“Just a few days later, I received a call with an enthusiastic offer.”
One of our Year in Industry alumnus, Lucy, has offered a peek into her time on placement, and shares the real outcomes of the opportunity to undertake a Year in Industry with a globally recognised company.
The Year in Industry scheme offers students a year of real engineering experience between their second and third year of university, the less discussed is the shared value of a placement: employers gain an additional team member who brings curiosity, capacity and a fresh perspective, and students leave with the kind of confidence and applied skill that classroom learning alone can’t build.
Lucy Snow’s placement at Limbs & Things is a good example of how that relationship can work, and what can come from it on both sides.
Meet Lucy: Year in Industry Alum
Between her second and third year at Cardiff University’s School of Engineering, Lucy Snow undertook a placement at Limbs & Things, a globally recognised company specialising in medical simulation and medical training products, founded by Margot Cooper with the aim of achieving “safer, repeatable training.”
Lucy took on the key role of research & development, working across both New Product Development and change projects, areas which offered a true taste of the design process and an introduction to the industry itself.
“During my placement, I worked on both New Product Development and change projects, giving me the chance to learn extensively about the design process and the wider medical simulation industry.”
One of her main focuses was the Arterial Puncture Wrist - now a newly released product – where she supported the clinical research, explored material options, and helped develop an ultrasound-compatible model to improve real training outcomes. Attending customer evaluations alongside product managers gave her something most students don’t get until much later: direct experience of how designers and end-users communicate.
“This direct designer-customer interaction taught me a lot about communication, user-centred design, and the importance of protecting intellectual property.”
In the second half of her placement, she took the lead on two change projects – a packaging foam insert redesign through to First Article Inspection, and a more complex redesign of a removable skin for a surgical female pelvic trainer.
“This project required multiple rounds of iteration, and I learned the importance of rapid prototyping and careful material selection to ensure compatibility and durability.”
After some time on the placement, it was clear to see that the year in industry is not just a ‘student experience’ and new technical skills; it offers confidence along with a full range of tools and soft skills to drive real outcomes, and new generation of engineers.
“I gained so much confidence – not only in my technical engineering abilities but also in my soft skills, such as presenting and organisation. The professional relationships and connections I formed were invaluable.”
What’s happened since?
A few weeks after graduating, Lucy reached out to her manager at Limbs & Things who she worked with on placement. Keen to return to the company after such a positive experience, Lucy asked if there were any permanent opportunities within the R&D team. Just a few days later she received a call with an enthusiastic offer to join the team as a Junior Design Engineer.
Fast forward to 2026, Lucy is professionally working on a new project, and what’s more, progressing towards her IMechE chartership.
Lucy credits Kevin Dunster, Year in Industry Tutor from Symmons Madge, as an important part of that journey:
“I am incredibly thankful for my year in industry. I am especially grateful to Kevin, my year-in-industry tutor, who supported me throughout the placement and has continued to stay in contact on LinkedIn.”
Lucy’s story shows what becomes possible when a placement is approached as a genuine working relationship rather than a temporary student arrangement. For Limbs & Things, it meant a year of contribution from someone who’d later return as a permanent member of the team, without the usual uncertainties of a new hire. For Lucy, it meant arriving at graduation with real project ownership, a professional network, and a clear path forward.
That kind of outcome comes from employers willing to invest meaningfully in the placement experience, and from a coordinated scheme that supports both sides throughout.
If you’d like to find out more about how a Year in Industry placement could work for you or your organisation, reach out with any questions or comments for our Year in Industry Coordinator Sian Stocker.
Read more student and employer testimonials here.
