KE5034 - Work Placement Year

This module is designed to promote your personal development and a range of interpersonal, intellectual and practical (functional) skills based around and demonstrated through a significant individually negotiated Work Placement. It seeks to raise your awareness of the workplace as a learning environment and extend your capability and enhance your individual effectiveness, employability and/or business competitiveness. It seeks to develop professional skills in the chosen subject area within the working environment and an ability to manage your own placement development i.e. managing tasks; working with and relating to others, applying knowledge, applying initiative in work problems. You will be expected to reflect on your learning derived from the Work Placement Year.

You are required to keep a record of your activities with reflections and by the end of the placement period; you will have produced a portfolio which can be used when applying for employment upon graduation. The portfolio will contain monthly activity reports, quarterly reflective reports, graduate curriculum vitae, poster and end of placement report.

This module operates within a partnership between the University, employer and yourself, and provides you with the opportunity to develop core competencies and employability skills relevant to your programme of study in a work based environment.
A series of placement preparation activities are provided and organised by the Faculty during your first two years of study, such as placement briefings, CV and Interview preparation sessions, and company presentations.
Prior to the placement commencing, a placement briefing session is provided. During this session the placement experience and assessment is discussed more in depth. You are informed of how to access ‘on placement’ documentation and advice within the e-learning platform. Guidelines about placements and the assessment are also provided. You will also receive a Health and Safety briefing during this session.

It is the policy of the University that every placement has to be approved as an appropriate work placement before you can start your placement. This ensures that all relevant risk assessments, insurance checks etc. are in place before you commence your work in the work place.

You will be allocated a Visiting Tutor who is able to provide academic and pastoral support. This support is backed up by the Placement Tutor(s) and Director of Placements, and the Professional Placement Support team.

The teaching and learning strategies adopted in this module will be unique to individual learners and will be agreed with the University, when negotiating the work placement. A training agreement will be signed by the placement provider, the University and yourself.

The work based supervisor will supervise you on a weekly basis, in addition some organisations also offer the opportunity to have a mentor. An academic member of staff will normally visit you two times over the course of a one-year placement period if your placement is in the UK. For placements overseas, a strategy for your contact will be drawn up at the beginning of the academic year and could include two visits, or one or both visits substituted with other forms of contact, e.g. skype sessions between your visiting tutor, your work based supervisor and yourself. During the visits your performance will be discussed with the supervisor and your programme reviewed in light of your general progress and performance. A record will be kept to include each visit made by the visiting member of academic staff.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:

LO1. Draw on, apply and review prior knowledge and new learning to changing situations (component 1, 2)

LO2. Extend a wide range of specialised technical, creative and/or conceptual skills in order to make informed judgements (component 1, 2)

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

LO3. Identify, negotiate and manage tasks individually and as a member of a team which address own personal goals and organisational/professional requirements (component 2, 3)

LO4. Make recommendations for own professional development and propose a strategy for implementation and deployment (component 2)

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA)

LO5. Communicate clearly and efficiently using appropriate communication strategies (assessment 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Formative Assessment:

Your work based supervisor will periodically give you feedback on your performance in the workplace, including during your 1:1 meetings discussing your monthly and quarterly reports.
Your visiting tutor will give you feedback on your progress during the visits in the workplace.

Summative Assessment:

The module assesses both your performance on placement and your reflection on the placement.

1. Monthly Activity Reports (max. 700 words per monthly activity report, assessment of learning outcomes 1, 2, 5); pass/fail

2. Quarterly Reflective Reports (max. 1000 words per quarterly activity report, assessment of learning outcomes 1 - 5); pass/fail

3. End of Placement Report (1600-2000 words, assessment of learning outcome 3, 5); pass/fail

4. Poster (assessment of learning outcome 5); pass/fail

5. Curriculum Vitae (assessment of learning outcome 5); pass/fail

Once you have submitted your portfolio, feedback from your visiting tutor on your submission will be made available to you through the Professional Placement Support team who will contact you via email when the feedback can be picked up, in accordance with the University guidelines on providing feedback.

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This module operates within a partnership between the University, employer and yourself, and provides you with the opportunity to develop core competencies and employability skills relevant to your programme of study in a work based environment.

You will be able to use the placement experience to develop and enhance appropriate areas of your knowledge and understanding, your intellectual and professional skills, and your personal value attributes, relevant to your programme of study, as well as accreditation bodies such as BCS, IET, IMechE, RICS, CIOB and CIBSE within the appropriate working environments.

This module is a Pass/Fail module so does not contribute to the classification of your degree. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised both in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate.

Due to its overall positive impact on employability, degree classification and graduate starting salaries, the University strongly encourages you to pursue a work placement as part of your degree programme.