By Ellie Pimlott, Stage 3 BSc Food and Human Nutrition with Professional Placement Year
I undertook a dual Life Sciences Placement with PepsiCo’s Europe Health and Nutrition Sciences Team and Gatorade Sports Science Institute’s International Team during my BSc Food and Human Nutrition Degree. It became far more than a sandwich placement year, instead it became the icing on the cake.
My placement was based in Leicester, so I relocated from Newcastle and said goodbye to my course mates for the year. Despite this, I could not recommend undertaking a placement year more strongly.
A few snapshots of the big brands PepsiCo are known for, including Gatorade, Walkers and Doritos.
Why I would recommend a placement year
I gained a huge range of technical, professional and personal skills during my placement year. These included front-of-pack nutrition calculations, food regulation and product labelling, scientific communication in industry, supporting research, conducting sweat testing in the field, applying sports nutrition recommendations in real-world settings and creating educational resources for diverse audiences (that drives genuine impact) – and more! Working across two teams gave me broad experience and significantly increased my confidence and knowledge.
Another major aspect during my placement was the importance of networking. This was illustrated within PepsiCo, as well as the opportunities I had to attend some of the biggest international conferences. These included Food Matters Live, the European Congress of Sports Science (ECSS), and the International Sport and Exercise Nutrition Conference… and I even had to the opportunity to attend the UEFA Champions League Finals!
Standout moments were attending these conferences, working with professional athletes, supporting the development of a USA sports nutrition recipe book and contributing to research and brands with impact, including Gatorade, Quaker Oats and Popworks.
The Gatorade Sport Science Institute USA Sports Nutrition Recipe Book (left), me performing some Gx patch sweat testing (middle) and at the ECSS Conference (right).
Beyond the specific roles I held during my placements at PepsiCo, one of the advantages of the scheme was being part of a cohort of other placement students. We were all in different job roles, but we were in the same boat, learning and navigating industry together.
As a cohort, we took part in a Dragon’s Den-style competition and presented projects in a conference poster format. These experiences helped us continue developing skills outside our technical roles and gave us opportunities to meet professionals from across the business.
A placement year does more than help you gain skills for future roles or expand your horizons and direction beyond university. For me, it helped me understand my true passions and strengths. It also highlighted the purpose behind many of the modules we study at university and how they can be applied in careers. I gained a much broader perspective and realised that I am driven by impact and reasoning. Taking this mindset into my final year was invaluable.
Images of my Dragon’s Den team at the product showcase (left) and me presenting my poster at the student poster forum on female athlete health (right).
… so how do you apply to placements such as PepsiCo?
I applied in early October with a CV and covering letter. From there, I went through several stages that are common for Nutrition placements in industry, including online video recordings, an interview and business case assessment/assessment centre around January.
Timelines vary between companies, so it’s important to keep an eye on LinkedIn, placement job-posting sites, the Careers Service website and to speak to lecturers within the BNS School. Placements are competitive and it can be easy to feel disheartened, but please don’t give up after the first rejection. Instead, ask for feedback so you can strengthen your next application. Although it can be hard to apply alongside university work, the benefits outweigh these challenges.
Thank you for taking the time to read a snippet of my placement year, the skills I gained, my highlights and how I applied. I hope this has given you an insight into what a year in industry can look like during a Nutrition degree placement. If you are considering a placement, it’s definitely worth it!
For more information about placements on our Nutrition programmes, see here.
