Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) – Industrial Placement Scheme
Salary: £24,961 per annum
Contract Type: Fixed-Term, 12 months
Hours: Full-time
Locations: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Oxfordshire), Daresbury Laboratory (Cheshire), UK Astronomy Technology Centre (Edinburgh), or STFC Chilbolton Observatory
Closing date: 19th October 2025
Assessment Centre: December 2025 / January 2026
Start date: September 2026
Student life is full of opportunities, but taking time out to gain real-world experience can be both exciting and invaluable as you shape your future career. At STFC, our 12-month industrial placements give you the chance to make a meaningful impact from day one – all while earning a competitive salary.
We offer a wide variety of placements where you'll work alongside world-leading engineers, scientists, and technicians in highly collaborative environments. Whichever path you choose, you'll become a valued member of the team, contributing to exciting projects and tackling real challenges from the outset.
We understand that every student is different, so we tailor each placement to match your skills and interests. It's a fantastic opportunity to explore your career ambitions while building the experience and confidence that will give you a head start after graduation. Throughout your placement, you'll be supported by our dedicated Early Careers Team and benefit from a range of personal and professional development opportunities.
Opportunities
We have a variety of full-time, 12-month fixed-term opportunities within:
* Computing
* Engineering
* Science & Technology
* Microelectronics
* Business Support
About You
To apply for STFC's industrial placement scheme, you should:
* Be currently enrolled on an undergraduate degree course and planning to return to your studies to complete your degree after the placement
* Be required or have requested to undertake an industrial placement year as part of your course
* Have the right to live and work in the UK for the duration of the placement
* Be available to start employment in summer 2026
Academic ability and a strong interest in your field is important too, and each vacancy will detail the skills and knowledge we're looking for, but we'll also strongly value your drive for perfection and passion for collaboration. With high levels of self-awareness, you'll bring a clear dedication to your own development and be ready to seek out and grasp new opportunities for both professional and personal growth.
Employee Benefits
We are offering this placement with a whole host of benefits including:
* 30 days holiday (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days).
* Flexible working hours.
* An excellent defined average salary pension scheme.
* Easily accessible public transport links/ free parking.
* Excellent learning and development opportunities.
* Cycle to work scheme.
Click here to view more of benefits:
How we support EDI in the workforce
We believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations, and the wider community.
For further information, please visit '
How we support EDI in the workforce'
.
Disability Confident Employer
As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all applicants with a disability who opt into the disability confident scheme and meet the minimum criteria for the role. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.
Application Guidance
Please note that we can only accept a maximum of 2 applications per candidate.
Part of our application process involves submitting your CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter should address your suitability for the opportunity based on how you meet each essential criteria stated in the advert.
We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.
What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible
To view our current Industrial Placement vacancies, please visit our careers site
here
.