Get Curious - Work Experience

Atrivm Ltd

Location: London

Duration: 1 week

Potential dates: Any

Number of opportunities: 1-2 at separate times

Atrium is the UK's largest independent specialist lighting supplier, partnering with world-renowned brands to create inspiring, beautifully lit spaces. At Atrium, we believe that Quality of Light = Quality of Life. The right lighting has the power to transform how people feel, work and experience a space. Our projects span offices, retail environments, residential properties and hospitality combining creativity, design and technology to deliver exceptional results. Based in London, with teams across the UK, Atrium brings together designers, architects, engineers and lighting experts who are passionate about creating solutions that focus on people and wellbeing. Collaboration, curiosity and creativity are at the heart of everything we do.

You will get an introduction to the world of architectural lighting- seeing how light can completely transform a space.

• Spend time with different teams (Design, Marketing, Sales and Warehouse) to understand how each part of the business contributes to a project.
• Learn how light can be used to enhance wellbeing, mood and creativity.
• Get hands-on experience with lighting products and see demonstrations in the office.
• Work on a mini lighting challenge- exploring how light affects colour, shadow and atmosphere.
• Meet our experts and hear how they built their careers in lighting.
• Take part in team discussions and see how ideas come to life from concept to final installation.

To apply email: Preena Devshi

Future Designs

Location: Soho, London (Lighting Design / Showroom / Sales) and Edenbridge, Kent (Product design / Lighting design / Manufacturer)

Dates: Flexible

Duration: 5 Days                       

Number of Placements available: 2

Future Designs is a UK-based lighting manufacturer known for high-quality, innovative lighting solutions. Since 1991, they've focused on delivering world-class products with precision, using advanced technology and top-tier components.

What you can experience:

• Gain insight into the full lighting design and manufacturing process.
• Observe how products are developed from concept to production.
• Learn about high-end components and software used in the industry.
• Be part of fast-paced environment focused on quality, deadlines, and innovation.
• See how teams collaborate to deliver custom lighting solutions for global clients.

To apply email: Ewa Sulu

Hoare Lea

Locations: Bristol and London 

Duration: up to a week

Dates: Flexible

Number of placements available: 2

Why Join Hoare Lea?

• One of the UK’s largest independent engineering consultancies, with 160 years’ heritage.
• Gain industry-relevant skills and experience to boost your CV and/or college application.
• One-to-one mentorship with a team of professional lighting designers.
• Exposure to iconic, complex buildings and infrastructure—from cultural landmarks and high-rise offices to hospitals, schools and data centres.
• Strong sustainability focus: active in net-zero carbon design, energy modelling, circular economy and resilient cities.
• Early adopters of BIM/VDC, digital twin workflows and advanced M&E simulation tools.

One-Week Summer Lighting Placements for Year 10 Students – Bristol & London
Are you a Year 10 student (14–15 years) curious about lighting and design? Hoare Lea Lighting —one of the UK’s leading lighting design consultancies—is offering two one-week summer placements where you’ll go behind the scenes on real lighting-design projects in our Bristol and London offices!
What You’ll Do
Be part of a team!  contribute and be heard. Good teamwork is important for engineers and designers no matter what level of experience you may have.

• Help shape concept sketches into practical lighting schemes for internal and external spaces using a range of differing techniques.
• Contribute fresh ideas in mind map sessions to find creative, humancentric and sustainability-focused solutions.
• Be introduced to the basics of lighting-design software (Relux, DIALux, Adobe create suite, REVIT/enscape, hand sketching and more) which help us devise and create our concepts and designs.
• Shadow our lighting team on site-visits and see how concepts, developed designs and collaboration with others can make thoughts become reality.

To apply Email Recruitment. 

Michael Grubb Studios

Locations: London & Bournemouth

Duration: 1 week

Potential dates: Flexible

Number of opportunities: 1 or 2 per year. 

Michael Grubb Studio is an international lighting design consultancy dedicated to transforming spaces through innovative and award-winning design. Recognised as a trusted and independent voice within the industry, our reputation extends across the globe. Our diverse portfolio spans multiple sectors, from cultural landmarks and commercial developments to public realm and hospitality projects. By combining creativity, technical expertise, and a collaborative approach, we deliver lighting solutions that are both dynamic and impactful, leaving a lasting impression on the spaces and communities we serve. At Michael Grubb Studio, our mission is to consistently create lighting designs that resonate - enhancing environments, shaping experiences, and inspiring people.

During your placement, you will be introduced to the creative world of lighting design, exploring how light can transform places and shape the way we experience spaces. You will:

• Develop creative thinking with light, from initial concept ideas through to understanding how technical solutions bring designs to life.
• Gain a basic knowledge of lighting techniques and technologies used in our projects.
• See first-hand how our team applies lighting design across a range of sectors and project types.
• Take part in a site visit, event, or activity where you can experience the industry in action and discover the opportunities it offers.

By the end of the week, you will have a strong introduction to the role of lighting design and an insight into the creative and technical skills that shape our work.

To apply email: Teresa Heaven

Nulty

Company Location: London

Duration: One Week 

Potential dates: Any dates

Number of opportunities: One work placement

Nulty is an award-winning lighting design consultancy, operating across the globe in partnership with some of the world’s foremost architects and interior designers. 

Founded in London in 2011 by Paul Nulty, the practice has expanded its international network to include studios in Dubai, Miami, Bangkok, Pune, Singapore, Bengaluru and Lisbon. The team work on architectural lighting design projects at every scale, from city masterplans, public realm and façade projects, to hospitality, retail, commercial, residential and cultural schemes. 

Collaboration and teamwork are at the heart of the practice. Improving life through light – no matter what the scale – is the goal. Light is rarely the focus of attention and serves to elevate the architecture and surroundings, while evoking the right emotions in the people that occupy that space.

Work Experience Description and things you'll be introduced to 

Nulty is offering a week-long work experience placement at its London studio, giving one student the chance to experience life behind the scenes at a leading lighting design consultancy.

During the placement, the student will be mentored by a senior member of the team who will introduce them to the profession of lighting design and the key skills involved in bringing architectural lighting design schemes to life. They will have the opportunity to shadow designers working on live projects and observe how ideas evolve through each stage of the design process.

By the end of the week, the student will have developed an understanding of how creative concepts are transformed into technical designs and gained an introduction to design tools such as CAD drawing, 3D modelling and photometric calculations.

To apply email: Hina Bhudia 

Southwark Council

Location: Peckham - London

Duration: 2 days associated to Lighting

Dates: TBC

Number of placements available: 1

We are a small direct labour organisation within a local authority in South London. We are a completely in house team and carry out both the client, design and contractor function in regard to Street Lighting and Electric Vehicle infrastructure. We maintain over 18,000 street lighting columns and nearly 2000 Electric vehicle charge points. 
As part of the 2 days, you will be introduced to how a Local Authority sets out its Lighting policy and strategy for the Borough and why it may tailor this to its local communities whilst still being compliant to British Standards. You will then work through designing a lighting scheme on a local road, using Lighting Reality and CAD to produce a design and drawing. We will talk about remote monitoring of the luminaires and spend a day with the operational team looking at basic electrical works and some of the Health & safety associated to working with electrics and on the Highway. We will also look to introduce you to EV Charging infrastructure and discuss the site selection process, logistical roll out and ongoing maintenance. 

To apply email: Perry Hazell

Ström

Location: Online/London/Sweden

Three options:

1: Online / Remote via Teams/ Video call

2: Joining us on Site Visits to see a project in progress or a manufacturer (Likely in the Greater London Area)

3:We are based in our Swedish office (Storgatan 28 / 903 21 Umeå / Sweden)  which is unlikely to be relevant / viable for applicants.

Duration: 3 to 5 days

Dates: Flexible

Number of placements available: 1 per academic year

Ström is a lighting design studio founded by Swedish/British partnership Anna Clara Sandgren and Emilio Hernandez. We’re based in Sweden, but the projects we collaborate on are far and wide. We work with architects and designers to bring spaces to life with light.

We hope to give some insight into what it is like working in a design role in the construction industry, provide an introduction to principles of light and to show how though remote working even a small design studio can collaborate with clients and designers all over the world. 

To apply email Info.