The short answer? Yes.
Whether you're studying engineering, technology, business, data, cybersecurity or another STEM-related subject, gaining real-world experience through a summer internship, industrial placement, placement year or insight programme can help you build valuable employability skills, explore different career paths and feel more confident about your future graduate career. Research consistently shows that internships and work placements help students develop workplace skills, improve employability and strengthen career readiness.
At BAE Systems, our undergraduate opportunities are designed to do exactly that.
Why internships and placements matter more than ever
University gives you knowledge. Internships, placement years and insight experiences help you understand how that knowledge is applied in the real world.
They give you the chance to:
- Build practical industry experience
- Develop professional and employability skills
- Expand your network
- Explore different career paths
- Discover what type of work motivates and inspires you
- Gain insight into future graduate opportunities
The studies also suggest students who undertake internships and placements often benefit from stronger employment prospects and increased workplace readiness after graduation. It highlights the value of work-integrated learning and practical workplace experience in helping students develop professional capabilities, career confidence and stronger employment outcomes.
Perhaps most importantly, these experiences help answer a question many students are still working out:
What do I actually want from my career?
I was undecided on what to pursue after university, but that decision was an easy one to make after my summer internship. I saw first-hand the incredible and unique engineering that went into our products.CallumGraduate Materials Engineer, UK
It's not just about gaining experience. It's about discovering your potential.
Many students apply for a summer internship or placement thinking they'll spend their time observing.
The reality is often very different.
The most valuable experiences are the ones where you're trusted to contribute, encouraged to ask questions and given opportunities to learn alongside experienced professionals.
At BAE Systems, our undergraduate colleagues work on real projects from day one, gaining exposure to technologies, programmes and teams that are helping shape the future across air, land, sea, cyber, digital and space domains. Not only that, but they can take part in stretch assignments – projects outside of their day-to-day role that give them increased exposure to different teams and initiatives across the business.
Whether you're interested in engineering, software, manufacturing, project management, data analytics, finance, business or operations, you'll have opportunities to see how your studies can translate into meaningful work.
Why this matters for women in STEM
While progress continues, women remain underrepresented across many STEM disciplines, particularly in engineering and technology. Recent data shows women represent approximately 31% of students studying core STEM subjects in UK higher education.
Research tells us that female students are particularly attracted to careers that offer:
- Meaningful work
- Continuous learning
- Career development opportunities
- Positive impact
- Inclusive working environments
- Strong support networks
That's exactly why internships, placement years and insight programmes can be so valuable.
They allow you to:
- Build confidence in your skills
- See successful role models in action
- Experience different career paths first-hand
- Learn from people with diverse experiences and perspectives
- Better understand where your strengths can take you
Sometimes, the most important thing an internship gives you isn't experience.
It's confidence.
It's also a sense of belonging. Seeing people like you succeed, learning from different perspectives and recognising that your ideas and experiences add value can be just as important as the technical and professional skills you develop.
Everyone was willing to answer questions, share their experiences and encourage me to explore different career paths. By the end of my placements, I knew there was still so much more to learn.ParishaGraduate Systems Engineer, UK
Three ways to gain experience at BAE Systems
Internships
Our internships are designed to fit around your studies while giving you meaningful industry experience.
Over the course of your internship, you'll:
- Work on real projects
- Learn from experienced professionals
- Build industry knowledge
- Develop transferable skills
- Grow your professional network
- Gain insight into future graduate careers
For many students, it's their first experience of life inside a global organisation.
Industrial Placements
Want to immerse yourself even further?
A placement year, sometimes referred to as an industrial placement or year in industry, gives you the chance to spend a full year developing your skills and experience before returning to university.
A longer placement often means:
- Greater responsibility
- Broader project exposure
- Stronger professional relationships
- More opportunities to develop technical expertise and collaboration skills
- Greater confidence and preparedness for your final year
It's an opportunity to apply what you've learned so far while gaining a clearer picture of what your future career could look like.
Insight Experiences
If you're earlier in your university journey and still exploring your options, insight experiences can be the perfect place to start.
These programmes are designed to help you:
- Understand different career paths
- Learn more about the defence, aerospace and technology sectors
- Meet industry professionals
- Explore opportunities you may not have considered before
- Build confidence about your future career choices
They're a great way to discover possibilities before committing to an internship or placement year.
Building future-ready skills
Technology is evolving rapidly.
The roles, industries and skills employers need tomorrow will continue to evolve.
That's why employers increasingly look for graduates who combine technical expertise with skills such as:
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Finding solutions
- Adaptability
- Analytical and creative thinking
- Digital fluency
Internships, business placements and year-in-industry opportunities help develop these capabilities by giving you opportunities to learn through experience, work with diverse teams and help create solutions to real-world problems.
These are the future-ready skills that can support you throughout your career.
More than a placement. A pathway into your future.
One of the biggest advantages of undertaking an undergraduate opportunity is that it doesn't have to end there.
Many employers view internships and placements as an important way to identify future talent. Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) highlights that internships often serve as pathways into graduate careers and long-term employment.
At BAE Systems, successful completion of an internship or placement could lead to an offer to join one of our graduate programmes.
That means the experience you gain today could help shape where you begin your career tomorrow.
So, should you apply?
If you're looking for an opportunity to:
- Build valuable experience
- Develop future-ready skills
- Grow your confidence
- Work on projects that matter
- Learn from experienced professionals
- Explore potential career paths
- Join an inclusive and supportive environment
- Create opportunities for your future
Then an internship, placement year or insight programme could be one of the most valuable investments you make during your time at university.
Because sometimes the biggest benefit isn't what you'll learn about the job. It's what you'll learn about yourself.
I wanted to balance study with hands-on learning - those experiences grew my understanding, built my confidence and equipped me with the skills to help find the best technical solutions for our customersEllieGraduate Aerospace Engineer, Australia
Explore undergraduate opportunities at BAE Systems.