Business Engagement
Partnership is central to our ethos and the School recognises the importance of our students engaging with business and wider society to gain relevant experience, develop commercial awareness, skills and knowledge to support their early career development.
We work closely with our colleagues at Queen’s Institute for Global Food Security who routinely partner with industry for a solutions-led approach to many of the key research challenges facing the global food supply chain. IGFS collaborate on a number of external projects with education and research institutes, government bodies, the agri-food industry - from SMEs to multinational retailers and NGO’s - in an effort to marry world-leading research with real-world application.
EMPLOYABILITY ENGAGEMENT: GET INVOLVED
From first year through to making that transition out of University life - we support and encourage students to develop their confidence, skill sets and to explore the various job markets related to the life sciences and beyond.
You can support and connect with our students in various ways:
- Hosting a year long or short term work placement / internship
- Developing remote projects for students to support as part of their research project modules
- Recruiting our Graduates
- Guest speaking at an appropriate event
- Attending our central Queen’s University Recruitment Fairs
- Supporting School employability initiatives such as graduate Mock Interviews or hosting us on our Life Sciences Tour
Placements and Internships
Queen’s School of Biological Sciences operate one of the largest and most successful Work Placement programmes in a UK or Irish University. The School model is recognised as an example of good practice due partly to the embedded nature of the work placements within the curriculum and reflective learning components that our students undertake.
All students have the option to add a placement onto their degree programme and this is viewed as being one of the most important aspects of the degree, enabling the opportunity to experience jobs in preparation for graduation. Placements bring many benefits for students in developing skills, putting theory into practice and preparing for future careers. There are also many benefits to be gained by hosting a student and we are engaged in developing talent to support industry and partner organisations.
The success of our work placement programmes depends on establishing strong external partnerships with host organisations, both locally, nationally and globally. Our employer relationships are key to supporting our students to develop vital employability skills to ensure they are career ready.
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Benefits to Employers
There are many benefits of hosting a placement student to your organisation:
- Cost effective extra resource with relevant knowledge and skills
- New ideas and fresh perspectives in the workplace
- A means of training and evaluating placement students for potential graduate opportunities
- Develop links with Queen’s University Belfast, can lead to additional partnerships
- Students bring new skills and knowledge of modern practices and technologies
- Provide existing staff the opportunity to develop supervisory skills through mentoring a student on placement
- Placement Recruitment Timeline
With a dedicated school placement team on hand to support student and employer through all stages the process is simple and supportive. A guide to the placement process is highlighted below although please note we are able to offer flexibility.
October to March – Placements advertised to students.
Employer provides job description for the placement opportunity to be advertised for students to apply to. It is also possible to come on campus to meet students (timetable permitting). Contact the Placement Team for information and support in advertising your vacancy.
November to March – A busy time for placement interviews.
Interviews can be accommodated on site.
April to August – Majority of postgraduate placements commence
Leadership for Sustainable Development and Leadership for Sustainable Rural Development commence earlier (see below). Placement team co-ordinates agreements and deal with any queries.
May to September – Majority of undergraduate placements commence
Placement team co-ordinates agreements and deal with any queries.
Year Round - Queen’s staff visit
Depending on the placement duration, Queen’s staff will visit and review placement progress at least once but are available to contact at all times.
- Undergraduate Placement Programmes
Subject
Duration
When
Agricultural Technology 12-14 Weeks or Year Placement 12-14 Weeks
Commences May/June to September
Year Placement
Commences the end of second year starting from June to September
(It is an option for students to split the year placement between two different placement hosts)
Biochemistry Year Placement Biological Sciences 12-14 Weeks or Year Placement Environmental Management 12-14 Weeks or Year Placement Food Science & Nutrition 12-14 Weeks or Year Placement Marine Biology 12-14 Weeks or Year Placement Microbiology Year Placement Zoology 12-14 Weeks or Year Placement - Postgraduate Placement Programmes
Subject
Duration
When
Animal Behaviour and Welfare 12 Weeks April - August Ecological Management and Conservation Biology 12 Weeks April - August Leadership for Sustainable Development Three 8 Week Placements January - March
April - June
July - August
Leadership for Sustainable Rural Development 16 Weeks January - June Molecular Biology and Biotechnology 12-14 Weeks May - August
Graduate Recruitment
Queen's University is renowned for our industry-leading student and graduate talent. We are committed to connecting employers to their future workforce and offer a range of services to meet your needs. 96% of our undergraduates are in employment or further study 6 months after graduation (HESA Destinations of Leavers survey 2016/17).
Whether you would like to promote your vacancies and opportunities, raise student awareness of your organisation or help shape future skills development in potential employees, our experienced team can support your tailored engagement strategy. We are open to engaging with organisations in various ways to inform our students of career options and opportunities available to them. We regularly hold career information sessions (life sciences, agri-food, environmental), an annual careers fair (Environmental Conservation) and a yearly tour of life science organisations throughout the UK and ROI.
If you would like to get involved with any of these activities or have a request for connecting we would love to hear from you. You can email Dionne Alexander – d.alexander@qub.ac.uk or complete this form.
Industry Mentoring
Mentoring is a great opportunity for students to gain real insight as to what career options are open to them and it is a rewarding experience for industry professionals to help someone progress and achieve their full potential in their future career.
Mentoring involves sharing your knowledge, skills and experience to help your Mentee progress, to seek new opportunities and have a clearer idea of their career direction after graduation. Typically the mentoring has involved online meetings, coffee and informal chats, meeting during an event, site visits and some work shadowing. Past matches found the most beneficial activities to be: mock interviews, cv editing, goal setting, networking and career directions, career options review, confidence building.
Click here for more information: Industry - Mentoring Programme
WORK PLACEMENT AND EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAMMES BROCHURE
View our Brochure:
Work Placement and Employability Programmes
Learn about the wide range of programmes, activities, engagement opportunities and support for employers through the School of Biological Sciences.
Click hereCareers and Placement 22/23 Employer Newsletter
24/25 Employer Newsletter
Careers and Placement 24/25 Employer Newsletter
Please see a link below to the School of Biological Sciences – Employer Newsletter for 2024/25. Included is a review of successes from 2023/24, opportunities to connect and engage with the careers and placement team and students for the upcoming 2024/25 year. We look forward to engaging with you and wish to thank you for continued support of the School programmes and students.
Careers and Placement 24/25 Employer NewsletterGet in touch
Employer Engagement Team
QUB Employer Gateway
Explore KTP opportunities
QUB KTP Team