The A To Z Of Sandwich Programs in The Uk

July 2022

WHAT IS A SANDWICH COURSE?

Sandwich courses originated in the UK in the 1950s and later became mainstream around the world.
A 'sandwich course' is a 4 to 5-year program that combines an undergraduate or postgraduate degree with a year-long placement in a professional setting.
It also involves spending time away from the university on a placement; it can be an entire year or a thin sandwich degree with multiple internships spread across the program.

Colleges in UK

The concept of sandwich courses was spearheaded by Alexander Russell and articulated in a 1945 report by the Ministry of Education in the United Kingdom.
The two types of sandwich courses in the United Kingdom are:

A thick sandwich degree is either a four-year undergraduate course as part of a bachelor's degree, or a five-year postgraduate course as part of a master's degree, and involves a placement year or internship in industry, that is, a sandwich year, normally after the second year at university.
A thin sandwich degree involves multiple shorter placement or internship periods rather than an unbroken year.

There are diverse approaches in which a sandwich program can be used to add auxiliary value to your CV.
Character evolution: You will get your hands on new skills that are called for to adjust in corporate culture.
Competitive edge: Needless to say, youâ€™ll be well-resourced than your peers with perspicacity into your favoured industry.
Employment windows: It introduces you to a myriad gateway of employment as you make contacts and explore assorted approaches of an industry.
First hand experience: Pursuing a sandwich course is a great way to gain insights into an industry of choice with practical mastery.
Fiscal incentives: The stipend earned during the internship can help ease your living abroad expenses and gain valuable networking skills and opportunities in the relevant industry.
Pre-placements: Most often, if you are a quality worker, you can land a pre-placement offer from the internship organization after graduation to serve as a full-time employee.

One of the disadvantages is that the whole process of applying for placement while you are studying can take months and a lot of time is spent in applying and going through different stages of interviews.
Keeping track about the extent of assistance an university is willing to provide for getting a placement.
Being sure that having your studies interrupted by an industry year is not an unwelcome interruption to your studies.

There are a few colleges offering Sandwich Courses distinctly in subjects identified with Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Humanities, and Maths.
Esteemed universities like University of Bath, Lancaster University, University of Surrey, Loughborough University, Aston University, Staffordshire University, Birmingham City University, etc. offer Sandwich Courses at the undergraduate or postgraduate level in the UK.

The eligibility criteria for sandwich courses are similar to the requirements to study full-time in the UK.

Minimum 60% from relevant/specified course and recognized board
Scorecard of English proficiency tests like TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced. (Some universities exempt students from this if they meet the set criteria)
GMAT/GRE for Masters programs
Academic Transcripts
Letter of Recommendations (LOR)
Portfolio (for specific courses)
A CV (if applicable)
Statement of Purpose (SOP)

Employers typically pay students on sandwich year placements with a fair salary, in defiance of it not being a legal obligation.
These can range from £11,000 to £25,000 [INR 11 to 25 lakhs], relative to the sector, province, and business, with an average salary of approximately £18,000 [INR 18 lakhs].

The amount of abetment the university pitches in for finding an appropriate placement.
The variousness of placements attainable and the selection barometers.
The amount of furtherance given by the university whilst on placement.
Whether/how the student's performance on placement is evaluated as part of the ultimate degree result.
Whether the student will be paid a fair amount whilst on placement.
The fees due to the university whilst the student is on placement.

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