Technology & Data - Explore Occupations

These pages are aimed at students and graduates looking to get into the technology and data sector, from technical roles such as software engineering, cyber security and data analyis, to non-technical roles including IT consultancy and sales.

Insights into the sector

According to Tech Nation's UK tech in 2020 review, just under three million people were employed in the UK's digital tech economy, an increase of 40% from 2017.

25% of Europe’s top 20 highest investment tech cities in 2019 were in the UK: Manchester, London, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge.

Emerging trends in technology include an increase in areas such as edtech, healthtech and also climate and agricultural tech, according to a recent BCS report. Organisations are also prioritising cyber security, cloud, automation and IT governance.

Read on to find out about the different roles available in technology and data and how to research the industry.

To find opportunities in technology and data, see Finding jobs & work experience.

1. What do graduates in technology and data do?

The range of companies and sectors you can work in is huge and can suit graduates with a variety of skills. You can find opportunities in various roles, including software engineering, machine learning, automation and AI, data analysis and data science. Other roles include systems support and management, cyber security and forensics, and business consultancy and sales.

There are also opportunities for graduates without a computer science degree.

Prospects’ What can I do with my degree can help you explore your career options and get ideas on where your degree could take you. Discover the typical skills you can gain from a Computer Science degree.

Click on Job Profiles below for examples of the types of roles available within technology and data. To find out what other graduates are doing, click on the section Get inspiration from people working in the industry below.

Job profiles

Have a look at the job profiles in this sector on Prospects and targetjobs to find out more about what these roles involve and how to get into them. These are just some of the profiles available:

If you want to work in the gaming industry, but don’t know where to start, Hitmarker has a complete list of gaming jobs to help you decide which area might be right for you.

Recruitment agency, Acumin, has a list of cyber security job titles and advice on typical career paths into the profession.

Turing.com has a useful list of Data Science job titles, including responsibilities and the tools and skills employers typically require.

Get inspiration from people working in the industry

LinkedIn’s Alumni tool can help you find out what Newcastle graduates are doing after their degree, where they’re working and in what role. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started.
Attend alumni events, such as Newcastle Develop from NU Advancement to hear directly from our graduates.
Sign up for mentoring support with Graduate Mentor and The 1 Hour Project. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting.

2. Industry and sector insights

Researching the industry is essential, whether it’s to help you decide which area to work in, identify who to apply to, tailor your application or impress an interviewer with your knowledge of the sector.

Here are some tips to help you get started.

Read career guides for this sector, such as:

Keep up to date with industry news

Use online magazines and journals to keep up with industry news, trends and developments – useful for applications and interviews.

Examples include:

Computer Weekly.com and Computing.co.uk for general insights
GamesIndustry.biz, MCV and Games Radar for updates on the gaming industry
Venturi's Voice podcasts for key insights and trends in the technology and data sector
Security Journal for news and industry updates on cyber security

For North East technology and data sector insights, visit:

Tech Nation, which provides analysis of the UK's digital technology sector, including Newcastle
Sunderland Software City, which posts regular insights about the tech sector
Invest North East, which has information on the North East's digital and tech sector

Attend events

Sunderland Software City hold regular networking and insight events, where you can meet technology companies and recruiters. There are also regular meetups across the region, eg Frontend NE - a free, monthly meetup about frontend web development and North East Data Scientists, both based in Newcastle.

For a list of tech events in the North East, see Tech Diary.

See also our recruitment events and employer & sector insights.

Join IT-specific student societies

Computing & Technology Society (NUCATS) often organises and promotes events such as hackathons or invites guest speakers to talk about their careers.

Use social media to find industry insights

Join sector-specific groups on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on Twitter and TikTok (though treat with caution, as not all the content may be accurate).

Find out more about how to use social media for your career and subscribe to our IT sector Twitter list.

Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network

Professional bodies often run networking events and may have specialist groups that you could join. They may also post vacancies on behalf of their members and can have member directories, useful for speculative applications.

Key organisations include:

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT – runs regular events, often free, on various topics. Also has a range of specialist groups, such as health, software engineering, security and a network for women working in IT
Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA)
Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS)
International Games Developers Association
ScreenSkills - industry skills body covers animation, games and visual effects

Find professional bodies outside the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.

Go to: Finding work experience & jobs

Finding work experience & jobs

Many large recruiters, such as Waterstons, Accenture, IBM and P&G, advertise summer internships, year-long placements and graduate training programmes in technology and data.

Opportunities are available across every sector, from finance and law to healthcare and energy. Have a look at our other Explore Occupations pages to find additional sources of vacancies.

You can also find opportunities within government agencies and public bodies, such as NHS Digital, GCHQ and the Civil Service.

How to find opportunities

There are various ways to find internships, placements and graduate opportunities. We’ve added some tips below to help you get started.

search for advertised vacancies using the vacancy sites listed below
look at the careers sections on company websites to see what opportunities they offer to students and graduates. Use Researching Employers to help you gain insights into companies
attend events such as recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights to hear about the roles on offer
contact employers speculatively – see Finding companies to help you find organisations to approach
follow companies on social media, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter, for latest news and updates
consider registering with a recruitment agency for graduate jobs
register with EmployAbility if you have a neurodivergent condition, mental health condition or another disability. They can offer advice and support on applications to Newcastle students, and run first year, internship and graduate programmes with inclusive employer partners.
ask family and friends if they have any useful contacts who may be able to offer you work experience
consider alternative ways to find relevant experience and develop your skills
create your own opportunity by starting your own business or working freelance – see Work for Yourself

When to apply

Advertised internships / placements / graduate training schemes

Apply as early as possible - in the UK, applications typically open early in the academic year, from around September or October, with some closing as early as November-December. Many employers don’t wait until the closing date and can close applications as soon as their places are filled.

The Careers Service manages NCL internships with both local employers and on campus, often related to IT. You can find flexible term-time ones throughout the academic year; full-time summer NCL internships are advertised from around March.

If you miss any deadlines, don’t worry – there are still lots of ways to find work experience and graduate opportunities throughout the year.

Advertised graduate jobs

As well as graduate training schemes above, you can find lots of graduate jobs available all year round. These can be with large or small to medium-sized companies - see targetjobs: A graduate's guide to starting your IT career with a small employer. Graduate jobs tend to be immediate start positions, so you are more likely to apply for these towards the end of your studies.

Finding ‘hidden’ opportunities

In the technology sector, a speculative approach is common for finding both internships and placements and graduate jobs. This is where you approach a company directly to ask if they have any opportunities available. Research companies that interest you and contact them directly with a well-tailored CV and covering letter, highlighting relevant skills. Express your enthusiasm for the field and show you have researched the company. See Finding Companies below to help you get started.

Advertised vacancies

Click on the headings below to find vacancy sites for internships, placements and graduate vacancies.

Internships and placement vacancies

Summer internships and placements are usually aimed at undergraduate students in and above their second or penultimate year of study, though some companies will also consider first and final year students.

NCL Internships

The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers and on campus. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage, and often include IT projects, such as programming, data analysis and web/app development.

You can search for these under Vacancies on MyCareer - just type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.

Search for internships and placement years:

MyCareer - search for internships and placements in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
Careers Service: Internships, placements & shadowing - links to vacancy sites
Careers Service: Global work experience - for internships or placements abroad
School of Computing Science: Placements and work experience blog
Gradcracker – vacancies for STEM students
Year in Industry (YINI) - UK industrial placement opportunities in technology, science and engineering
IAESTE – work placements for engineering and science students (the UK is not a member, but it's still possible for students studying in non-member countries to apply)
Faculty Data Science & Data Engineering Fellowship - helps STEM PhD graduates, Master’s graduates and post-doctoral researchers transition into a career in data science. There are three fellowships a year: spring (starting January), summer (starting in May) and autumn (starting in September). The Fellowship programme starts with two weeks of intensive lectures and workshops at Faculty, before being paired with project companies for a paid six-week data science project
Turing Talent - internships, primarily aimed at Master’s/PhD students. Mix of paid and unpaid opportunities in machine learning, data science, data analysis and software engineering

If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our NU Work Experience Directory. This shows you where Newcastle University students have had internships and placements, and the types of roles they did, within the last five years. To show all results in a search category, keep the search field blank.

Graduate vacancies

Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers for speculative applications.

Vacancy sites (All sectors)

MyCareer - search for graduate schemes and graduate jobs in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
Careers Service: Graduate Jobs – lists graduate vacancy sites
Careers Service: International jobs - overseas vacancy sites
Gradcracker - graduate vacancies for STEM students
STEM Graduates
CWjobs.co.uk
IT Graduate Jobs
Digital Grads
Jobsite: IT
Technojobs
IT-Jobs.co.uk
Joblift: IT – includes graduate jobs and internships
GermanTechJobs.de – software developer jobs in Germany
NHS Jobs
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) – three-way partnerships involving a business, a graduate and an academic institution. Graduates work on research projects while gaining industrial experience with an employer. Projects are competitively paid, with funding for personal development, and typically last 1-3 years. View current opportunities
Autism Works has opportunities in software testing for applicants with an Autism Spectrum Condition

Vacancy sites (Data science & analytics)

Gradcracker: Data science jobs
DataScientistJobs
DataCareer
Datatech Analytics
Techno Jobs: Data scientist jobs
Turing Talent - internships and graduate programmes, primarily aimed at masters/PhD students and graduates. Includes opportunities in data science and data analysis..

Vacancy sites (Games development)

gamesindustry.biz - jobs board
Amiqus - specialist games recruitment agency
Datascope - games, online and mobile technology recruitment
OPMjobs.com - games industry recruiter
MCV Jobs - vacancies in the games industry
Change-job - games and new media
Hitmarker – games jobs in the UK and overseas, includes remote opportunities.

Prospects video: How to get into the video industry [6:56]

Other ways to gain relevant experience

We've added some suggestions to help you develop your skills and gain relevant experience.

complete a free virtual internship. For example, with Forage, you can filter by career interest to find virtual internships in software engineering, cyber security and data science/analytics
sign up for free online courses to develop new skills such as learning basic coding or a new programming language. It can also demonstrate your interest in the field, eg in software engineering, data science and AI. Try Udacity, FutureLearn, ALISON and Codecademy. IBM have free online courses to help you prepare for an entry-level job in tech, including in cyber security, data analysis and project management. See their SkillsBuild website for more details
build a portfolio of work to demonstrate your skills and interest. For example, you can use GitHub for software development and data science projects, or create your own games on Unity, Unreal or CryEngine. ScreenSkills has a useful article on how to build a games portfolio.
attend events and network to make contacts and connections, eg through hackathons and game jams. For tech events and meetups in the North East, see Tech Diary. Animex, international festival of animation and computer games, runs annually at Teesside University
enter an IT-related competition - prizes can often include internships. For example, Kaggle run a range of data science and machine learning competitions, some with prizes
volunteer for Code Club, a nationwide network of volunteer-led after-school coding clubs for children aged 9-11. See Volunteering for more opportunities

Specialist recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies can be useful for finding graduate jobs in technology and data. These tend to be for immediate start positions, so it's worth registering with one or two agencies towards the end of your course.

We've listed a few specialist agencies below - see Recruitment Agencies to find more agencies by specialism and/or location.

Frank Recruitment Group - has six global technology recruitment brands, including Nigel Frank International, which specialises in Microsoft technology recruitment, and FRG Technology Consulting, which specialises in Java, PhP and Front-end web developer jobs
HAYS recruitment - recruitment agency advertising vacancies in 10 IT specialisms
McGregor Boyall
CK Technical - IT roles within clinical, laboratory and manufacturing environments

Finding companies

Not all work experience and graduate opportunities are advertised. You can also approach organisations speculatively or find opportunities through networking in the industry.

Find companies that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact where possible. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for.

Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a polite phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

Click on the headings below to find organisations in the North East, UK and worldwide.

In the North East

Digital Union - represents and leads the North East digital cluster. Students can join their network to get the chance to attend events and meet employers and industry professionals. Has a members directory, which may be useful for speculative approaches
The Core, Newcastle and The Catalyst have member directories which include software and technology companies
Baltic Quarter - cluster of tech and digital companies based in Gateshead, including game development companies
NETPark (North East Technology Park) - based in County Durham, see company directory to find companies
Dynamo North East - industry-led initiative focusing on growing the tech sector in the North East. Members include IT companies, large corporate companies, technology hubs and consultants
Northern Tech 100 - league table of the North's fastest growing tech companies
gamesdevmap - list of game development companies in Tyne and Wear, includes Ubisoft Reflections and Nosebleed Interactive. Sumo Digital and People can Fly have also recently opened studios in Newcastle

UK and worldwide

Find companies on MyCareer - click ‘Search' then 'Organisations’ to find companies the Careers Service has worked with. Can filter by keyword, sector and region.
Newcastle University Game Technology Research Group: Alumni - list of gaming companies Newcastle graduates have gone on to work in
targetjobs: Organisations - search by sector, eg software engineering or technology
Tech UK - network of technology companies in the UK, see member directory to find companies
gamedevmap - worldwide directory of game development companies
LinkedIn Find Alumni tool – filter by location, area of work, degree studied and skills to see a list of companies which have hired Newcastle graduates. Scroll down to see the graduates’ profiles for inspiration – how did they get into their career, where else have they worked, what kind of experience have they had etc
Researching employers – includes ways to source and research companies

Work for Yourself

Working as self-employed or freelance is common in the technology and data sector.

For information on self-employment and to find out about the support you can get from our START UP team, visit Work for Yourself or click on the button below to book a START UP appointment.

The following may also be useful:

Freelance UK - freelance web design industry guides
Tech Nation: Digital Business Academy - free online courses to help you start, grow or join a digital business, eg marketing your business, and understanding your customers

Book a START UP appointment