NTU Industry Placement Awards 2026: Celebrating Student and Employer Success
Published on 1 April 2026
On Tuesday 3 March 2026, colleagues were joined by students and employers at the Spring Careers Fair, for the latest edition of the Industry Placement Awards.
By Mariam Vazquez | Published on 10 April 2026
Categories: Press office; Business; Current students; Student Showcase;
Last month, students, academics and placement providers came together once again to celebrate the exceptional achievements across NTU’s placement community at the Industry Placement Awards.
The awards recognise the very best of work-based learning at NTU, honouring students who have gone above and beyond during their placements, alongside employers who provide outstanding, structured and developmental placement experiences.
As a community, it’s so important that we celebrate the achievements of our students on placement and acknowledge the exceptional individuals and organisations who demonstrate true impact, professionalism and commitment throughout a year-long industry placement.
Rachel Heyes, Associate Director of Employability
A heartfelt thank you goes to all School and Employability colleagues whose dedication and support continue to make a meaningful difference to both students and our industry partners.
Nottingham Trent University congratulates this year’s winners. Your achievements make us proud to be NTU!
Placement Student of the Year 2024/ 25 (at a medium /enterprise business)
Winner: Isobel Scott (BA(Hons) Economics with Business)
Nominated by: Lee MacDonald
Leadership: Took ownership of internal communications across the organisation during a period of managerial transition, delivering consistent, high-quality outputs under pressure.
Strategic Communication: Produced and directed executive-level content including virtual business briefings, management committee vlogs, and communications supporting major change programmes.
Innovation & Initiative: Delivered an AI training programme and developed an AI cheat sheet to enhance organisational capability, while also leading an intern project.
Impact: Built strong relationships across the business, supporting customer insights analysis, facilitating change management workshops, and contributing to cross-functional projects.
Isobel’s ability to take ownership, communicate complex ideas with clarity, and deliver impactful work across multiple areas of the business has made a significant contribution to the organisation, demonstrating the exceptional value of NTU placement students.
Lee MacDonald
Winner: Anna Georgiou (BSc (Hons) Psychology)
Placement Provider: Nottingham Trent University
Nominated by: Lou Rontree
Professionalism & Reliability: Demonstrated a consistently high standard of work, delivering quality outputs to tight deadlines while working both independently and collaboratively across the team.
Data-Driven Insight: Transformed complex datasets into clear, compelling analysis, creating insight-led reports and marketing collateral that informed decision-making and increased engagement.
Creativity: Combined analytical thinking with creativity to present data in an accessible and engaging way, influencing stakeholders and enhancing campaign effectiveness.
Resilience: Thrived during a period of organisational change, maintaining strong performance while working with multiple managers and supporting the team through staffing challenges.
Collaboration & Impact: Became a trusted “go-to” team member, contributing ideas, supporting colleagues at all levels, and delivering resources that continue to benefit the team beyond her placement.
Anna’s ability to combine analytical rigour with creative thinking, alongside her professionalism and adaptability, made a significant and lasting impact on the team, with her work recognised as being of a standard comparable to experienced professionals.
Lou Rontree
Runner-up: Dhruv Mandalia (BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering)
Placement Provider : Dassault Systèmes
Nominated by : Neil Vincent
Technical Excellence: Rapidly developed a strong understanding of complex engineering software, applying academic knowledge to real-world challenges across the full product lifecycle.
Communication & Presentation: Delivered high-quality presentations to a wide range of audiences, from technical end users to senior executives, demonstrating the ability to communicate both detailed and strategic insights effectively.
Client Impact & Innovation: Led customer engagements, including developing tailored demonstrations and contributing to major projects such as an “Engineering Blueprint” for a global automotive client.
Collaboration & Networking: Built a strong internal network across a global organisation, enabling knowledge sharing and supporting team-wide capability.
Professional Growth & Contribution: Progressed quickly to operate at the level of an experienced consultant, leading and supporting key projects and delivering significant value to the team.
Dhruv’s exceptional technical ability, professionalism, and impact throughout his placement have set a new benchmark for what an intern can achieve, making him a highly valued member of the Dassault Systèmes team.
Neil Vincent
Runner-up: Samuel Lowther (BA (Hons) Marketing)
Placement Provider: GE Healthcare Ltd
Nominated by: Caroline Widlund
Process Improvement: Led a project to streamline the review and approval of marketing materials by introducing digital prescribing information links, improving efficiency while ensuring regulatory compliance.
Digital & Campaign Impact: Contributed to marketing campaigns, email communications, and web content optimisation, applying UX and engagement principles to enhance the customer journey.
Data & Analytical Insight: Developed a new approach to reporting market share data and regularly shared insights with commercial teams, supporting data-driven decision-making.
Collaboration & Initiative: Worked cross-functionally with multiple stakeholders, supporting global marketing activities including major industry events such as ECR.
Samuel’s proactive approach, strong analytical skills, and ability to deliver impactful marketing solutions within a highly regulated environment made him a valued member of the team and earned recognition across the wider organisation.
Caroline Widlund
Winner: Matthew Wheeldon (BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering)
Placement Provider: Volker Fitzpatrick Ltd
Nominated by: Matthew Perrin
Technical Capability & Responsibility: Rapidly progressed into a graduate-level role, taking ownership of key elements of piling works including design checks, setting out, installation, and quality assurance.
Adaptability & Initiative: Joined a complex live project and quickly adapted, stepping up to fill critical resource gaps and managing responsibilities beyond typical placement expectations.
Engineering Knowledge: Demonstrated strong understanding of construction methods, materials, and temporary works, contributing to design reviews and supporting problem-solving on site.
Communication & Collaboration: Effectively liaised with subcontractors, designers, and project teams, delivering clear updates and contributing to successful project outcomes.
Professionalism & Impact: Earned recognition across the project and wider business, winning internal safety and quality awards and being trusted to perform at the level of an experienced engineer.
Matthew’s exceptional work ethic, technical ability, and willingness to take ownership made a significant contribution to project delivery, marking him as a highly valued member of the team with a bright future in engineering.
Matthew Perrin
Placement Student of the Year 2024/ 25 (at a small-sized business)
Runner-up: William Hopkins (BSc (Hons) Architecture Technology)
Placement Provider: CPMG Architects
Nominated by: Jason Evans
Technical Skills & Delivery: Demonstrated strong Revit and technical design skills, contributing to detailed design work across multiple large-scale education and residential projects.
Responsibility & Leadership: Took on increased responsibility throughout the placement, including acting as Architectural Lead on the Redhill Academy Art Block project, successfully delivering it through to completion.
Project Contribution: Played a key role in major project submissions, including Stage 4 tender work, and supported project delivery across a wide portfolio of schemes.
Innovation & Process Improvement: Developed parametric Revit family libraries and technical components, significantly improving efficiency, consistency, and accuracy across the practice.
Collaboration & Professionalism: Built strong working relationships across design teams, consultants, and stakeholders, demonstrating excellent communication and a proactive approach to learning.
William’s ambition, technical ability, and willingness to take on advanced responsibilities enabled him to exceed expectations, making a significant contribution to the practice and demonstrating strong potential for a successful career in architectural technology.
Jason Evans
Runner-up: Isabel Childs (LLB (Hons) Law)
Nominated by: The Johnson Partnership
Professionalism & Initiative: Demonstrated exceptional professionalism from the outset, quickly mastering responsibilities and consistently exceeding expectations through a proactive and dedicated approach.
Legal Practice & Responsibility: Progressed rapidly to undertake fee-earning work, managing her own casework and supporting Crown Court matters with diligence, accuracy, and strong client care.
Academic Application: Applied legal knowledge effectively in practice, contributing to legal research, drafting court documents, and preparing case materials with a high level of analytical and technical understanding.
Leadership & Impact: Took on a leading role within the Crown Court support team, improving processes and even designing and delivering the recruitment process for future placement students.
Collaboration: Built strong relationships across the firm, liaising confidently with clients, counsel, and colleagues while supporting team members and enhancing overall team capacity.
Isabel’s outstanding performance, maturity, and ability to operate at a level far beyond that expected of a placement student have set a new benchmark within the firm, making a lasting contribution and securing her a training contract upon graduation.
The Johnson Partnership
Placement Provider of the Year 2024/25
Enterprise business winner: Enterprise Mobility
Nominated by: Daniel Rowe
During his placement, Daniel Rowe experienced a supportive and dynamic environment at Enterprise Mobility that enabled both his personal and professional growth. From the outset, he was welcomed into a culture that prioritised development, with structured onboarding, clear goals, and regular feedback.
Daniel was given meaningful responsibility, applying his academic knowledge to real business challenges. He developed strong technical skills in data analysis and coding, including SQL, VBA, Python, and advanced Excel, using these to support decision-making and improve processes.
He also benefited from a collaborative culture, building relationships across teams and gaining insight into different areas of the business. Ongoing mentorship and regular check-ins helped him grow in confidence throughout the placement.
Enterprise Mobility’s commitment to development extended beyond the placement, with opportunities for continued work and progression, making it a highly rewarding and impactful experience
The placement was both rewarding and inspiring. I felt supported throughout and was given the opportunity to grow, contribute, and build valuable skills for my future career.
Daniel Rowe
Medium-sized business winner: Thrive learning
Nominator: Jan Comia
During his placement at Thrive Learning, Jan Comia was supported within an engaging and collaborative environment that helped him transition into professional working life while developing both technical and interpersonal skills.
Through strong mentorship and regular guidance, Jan was encouraged to build confidence, take ownership of his work, and develop his own approach. He worked closely with experienced team members and benefited from regular check-ins, helping him stay aligned and track his progress.
Jan also gained valuable insight into the wider business through interaction with senior leaders, while opportunities to explore different areas of the organisation allowed him to broaden his skill set and adapt to new challenges.
Thrive Learning’s supportive culture and focus on development created a positive and empowering experience that enabled Jan to grow throughout his placement.
The placement challenged me to grow both professionally and personally, helping me build confidence and develop skills that will support my future career.
Jan Comia
Small-sized business winner: Cytecom
Nominated by: Salman Khattak
During his placement at Cytecom, Salman Khattak gained hands-on experience in a fast-paced start-up environment, contributing directly to the development of innovative medical technology.
From the outset, he was immersed in both the scientific and engineering aspects of the business, developing skills in CAD design, electronics, microbiology and prototype testing. Salman was given real responsibility, leading projects to improve device performance and contributing to next-generation product development.
He was encouraged to think critically and solve problems within a regulated environment, while collaborating with colleagues and external partners. Regular mentorship, feedback and opportunities to present his work helped him build confidence and develop professionally.
Cytecom’s combination of technical depth, innovation and strong support created a highly impactful placement experience.
I was trusted with real responsibility and encouraged to contribute to meaningful engineering projects, which significantly developed my skills and confidence.
Salman Khattak
Students and Placement providers are invited to nominate for the Industry Placements Awards 2027 as part of the annual Sandwich Placement Survey scheduled to be sent in August 2026.