Recognising the breadth of opportunities open to me post-PhD

This week we hear from Leslie Bode a former PPN placement student and our new Postgraduate Placements Delivery Manager. The best benefit of all, was that I made some amazing friends. Two of the other coordinators were at the exact same writing up stage, and despite being from completely different academic backgrounds; we bonded instantly over …

Supporting my peers and gaining career experience at the same time

This week we hear from Hollie who recently completed a placement as a Graduate Centre Coordinator in the University of Nottingham Graduate School. In summer 2017 I was nearing the end of the third year of my PhD and was starting to think about life after the thesis. Although I hoped to continue with my …

Smoothing our ride to success

This week we hear from Gemma Pearce of Loopwheels about her experience of hosting a placement student through our Postgraduate Placements Nottingham (PPN) scheme. We’re a small award-winning company in north Nottinghamshire. We design, manufacture and sell an innovative product: wheels with integral suspension for manual wheelchairs, called Loopwheels. Our wheels make it easier and more comfortable for …

Making space for more than one passion

This week we hear from Lexie, a University of Nottingham music postgraduate, about her placement with at1.SPACE yoga and wellness studio. Initially I had some concerns as to how I could fit a work placement alongside my academic research, teaching commitments and concerts. As it turned out though the flexibility of the PPN programme meant …

Visit to University of Guadalajara

Between 21-25 January 2018 colleagues from Careers, Research and Innovation, and the Graduate School visited University of Guadalajara to foster relationships and collaboration between the two universities. Here Kerry Wright (Graduate School) gives a personal overview of the visit. The first thing that stood out for me about University of Guadalajara (UdeG) is its size. …

Small companies, big challenges, unlimited opportunities

This week we hear from Luis Torres about his experience of the Postgraduate Placements Nottingham (PPN) scheme.

Vision, value and buy-in: the benefits of hosting a PPN placement student

Alex Greenghalgh is one of the directors behind LionCard. This is a new enterprise, started by University of Nottingham students for Nottingham residents to get discounts from responsible, small businesses in the city. Alex took a bit of time out from his busy day to talk to PPN about how his business has benefitted from …

One of the best things that has happened to me!

This week we hear from Surojit Sen about his postgraduate placement with Cleantech Business. I’m an international student who came to Nottingham two years ago to pursue a specialization in automotive engineering. This was a big career shift for me as up until then I’d spent several years working in the banking industry. One day …

Getting the competitive edge: how a postgraduate placement could enhance your business

Office Innovations is a dynamic office interior and furniture business based in Chilwell, Nottingham. Over the past 6 months the company has identified two postgraduate placement projects to help move their business forward and identify new opportunities for business growth. Michelle Severn, Tom Geary and Samantha Betts spoke to Postgraduate Placements Nottingham (PPN) about their …

My light bulb moment

This week Postgraduate Placements Nottingham (PPN) hears from Oliver Durner about his placements experiences. Postgraduate Placements Nottingham (PPN) is the best kept secret at the University of Nottingham for postgraduates and I feel fortunate to have done two placements through the programme. You get paid to do really cool stuff which fits around your study …