My Toyota placement year: Ellie's Story
Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpiPF5lGVbs
Discover how Keele University helps students gain valuable work experience while studying.
In this video, Ellie shares her journey as a Social Media Assistant at Toyota GB. Learn how our placements team support students before and during their work placements with employers and discover the benefits of this rewarding experience. Explore the opportunities available to develop your career at Keele University.
In this video, our student shares her personal experiences of studying at Keele. This video was published in May 2025 – experiences and opportunities may vary for future years.
Hi. I’m Ellie, and I study Business and Psychology at Keele University with a placement year.
I’m on placement at Toyota GB as a Social Media Assistant. My team look after the social media channels for Toyota and Lexus UK.
I feel like I’ve grown both personally and professionally. I’m so much more confident and resilient and I’ve come out of this year with a completely different perspective than I went in. But I think also professionally in terms of management of agencies, communication, networking. Just all of these skills that are super transferable into future employment, have grown so much during this year.
You’re given far greater responsibility than you would ever expect as a placement student. It’s like you leave a legacy behind because this is something that you’ve done, and it’s very tangible and visible.
Before you go on placement, you’re introduced to the placements team who are a really lovely little group of people, and they check in with you regularly throughout your placement. They even have liaisons with you and your manager, just to make sure that you’re making the most of your placement and that everything is going okay. And they’re also on hand if you need anything.
I think when you leave university and enter the competitive jobs market, it can be a bit of a culture shock, the change from university straight into employment. So by having this placement year, I feel like I’ve been gradually eased into a professional environment. And then when I move on after my degree, not only have I got these skills and this experience that’s really desirable for employers, but personally, I won’t feel super overwhelmed entering the workplace.
If you’re thinking about doing a placement year, I’d say 100% go for it. You will thank yourself later at the end of the year when you’ve completely developed as a person and you feel so prepared to take on that graduate jobs market at the end of your degree.
