Management and Administration industry placements - pre-placement

Introduction

Pre-placement (the student has been successful in securing a placement, but the placement has not yet started) using the Student readiness checklist

This tool helps providers to:

prepare the student for the placement and for the world of work
consider using the new delivery approaches and timing solutions to meet the needs of students and employers
carry out an assessment of the student’s knowledge and skills
carry out an assessment of the student’s employability skills and behaviours
check the employer understands the knowledge and skill set of the student
complete workplace assessments and agreements
plan learning and the sequence of that learning
set high-quality learning objectives based on discussions with employers
for each objective, include the reason for the objective and a deadline for its completion
check that the objectives of the placement match those of the business
make sure the learning objectives stretch and challenge the student throughout the placement – objectives will be reviewed and refreshed at the midpoint review
triangulate placement support between the employer, student and provider
make sure the placement is thoughtfully planned before the student starts
make sure students have a clear and full understanding of what the placement involves
work with the employer to ensure a smooth induction
work with all the key stakeholders to develop a clear timeline and action plan for a successful placement
have focussed, industry-specific conversations with employers. If staff require industry insight, engage the curriculum team to support this conversation.

This helps employers to:

have confidence in the placement
take joint ownership of the industry placement process

This helps students to:

build their confidence and resilience in preparation for their placement because they will have a clear understanding of the expectations and requirements of the workplace
have a goal and work toward focussed target development

Who is it for?

Share the checklists with all key staff involved in designing the placements and identifying the learning activities students will undertake during placement. This will include:

T Level course leaders and tutors (curriculum staff)
key staff involved in placement design and placement agreements
student support staff
employer-liaison teams
the employer

Student readiness checklist Template
Objective	Purpose	Timeline	Completed: initial/date
Understand the industry placement delivery approaches that can be used	Discuss the delivery approaches with the student and employer to set expectations and find the best fit. Some relevant approaches are: hybrid (partly on site, partly remote) placements with the employer’s supply chain and employer networks small team projects	Initial meeting – share the industry placement delivery guidance link with the employer
Ensure the employer understands the knowledge and technical skill set of the student	To make sure the employer’s expectations are in line with the student’s knowledge and skills. To do this: the provider must discuss with the employer what the student will have been taught before they start their placement the provider must discuss with the employer the timeline for when specific knowledge/skills will be taught throughout the academic year the employer must outline any specific knowledge and technical skills needed before the student can start their placement	Initial meeting – share the curriculum plan with the employer
Provide employability support and work taster activities (up to 35 hours)	To make sure the student is fully prepared for the workplace the provider will: develop the student’s work-readiness skills in preparation for their placements arrange for employers to conduct mock interviews to build confidence arrange for students to shadow employers so they can make an informed decision when choosing their industry placement options conduct CV and cover letter workshops, so students have a profile to present to employers provide tutorial classes on employability skills arrange site visits so students can understand the working environment and meet the wider team arrange experiences such as workshops with employers to identify any gaps in knowledge	Early in programme – employability support and work taster activities should take place early enough in the programme to allow students to make informed choices about their next steps
Match a student with an employer	To make sure the industry placement is the right match for the student and the employer: hold an internal event where a range of different employers can meet students to discuss their industry placement and business needs encourage students to present their CV and cover letter to employers	Early in programme – employer and student pairing activities should take place early enough in the programme to allow students and employers to form a mutual connection
To consider the funding options	To be aware of and discuss any available funding, including: telling the student about the current industry placement funding streams available (16-19 bursary fund guide) telling the employer about the current Employer Support Fund (the ESF is only applicable if the placement started in the 23/24 financial year). Please note, providers should think strategically about how to best use their allocation to grow their pipeline of industry placements and should inform employers about the ESF if they think it will help to create long-lasting relationships with the employer	Three months before the placement starts
Carry out a health and safety assessment	To make sure the workplace is safe to work in and students are appropriately protected from hazards, the provider must: identify the nature of the work to be carried out by the employer and student identify any appropriate clothing or equipment the student needs to provide share the provider’s own health and safety policies with the employer identify the working patterns and locations the student will be required to work in and collate key contact information	Three months before the placement starts – the provider must complete a health and safety assessment with the employer Annually – review the health and safety assessment with the employer
Safeguarding, welfare and student commitments	To outline the provider’s safeguarding policy to the employer and student and to: provide a mandatory safeguarding session for students three months before the placement starts. To be delivered by the tutor and recorded in the students Individual Learning Record provide the contact details of the designated safeguarding officer and how to report concerns identify any welfare concerns before and during the industry placement identify any other student commitments such as part-time work or caring responsibilities organise an employer DBS check where a student works with a sole contractor	Before the placement starts – communicate the process of safeguarding and welfare checks to both the employer and student Three months before the placement starts – raise safeguarding again during the interview and as part of the industry placement agreement Throughout placement – continuous safeguarding and welfare checks must be completed by the provider during regular reviews
Fulfil workplace and legislation requirements to share standards, policies and procedures	To help students understand the basics of what the employer expects them to know and how they should behave To help students understand the reasons for employers having policies and procedures and why they must be followed. Discuss the: code of conduct health and safety requirements compliance and GDPR confidentiality	Throughout the pre-placement period – this can be delivered as a class-based activity, or through a student’s part-time work
Identify travel considerations	To be aware of any travel considerations for the student, including: whether the student will be working at a fixed location or working at different sites during their placement how the student will travel to their place of work if it is not at a fixed location	Three months before the placement starts – travel arrangements should be confirmed and included in the industry placement agreement Throughout the placement – ongoing communication between the employer and the student to identify daily/weekly travel arrangements
Identify specific software and programmes appropriate to the placement	To ensure the student understands the software and tools they will use during the placement. For example: Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access) project management tools SAGE data analysis software	Before the placement starts and ongoing during the placement
Identify workplace-specific training to be taken before placement starts	To ensure any essential workplace training is provided. This could include: health and safety training specific training for employer specialism An agreement of who will pay the costs of the training should be reached	Training to start early in the first academic year and any tests must be booked
Provide basic company information	Ensure the student has an understanding of the company. For example: what they specialise in how the company works the scale of their work different job roles and what they do the management structure and what they do the different departments and what they do	Three months before the placement starts
Complete an industry placement agreement (template link in see delivery guidance Annex)	To develop a contract between the provider, employer and student that confirms they will adhere to industry placement regulations and that includes: the key responsibilities of the employer relating to safeguarding, welfare and reporting the key responsibilities of the student relating to behaviour, attitudes and reporting the key responsibilities of the provider relating to monitoring, support and reviewing a start date and predicted end date of the placement the total number of hours of the placement the working patterns of the placement (day release/block release/hybrid approach)	Three months before the placement starts – complete the employer agreement Revisit the agreement at the midpoint review and as part of the end of placement action plan Sign an industry placement agreement completion declaration form at the end of the placement
Complete an industry placement learning objective (template see delivery guidance Annex A)	To identify the industry placement learning objectives and goals that: are a mix of technical and employability skills (include a minimum of three each) are the skills and knowledge that students can best develop through the industry placement challenge and stretch the student to maximise student learning are things students can do to meet the objectives	Three months before the placement starts – complete the learning objectives template Objectives should be revisited at the midpoint review and the end of placement action plan New objectives that challenge the student should be set to maximise student learning
Confirm the progress monitoring and review process	Discuss with the student and the employer to: identify how the student will be monitored during the industry placement identify how the student will demonstrate progress issue the student with an industry placement journal to track their progress identify software tracking systems that could be used identify key dates for reviews	Three months before the placement starts – include monitoring and review process in the industry placement agreement Throughout the placement – monitoring and review is a continuous process throughout the industry placement

Student readiness checklist - Management and Administration.docx

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Last updated: 03 October 2023 14:54

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