Human Resources (12 Month Placement Student)

Caterpillar is seeking 12-month industrial placement students for its Human Resources and Organisation, Talent & Development departments at its Peterlee site.

What You'll Do

This is a full-time, 12-month placement opportunity for students in their penultimate year of study (unless enrolled in an integrated master’s program).

There are two distinct placement roles available:

Core HR (Employee Relations) Placement Role:

• Gain experience within the Employee Relations team.
• Exposure to recruitment and selection, learning and development, and occupational health.
• Responsibilities include:
  • Maintaining employee absence tracking systems.
  • Tracking absence triggers and liaising with Occupational Health.
  • Supporting the day-to-day running of the HR team.
  • Minute taking in disciplinary and grievance meetings.
  • Producing and formatting presentations for HR topics.
  • Supporting learning and development delivery.
  • Supporting recruitment processes.
  • Supporting onboarding activities.
  • Business ambassador duties, including attending STEM events.
  • Producing absence and disciplinary KPIs.
  • Liaising with managers on HR matters.
  • Supporting the production workforce in accessing systems like Workday.
  • General HR administrative tasks.

OT&D Department Placement Role:

• Gain experience within the Organisation Talent and Development (OT&D) team.
• Exposure to human resources, recruitment and selection, and occupational health.
• Responsibilities include:
  • Supporting the organisation and coordination of STEM events.
  • Supporting continuous improvement projects and initiatives.
  • Updating and maintaining the OT&D internal SharePoint site.
  • Supporting the apprentice program.
  • Supporting the OT&D Team with training administration.
  • Note taking in meetings.
  • Producing and formatting presentations.
  • Supporting learning and development delivery.
  • Supporting the recruitment process.
  • Supporting onboarding activities.

What You'll Gain

• Invaluable professional experience to transition into a general HR practitioner or a learning and development professional.
• A solid grounding and the catalyst for career progression in Human Resources or Learning and Development.
• Experience working on strategic projects within a global organisation.

Requirements

• Must be on track to achieve a minimum of a 2:2 in Business and HR Management or Business Management (with at least one HR module).
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Good organisational, analytical, and time management skills.
• Experience using Office 365 tools (Excel and PowerPoint).

Key Dates

• Placement Start Date: 5th July 2027
• Assessment Centre: Anticipated on Tuesday 2nd February 2027
• Application Closing Date: 10th December 2026

Benefits

• £26,000 salary
• Share Scheme
• Pension
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

How to Apply

Complete the online application form and upload your CV before the advertised closing date. Only one application is required.