"The university as a whole do a terrific job of making individuals realise their potential and succeed"

Photograph of Jake Collins
Jake Collins
Placement at Rolls Royce
English Language and Literature student
Jake recalls his experience as an English student, a rollercoaster journey that started with disillusionment and ends with his dream placement at Rolls Royce.
Photograph of Jake Collins

"At the start of the year, I was feeling a bit disillusioned. I knew I was enjoying my course, and I felt content with that. What I didn’t feel content with was my future. I realised how quickly my first year went, and I knew I needed to start to think about the future. I remember being in one of my first lectures of the year and this is the first time I met Gavin (Faculty Student Experience Advisor - Employability Lead). He came in and gave a very interesting and enthusiastic talk about work placements. A placement had never even crossed my mind until then but after that talk I started to tentatively pursue the idea. I met Gavin and I spoke to my personal tutor. After all of this talking, I decided to take the leap of faith and apply to placements. 

I found a lot of failure throughout the year, this is something I am not afraid to admit. I did get invited to a dream workshop day with Porsche and reached the top 5 of this, but again to no avail, I fell short at that final hurdle again. 

A couple of weeks ago, a role that I had previously been interviewed for and narrowly missed out on, reached out to me and offered me the position. It is down in Goodwood, so a huge change in scenery from ºù«Ӱҵ, and far from home and friends. But, after a lot of consulting and talking I took the leap and accepted. 

I am delighted to say that from July this year, I will be undertaking a year-long placement with Rolls Royce Motor Cars down in Goodwood. I will be working in their Material Control Logistics Department - something very different from my degree, but it showcases what roles an A&H degree can achieve. 

I am super proud, excited, and terrified but Gavin and the university as a whole do a terrific job of making individuals realise their potential and succeed, even when they have a lot of doubt."