the theme of the project e.g.:

  • Sustainability
  • Climate change (science or adaptation and mitigation)
  • Land or resource management
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Planning
  • Transport
  • Social policy
  • Public / customer perception of environmental issues

or the methods or approach the project may take e.g.:

  • Data analysis
  • Document / policy analysis
  • Spatial analysis
  • Geographical Information Systems

Many of our graduates are employed in roles which are not directly related to the discipline of their degree. As such there is a substantial benefit in them undertaking non-subject specific placements and we would be keen to source such short placements. All our courses include the development of a range of transferable skills. In particular, we would be keen to source placements where the following transferable skills are required:

  • handling and analyzing quantitative or qualitative data
  • spatial analysis and mapping
  • reading and analyzing reports and policy documents
  • collecting field data
  • problem solving
  • project management
  • group working and communication
  • writing reports
  • preparing and giving presentations
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