Human Resource Management BA(Hons): Links with business and industry

You have the opportunity to do 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.

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

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.

The Strategic Management module benefits from a series of guest lecturers, all at senior management positions in prestigious organisations. They cover every aspect of business at a strategic level. So not only will you meet people renowned for their business expertise, but you'll also gain from their professional advice.

Guest lecturers have included:

• Patrick Harris, director of thoughtengine and former director of creativity for Orange Group;
• Stephen Barrow, head of global HR strategy and resourcing, HSBC Holdings plc;
• Eckart Schwarz, vice president, international clinical development and medical affairs, GlaxoSmithKline;
• Sally Coulden, head of clinical operations, GlaxoSmithKline;
• Fons van der Ham, director education sector Sony business Europe, Sony; and
• Graham Josephs, director personnel and development, Historic Royal Palaces.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the professional body representing those involved in the management and training of people. We work with CIPD to ensure that our teaching incorporates the latest industry thinking. You will also benefit from talks about HR issues by CIPD staff members.

The CIPD has recognised Kingston Business School as a Centre of Excellence in acknowledgement of the calibre of its research in the field of human resources.