Page 84 - RVC Undergraduate Prospectus 2023-2024

Certificate in Work-based Learning

and Research

This one year course is an option available to students taking
Veterinary Medicine courses.

COURSE OVERVIEW

The Certificate in Work-based Learning and Research course requires students to spend a year
on placement where you can focus on developing your workplace skills, applying your studies in
real life whilst gaining experience and knowledge relevant to your degree, as well as developing
your network and personal connections, all of which will make you uniquely work ready and more
competitive when applying for your next challenge. The placement must be external to the RVC and
you must be able to complete a short research project, although some students opt for the whole
placement to focus on research. The placement is taken after year 2 for Bachelor of Veterinary
Medicine, after year 1 for Graduate Accelerated Veterinary Medicine and after year 3 for the
Veterinary Gateway course.

Previous placements have been taken at a variety of interesting organisations including:
pharmaceutical companies such as Glaxo Smithkline and Novartis, smaller research organisations
such as Cancer Research Therapeutic Discovery Labs, Lumora and iQUR, conservation groups
such as Wildlife Aid Foundation, government facilities such as the Animal and Plant Health Agency
and the European Food Safety Authority, veterinary organisations such as the Worldwide Veterinary
Services, plus other universities.

Most placements are salaried and you can expect to earn between £8,000 and £17,000 during
the year. A placement could lead to an offer of a position after graduation or future sponsorship
for studying a PhD, and you can certainly expect to extend your professional network. It’s a great
opportunity to discover your interest in a specific field, and find out more about how you could
develop a career in this area.

It will be your responsibility to secure your placement but the RVC will provide support and guidance
throughout your search and whilst applying. It is also your responsibility to ensure that you are
legally able to work on your placement, through securing the appropriate visa, if your placement is
not in your home country. It is also your responsibility to secure the appropriate visa for the UK to
cover this extra year of study.

84 PROFESSION-SHAPING • CAREER-MAKING • WORLD-LEADING