Company Engagement

As the name suggests, this scheme is an opportunity for you to review applications from engineering students and select those students whom you wish to meet. A general overview of the company experience is:

1. Register your attendance online.
2. Review student applications and select those you'd like to meet.
3. Prepare to attend the event by checking out the company guide.
4. Attend the main event.
5. Maintain your connections.

More information on each stage is available below.

We welcome all engineering companies and professionals, whether or not you have active placement or work opportunities at the time of the scheme. 

Companies register to attend. This means that you can bring colleagues or change representatives at short notice.

Students complete a general application form, designed to be similar to graduate recruitment. Their responses will tell you about their skills and experience. You will then have the chance to review these applications in advance, selecting the students you'd like to meet.  

The Select scheme is open to all undergraduate and masters engineering students. When selecting candidates, we advise taking into consideration that the students will naturally be at different points in their professional development journey. It will help to review the 'soft-skills' conveyed in their application which are desirable to your company. 

There is also an option for us to randomly allocate interviews if you prefer.  

We aim to give you at least a 14 day notice of your interview schedule ahead of the main event.

The Select event takes place on UEA's beautiful campus in Spring. The schedule includes:

• Facility tour: you are invited to attend a tour of Productivity East, the home of Engineering at UEA. This is optional and is not linked to the wider Select event.
• Talk: a chance to meet fellow professionals and the UEA team, following by a brief welcome talk which will include housekeeping announcements.
• Lunch: we will provide a range of sandwiches and wraps including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options. There will also be hot drinks and sweet treats.
• Interviews: each interview will be 15 minutes long and will take place at your designated table. Students will be advised to provide you with a copy of their CV on the day. There will be a break every few interviews. The interviews are short to give you the opportunity to meet with a wide variety of students in one event. We have not limited you or the students regarding what can be discussed. Therefore, depending on your goals, the interview could be a formal interview, a networking discussion, or a chance for you to outline pathways and progression within your company. You will likely have nine interview opportunities.
• Feedback: after three interviews, you'll be invited to complete a brief feedback form for the students you've just met. Further guidance will be given during the event.
• Networking: once interviews are concluded, all students and professionals will have the opportunity to network freely. Light bites and treats will be provided.

In previous years, interviews and connections made at Select have led to various work experience for students, from placements to graduate employment. Communication between students and companies made after the event does not necessarily involve the UEA School of Engineering team. 

There are a few options available to you: 

• Each student will have a business card, which they are encouraged to offer you at the event. They may also provide you with a copy of their CV containing their contact details. As they volunteer their details, you may freely contact them.
• The Engineering team (engineering@uea.ac.uk) can forward your email to our students. If you wish to provide any Select student with feedback, offers, or requests, send us the details of the student you would like to reach and how they can get in touch with you.
• We are encouraging our students to build and maintain their own LinkedIn accounts.
• Please note that any CV or business card provided by a student would include sensitive data and should therefore be handled with the utmost care. Once provided by the student, please store the document(s) in a secure place. Any documents found unattended will be securely removed by UEA staff.

Professionals who attended the 2024 Select event had this to say:

"Really enjoyed attending [Select] - some great conversations with some outstanding students who were well prepared, knowledgeable, engaging, and excited about their future careers."

"A really great event and lots of productive conversations with students about careers in the energy industry."

"A great experience and initiative to encourage and connect young talent with industry."

"If there are any professionals or students that are considering taking part in the Select scheme next year, we highly recommend you take the time to participate!"