If you are offered a placement, the Placements team will work with you and the employer to conduct all relevant checks, to ensure your placement is safe and meets the following criteria:
Placement Criteria:
In order to be approved, your placement must:
Be equivalent to a year’s academic study, i.e. 30 to 52 weeks in duration and full-time hours. If the placement is unpaid, less hours may be permitted, depending on your course of study
Provide a range of job responsibilities and tasks related to your degree
Meet course specific learning outcomes
Enable development of employability skills
Provide the opportunity to apply academic learning in a practical context
Pass necessary Health and Safety checks to ensure the student is safe and covered by appropriate insurance
Be assessed throughout, in order to receive academic credit
Allocate a line manager or mentor within the employing company or organisation, to ensure agreed learning outcomes are achieved
Placements that won't be approved:
We would prefer for students to be provided with a salary during their sandwich placement. However, we do recognise that some public and third sector (non profit) organisations may be unable to offer paid placements. We are able to approve unpaid placements, if the placement meets the other criteria listed above.
However, some organisations overseas offer 'pay to participate' volunteering opportunities and promote these as "placements". Some organisations also ask students to sign waiver agreements, which means they are not covered by the organisation for insurance purposes.
We are aware that some students are keen to participate in these types of experiences, however, the University is unable to approve these as placements. Students have the option to interrupt study if they wish to pursue these types of activities.
