We’ve been running industrial placement schemes in HMRC digital for four years. We offer undergraduates 9-12 months practical paid work experience which develops their skills and business knowledge before they go back to university to complete their degree. This year we have 33 places to fill for placements starting in September.
Mutually beneficial
It's not just the students who gain skills and experience with the placements, we get a lot out of it too. Every year we have an influx of enthusiastic, blue-sky-thinking, tech-savvy students who share the latest knowledge and insights with our teams. With their ‘fresh eyes’ they can often see clearer solutions to problems precisely because they are free of established thinking or ways of working.
The placements have worked so well that many have succeeded in landing full-time roles in our teams after graduation. And it’s thanks to the success of previous cohorts that we’ve got even more places on offer this year.
With 33 positions to fill in 16 different job roles, and in 8 different locations, this is our biggest and most exciting intake of industrial placements so far. Well, that's what we think, but what do our current placements have to say about working here?
Jess Johnson, Reporting Analyst, IT and Data Science at Northumbria University
Within the first week I felt as if I fitted straight in. I didn’t once feel like an ‘intern’ and was given a considerable amount of responsibility and a satisfactory workload to ensure I was pushed to my limits and working to the best of my ability. The benefits such as flexi-time, being able to sometimes work from home and getting to see different offices around the country also make the job a lot more enjoyable.
I would recommend a placement to anyone. I was only one of three students on my course who decided to go on placement and I don’t regret this. It has already taught me more than I learnt at university and it opens so many doors for future employment. In addition, I have been fortunate enough to be able to undertake a number of courses that will benefit me in my final year so it’s a win-win situation.
Saif Javed, Business Analyst, Software Engineering at The University of Bradford
What I like about working at HMRC is how everyone is friendly and ready to help you at any time. I feel part of the family working at HMRC - not feel like a placement student but as a normal member of staff. I have been given the opportunity to gain extra qualifications that have aided me in my job role, such as the Agile and Architecting on AWS.
I get to work with people who have valuable experience, some who have been working for HMRC for over 30 years! I have been able to get out my comfort zone by working for a large organisation and put my skills and knowledge to the test and apply it to some real life projects, which is amazing.
Oliver Storey, Associate Solution Architect, Computer Science at Northumbria University
I like the culture here. My manager and team are always very supportive. It is fantastic to be able to work in central government, being involved in important national projects where I’m able to make a difference for the public. For example, I have recently begun work on a project relating to EU Exit. I am very proud to be able to work for an organisation that has such a crucial purpose.
All of the staff I have come into contact with have been very friendly. I feel like part of the team and I’m treated in the same way as any other member of staff would be. I have had the opportunity to attend lots of calls and meetings, as well as travel to other offices, both with colleagues and alone. I am always given the opportunity to get fully involved in anything the team is working on. Also, there are lots of great training opportunities.
Interested?
To find out more about the roles on offer this year and for details on how you can apply visit our industrial placement page.
We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to the team.
Lisa Rowley, Talent and Development Manager
Check out our current vacancies. They're updated regularly so worth keeping an eye on.
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