The National Space Centre is able to offer a limited number of work experience placements to students,  listed below is some relevant information that should help you to decide whether you wish to formally apply for a placement.

Placements

Following a recent review of work experience placements at National Space Centre we are only able to offer a limited number of selective placements.

We will consider applications for the following placements:

· Leisure & Tourism – Diploma, BTEC, HND, degree etc

· Science Communication – Masters or module within a degree

· Student Teachers – learning outside of the classroom module as a part of a degree or PGCE

It is not possible for the National Space Centre to organise ‘space research’ based placements, and if you are interested in this area we recommend that you contact the University of Leicester, Department of Physics and Astronomy directly to enquire whether or not they are able to offer any suitable placements, www.le.ac.uk/physics.

If you are interested in a future career in the space industry, can I suggest that you contact Zeeko,  http://www.zeeko.co.uk/ are based in Coalville, Leicestershire and do precision polishing for optics which go into telescopes and other space related instrumentation.  Avni Sondagar is their Marketing and Office Manager and is the best person to contact: avni.sondagar@zeeko.co.uk

Zeeko Ltd, 4 Vulcan Court, Vulcan Way, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3FW UK

Expenses

It is company policy not to offer payment of any kind for work experience placements. Nor do we contribute towards cost of meals or travel allowance.

Dates of Placements

It is not usually possible to arrange work experience placements during the ‘peak’ periods, including holiday periods. We believe that work placements are a valuable experience for students, and feel that unfortunately we wouldn’t be able to offer the very highest levels of support to students during the peak periods.

The most suitable times of the year for work experience are mid-October to Mid- November (excluding half-term), February (excluding half-term), March or April (excluding school holidays). All subject to availability.

Applications

Students who are interested in being considered for a placement with National Space Centre should apply formally in writing, enclosing the following information:

· A full and complete CV, including contact details

·A covering letter indicating the details of the work experience placement they wish to be considered for (include dates, requested placement etc), and the reason/s they consider they would be suitable for a placement with National Space Centre.

·Details of their current course of study, and projects / assignments that they are required to complete about their work experience placement. For example, some students are required to complete work experience diaries, others may have to complete an investigative report on a set topic, and others may have to demonstrate examples of customer service. An indication of support for the placement from your tutor would be appreciated.

The application should be forwarded to: Sarah Bird, Personnel Manager, National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester. LE4 5NS. Or via Email: sarahb@spacecentre.co.uk

Interviews

It is company policy that all students being considered for a work experience placement with National Space Centre complete an interview. The interview enables us to meet the individual student and confirm whether or not they would be suitable for a placement. It also gives the student the opportunity to take part in an interview, and make the work experience programme more realistic. We reserve the right to decline a placement to any student that we consider would be unsuited to working within the National Space Centre.

Please Note

We receive many requests for work placements from students, and unfortunately are unable to arrange placements for everyone. However I hope that this information will be helpful to you, and that you will decide to apply for a work experience placement with National Space Centre.

Additional Information - Summer School

You may also be interested in the Space School UK, which is organised by The University of Leicester, department of Physics and Astronomy. Further details appear on the website – http://www.spaceschool.org/

Queries

Any queries should be forwarded to the Personnel Manager sarahb@spacecentre.co.uk