Business Information Technology BSc(Hons): Links with business and industry

You have the option to undertake an industrial placement as part of this course. The benefits of this include:

• enabling you to add work experience to your CV – this will give you an edge on the competition when you look for a job and help you to make better informed career choices;
• helping your final year academic studies – statistics indicate that somebody who has done a placement gets, on average, better results in their final year;
• developing your professional skills; and
• providing you with a salary, so potentially reducing debt in the middle of your degree.

Read more about how some of our current and recent students found their placement experiences. 

The Placement Office has a wealth of industrial contacts and exists solely to help you get the best possible placement position. It enjoys an excellent relationship with a wide range of organisations, from global multinationals to small cutting-edge enterprises and the public sector. These links serve to ensure that the calibre of Kingston graduates is recognised by potential employer. Organisations that supported the placement programme include:

• Toyota;
• The Walt Disney Company;
• British Airways;
• Fiat; 
• BUPA;
• Marks and Spencer;
• Sun Microsystems;
• British Gas;
• PricewaterhouseCoopers;
• Proctor and Gamble;
• Commerzbank;
• Lloyds TSB;
• BT;
• Volkswagen;
• Reuters; and
• IBM; to name but a few.

Each year a number of students receive some form of permanent job offer from their placement employer. 

You will complete a consultancy project for a real client as part of the core module Strategic Information Management and Consultancy. This allows you to:

• learn while gaining work experience; and
• demonstrate your ability in real business situations to potential employers. 

The class works in teams on different projects and the IT's professional body, the British Computer Society, sponsors an annual prize. This goes to the group that produces that the best solution for its client and adds a fun competitive element.

The module is supported by lectures from external speakers on business IT issues and has gained a national award for promoting 'Managing Skills in Undergraduate Studies'.

Recent projects include:

• Toyota – e-business and marketing strategy;
• Iraqi Airlines – start-up plan; 
• Bilas Tandoori – e-marketing strategy; 
• Fidelity Investments – XML based brochure editing package;
• General Electric – sales force competence system development;
• IBM – strategic outsourcing toolkit development;
• London Underground – intranet evaluation; and
• M&S Consultants – web design and database development.