Employers' Frequently Asked Questions
Professional Pathway and one-year placements- How long does the placement employment last?
- How do employers select a student for a placement?
- What happens if the placement has to be terminated?
- What makes a job placement?
- What are the assessment and supporting arrangements?
- How much is a student paid?
How long does the placement employment last ?
Placements last a minimum of nine months and a maximum of fifteen months. Students can take a one-year placement after completing their second year of full-time study. The placement year therefore, begins at the end of term in July and ends in September of the following year, when the student returns to the final year of full-time study.Professional Pathway placements are more flexible and vary in duration. The
minimum is three months however most employers keep their Professional Pathway
students for much longer.
How do employers select a student for a placement?
Employers notify vacancies to our Professional Liaison Unit Tel. +44(0)20 7040 8349, These are advertised to students who apply using an employer’s application form or by submitting a CV. Employers can interview suitable applicants either at their own sites or, if more convenient, at the University.What happens if the placement has to be terminated?
Employers follow the same procedure as with any employee and as agreed in the employment contract.What makes a job placement?
There isn't a single pattern, since placements vary greatly, but students must perform responsible work that will extend their knowledge in a relevant way. Some students are placed in large IT departments or project teams, while others work in small organisations alongside user staff. Programming and user support are common activities, but systems investigation, analysis and design, documentation, testing, use of packages, data collection and help desk work all appropriate too.Opportunities for students to give presentations to peers and managers, and to create written reports, will develop the student's personal skills.
Involving students in planning their work, requiring them to identify what competencies they will develop and how these can be demonstrated, provide opportunities for development and encourage students to reflect on what they have learnt. These are the key elements to any placement. Placement guidelines and the documentation students complete while on placement help them with these.
Placement students are covered by the British Computer Society's Professional
Development Scheme and will value the opportunity to develop a Career Development
Plan covering experience gained to assist their progression to professional
membership.
What are the assessment and supporting arrangements?
Early in a placement the student will be visited by our Work based Learning Advisor(WLA) to help develop a Career Development Plan to monitor progress and achievements.During their placements students are expected to keep a work log and submit reports on progress. These are assessed. They require the student to take an analytical view of the placement, the tasks undertaken and achievements. Students are also encouraged to register with the British Computer Society for a Graduate Apprenticeship in IT services so that their developing competencies can be recorded through a nationally recognised qualification. This is so that the student, besides being a useful employee, makes planned structured progress throughout the placement.
Employers should provide appropriate supervision and training where necessary, and quarterly appraisals in whatever format the employing organisation uses for staff.