Our Summer and Industrial Placement programme is designed for the brightest and most ambitious undergraduates. You will benefit from the opportunity to enhance your academic studies with an engaging series of paid work placements that will give you a head start as you enter the world of work. 

Introduction 

Laing O’Rourke offers undergraduate placements to those students studying an undergraduate degree with a sandwich year (Industrial) or those who prefer to do a summer placement between each academic year. 

Our summer (6 – 12 weeks) or Industrial (12 months) placement scheme offers first-hand experience for those who are passionate about achieving their career ambitions in the built environment. Perform well enough and you may get the chance to join our Graduate Development Programme. 

Your placement will give you an insight into our world-class project-based business. You will get hands-on experience of working on one of our construction sites, along with structured training, group activities, guidance and support which will aid you with your university education. 

We understand that flexibility is important to you and therefore we’ve designed the programme to fit with your summer plans. A core six-week programme has been designed for you to get the most value from the Summer and Industrial Placement and we ask that you are available for the duration to complete your six learning sessions. These sessions will complement your practical experience on site.  

We ask our summer students to complete a minimum of six weeks to get the most out of placement, you can extend your placement with us before or after the core six-week programme to suit both you and your project’s needs. 

Career Progression 

Students who complete a successful Summer/Industrial placement will be automatically put forward for our Graduate Development Programme. This means you will not need to apply nor go through the assessment centre process. 

Not ready to graduate at the end of your placement? Successful students will automatically be put forward to return for an additional placement.

Entry requirements

We are looking for exceptional and focused undergraduates who are looking to specialise in civil engineering or quantity surveying.  

We particularly encourage first-year students to apply in order to maximise the number of work placements you can complete before graduation. 

You will need to meet the following criteria:  

  • You must be eligible to work in the UK without restrictions with a valid work permit, if applicable. 
  • You will be required to travel and possibly relocate for your rotational placements. 
  • You must be on target to achieve a 1st or 2:1 degree classification. 
  • You must be currently studying an accredited degree in your specific field. 
  • This programme is only available in the UK.  

Frequently Asked Questions

We want you to select the role you are most interested in, so we limit candidate applications to one application only. Graduates need to be geographically mobile due to the nature of our work and our projects.

To be eligible for the graduate development programme you must currently be studying for an honours degree, ideally in a STEM subject, and be on track for a 2:2 or higher.

Please email your query to earlytalent@laingorourke.com, stating the 'graduate development programme' in the subject line.

We accept and consider applications from any candidates with suitable skills and experience, irrespective of their nationality. Successful candidate must by the start of their employment have permission to work in the UK

You will know if you are through to the next stage within 30 days of submitting your CV.

If you have any questions about your individual application, or would like to speak to one of our recruiters, then please email us at earlytalent@laingorourke.com

Laing O'Rourke recognises the importance of promoting within and giving opportunity to employees. It is in our best interest to recruit outstanding talent and the candidate, whether internal or external, who is most suited will be offered a position.

We understand that not everyone is ready to start their career the day after graduation. If we offer you a job, we'll be happy to talk to you about your circumstances and each request will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

At the application stage, we ask candidates to indicate if they consider themselves to have a disability/illness so we can ensure adjustments are made to support you during the recruitment process. Any conversations we have with you regarding your disability will be treated with confidentiality. Laing O’Rourke has become the first tier one contractor to have been awarded Level 3: Disability Confident Leader, the highest level in the UK Government’s Disability Confident scheme, across its entire UK business operations.

We encourage all applicants to request feedback if their application is unsuccessful following a video interview or assessment centre. We believe feedback is an important part of the recruitment process and will help you in your further search for a suitable role. If your application doesn't proceed following your video interview or assessment centre, we will give you personal feedback over the phone. When we inform you of the outcome, we will provide details of how to organise this feedback.

All offers of employment are subject to references. You will be sent an email to your personal account and you will be asked to complete a reference questionnaire.

Your normal basic working hours are those written in your Offer of Employment letter and exclude meal breaks. However, actual working hours will be as determined by the location in which you are based (subject to the Working Time Directive). For some staff who are site/ project-based, actual working hours may include working at the weekend. In order to fulfil the requirements of your position, you will be expected to work such additional hours, over and above the basic hours, as are necessary for the satisfactory performance of your duties and the operational requirements of the business.

As a company we have a mobility allowance policy. The early talent recruitment team will be more than happy to assist with any questions you have relating to relocating and can share at the offer stage more details about our mobility allowance.

No, however, we do offer a car/transport allowance.

Our office dress policy is business attire/wear. However, when on site you will need to dress appropriately for the project (wearing trousers and suitable shoes) and taking the weather into account. A large amount of your time could be spent outdoors. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is provided and will be supplied to you when you join us. Before you start working with us, we will match you up with a buddy who will help you get started before your first day and during your first few weeks. They can help you with any other questions similar to this.