Do you have an industry challenge or business opportunity you need help with?
You may not have the time, resources or expertise to do everything you would like in your business or organisation, or you may be looking for talent for your internship programme. Either way, we can:
- Connect you with a pool of high-quality and motivated post-graduate students, looking to apply their skills and knowledge in a real-world environment through an internship or work experience project.
- Our careers and academic staff can provide support with project and candidate selection through to the final output.
“[the internship] was very easy to manage and the communication from Cranfield was excellent. We were provided with a very good set of candidates in terms of the specification we provided and that meant a strong set of interviews and not just that, but the support has been just right.”
Mark Bailey, Logistics Manager, Marks & Spencer Plc
The benefits of hosting a student internship or projects
A student internship or project is when a Masters student (MSc or MBA) carries out a project as part of their studies, within an organisational setting. Students will work with your company on a particular issue or challenge set by you as the host organisation so that you can be sure it meets the needs of your organisation.
As a result, you benefit from evidence-based input in a wide range of areas while our students develop invaluable practical experience in a real working environment, deepen their industry knowledge, and gain insight into a specific sector.
Hosting an internship or project means you get:
- Rigorous academic research resulting in evidence-based results.
- An injection of fresh ideas, knowledge and up-to-date theoretical concepts into a business.
- Added value through high-quality, reflective and analytical thinkers.
- The ability to test talented individuals that you may wish to recruit.
- Enhanced global business networks and country-specific market intelligence through international students.
“The student brings fresh ideas, excellent education, the latest management models/frameworks – all this goes a long way to improve motivation as it’s invariably a refreshing experience to work with one of these guys.”
Richard Brooks (MBA 2005, BGP 2013), CEO, K-International Ltd
What are we looking for in a project?
We are looking for a real-life issue that our student(s) can work on within your organisation to bring value to you and to provide a rigorous academic project to complete. A student project or internship is typically a three-month (paid or unpaid) internship project within your organisation. The scope of your internship project(s) will be determined by the industry you’re in and the types of students you would like to support you. The student(s) generally complete their thesis based on the project.
The main specialist areas of focus at Cranfield University include:
- Aerospace
- Defence and Security
- Design
- Energy and Sustainability
- Environment and Agrifood
- Management
- Manufacturing and Materials
- Transport Systems
- Water
For an idea of the types of students you could attract for your internship project, please have a look at the academic disciplines we have at Cranfield.
What is the process for getting a student to work on your project?
We will accept project suggestions throughout the year, however, the majority of students choose their projects in March/April to start the work in June and submit their thesis in October. Please note this is not the case for all courses, and the individual timeline will be confirmed with you when your project is accepted.
We have a rigorous internal process to ensure your project is academically rigorous and matched correctly to a student.
Step 1: Submit your project proposals to Cranfield through the form below as soon as you have identified an opportunity.
Step 2: The form will be shared with colleagues in the relevant field. Internships and projects need to be scoped to ensure they are academically rigorous. A colleague will be in touch to discuss the proposal in more detail and answer any questions you might have.
Step 3: The internship or project is advertised to students who can review the opportunity and apply.
Step 4: You and your organisation interview students and decide on who you would like to work with you.
Step 5: Cranfield continues to support you and the student throughout the internship or project.
What next?
For an informal conversation, please contact our Internships and Project Manager, Preety Plahay (preety.plahay@cranfield.ac.uk) to discuss your idea, or complete the form to submit your internship or project proposal.
