Students

Student Placement Programme

ROD's student placement programme gives students the opportunity to work alongside the designers of some of Ireland's most complex infrastructural projects.

By joining our project teams, you'll put the knowledge you've gained in college to work, and learn what life in a leading engineering consultancy is really like.

How the programme is designed

The programme is designed to be flexible, so our placements vary in duration from two weeks up to one year.

First to final year students may apply to work in any of the following areas:

• Bridges
• Buildings
• Geotechnical
• Site
• Transportation and traffic
• Water services

What makes our programme different

At ROD, you won’t be asked to sit quietly in front of a PC in a far corner of the office.  You’ll join teams working on live projects.

We’ll encourage you to make the most of your time with us, and we'll make sure you enjoy the experience to the full.

What you need to apply

At the time of application, you must be undertaking a Level 8 degree in civil or structural engineering or equivalent.

When to apply

Applications for our student placement programme are accepted throughout the year.

What we look for in a student

We look for students who are:

• Keen to learn
• Have good interpersonal
• Have good analytical skills
• Can multi-task and take direction

Aoife O'Sullivan

I joined ROD's student placement programme at the end of my second year as a student of general engineering at Trinity College Dublin. I spent the summer working on a project team involved in several road projects across the Republic of Ireland. The experience taught me a lot about how the civil engineering industry works and helped me to develop my knowledge of report writing, analysing received information and working with and assessing tender submissions.

Working at ROD was immensely gratifying and beneficial. The atmosphere in the office was extremely welcoming and friendly. I was tasked with meaningful and relevant work, which made me feel like a valued member of the team, and there was always someone available and willing to answering my questions, which greatly enhanced my learning experience.

For students looking for hands-on experience in the field of civil engineering, I would highly recommend this placement.

Kate Ballance

I joined ROD’s student placement programme during my second year as a structural engineering student at Technological University (TU) Dublin and had a thoroughly enjoyable summer getting to see how an engineering firm works and being part of the team effort in the office.

I worked on the BusConnects project, which aims to deliver a more efficient, reliable and better bus system in the Dublin Region. I gained practical experience in report writing and CAD, but the main highlight for me was submitting an application for a loading bay at Spencer Dock. I used CAD to mark up drawings, visited the site and wrote up a brief that formed part of the planning permission.

The culture in the ROD office is one to be admired. I felt comfortable to ask questions of the more senior members of the team. The experience far exceeded my expectations because I was given an active role on projects and developed an appreciation for the diversity of engineering roles in the office. I would highly recommend this placement to other students considering a career in engineering as I truly valued my time at ROD.