You can begin building your skills and experience at university by volunteering, doing an internship, having a part-time job or by doing a professional placement.

A placement year is an excellent way to gain practical IT work experience.

Here is a sample of companies that offer placements:

Summer internships offer the chance to experience paid work at an organisation for 6-12 weeks during the summer break. These are usually offered to penultimate year students from any discipline. Applications for summer internships open from the autumn term onwards.

Look out for insight opportunities for 1st years. They often take place in the Spring, with deadlines in January

Here are some of the internships on offer:

May come under Technology or be listed separately.

If you want to get experience in data science, it may come as an option in technology opportunities. You will find them in the Morgan Stanley and Deloitte schemes listed above. Opportunities might also be listed as Business Analyst. 

Depending on the role, it might be open to Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Economics or Business degrees. Some may not specify, but a knowledge/interest in analytical methods and technology will be useful.

You could contact local tech companies to see if they can offer a work experience placement by sending a speculative application.