Digital industry placements - Enrolment

Placement role description

The employer

• Name of employer

The employer’s business

• What the employer does
• Who its clients are?
• Where it’s based
• Which department the placement is in
• If the student is required to work across different departments/sites

The placement role

• Equivalent job title

The kind of work you will do

• List of work tasks

The skills you will use

• List of skills used

The attitudes you should have

• List of essential attitudes

Who you will work with

• Line manager/team leader
• Colleagues
• Mentor

Hours and pattern of work

• Daily hours
• Pattern of work during the placement

Placement role description

The employer

CTECH Business Solutions

The employer’s business

• Part-time/interim IT consultancy, tailored to business needs
• Business IT support
• GDPR compliance

The placement role

• Web design/ basic IT support

The kind of work you’ll do

• Web design
• Programming
• Customer liaison
• Social media

The skills you’ll use

• Coding
• Programming (Python, C++, SQL)
• Communication
• Customer service
• Basic marketing

The attitudes you should have

• Creativity
• Problem-solving
• Customer focus
• Understand company values
• Able to work both as part of a team and independently

Who you will work with

• Small business clients
• Colleagues as both internal clients and team members

Hours and pattern of work

• Typical business day from 9am to 5pm
• A mixture of one day per week and block periods

Placement role description

The employer

British Computer Society (BCS)

The employer’s business

• Membership body which provides IT industry with guidance
• Creates and manages qualifications

The placement role

• Software Development

The kind of work you will do

• Contribute to software solutions that satisfy business requirements.
• Help to design artefacts (wireframes and prototypes), user stories, functional specifications, and technical specifications
• Work closely with Software Testers and Business Analysts to understand their roles in relation to own
• Second-line support tasks such as application code bug fixing and data fixes

The skills you will use

• Programme development:
  • Microsoft .net, C#
  • JavaScript
  • HTML / CSS
  • SQL Server
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Microsoft Azure
• Communication
• Customer service
• Alignment with software development industry standards and legal requirements

The attitudes you should have

• Desire to learn new technologies
• A positive outlook with an enthusiastic approach
• Natural interest in, and understanding of, IT technology
• A logical approach to problems and fault finding
• Good personal organisation skills
• Good team player with good communication skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive content

Who you will work with

• Software Developers
• Work closely with Software Testers and Business Analysts to understand their roles in relation to your own

Hours and pattern of work

• Typical business day from 9am to 5pm Initial 2-week block period, then one day per week in term time

Matching students to placements

Process

Description and examples

Competitive application

CV preparation and presentation

Interview

Showcasing skills  

Site visit

Open days

Placement search

Matching student to placement

Process

Description and examples

Competitive application

An industry placement is a structured period of time in the workplace, where the student experiences the reality of being employed.  A competitive application process mirrors the experience of real employment. It also allows students to identify which placements they would value most and to ‘sell themselves’ to the employer as the best candidate.

CV preparation and presentation

Most employers want to see a student’s CV as part of the placement application. A CV should be tailored to the placement job role. For example, students who have developed coding skills or created websites should include this experience on their CV to demonstrate an interest in the digital sector and a certain level of skills. Presenting a CV together with a covering letter, allows the student to highlight specific experiences or attributes relevant to the placement.

Interview

Interviews are a key stage in the enrolment process, as these three examples show:

• Fareham College prepares students for interviews using roleplays where they take turns acting as employers. In this role, students ask questions and assess how best to present themselves and respond to questioning.
• Greater Manchester Police requires their Oldham Sixth Form College candidates to complete a practical assessment at interview.
• British Computer Society were so impressed with two candidates at interview that they offered both a placement, even though they had only intended to offer one.

CTECH Business Solutions Managing Director, Andy Dennahy is selective about the students they accept on placement. He looks for three things when interviewing:

“First, would they be a good fit for us? This might be a partly subjective judgement, but I’m looking at how they present themselves; if they are sufficiently confident and can sell themselves, and whether they demonstrate an interest in the company.

“Second, how much mentoring would they need? This is a Year One placement, so they’ll need to learn on the job. I must be sure that I can match them with the right member of staff while being aware of the pressure people are under.

“Third, how much interest do they show in the industry? This is about exploring their career ambitions and how much interest they have in developing their skills. This is a big part of making a judgement about whether they will be a good fit with the project work we offer when on placement.”

Showcasing skills  

Digital industry placements can take place in any kind of organisation, they don’t have to be in a ‘digital’ business. Many non-digital organisations, including small and medium-sized businesses, have digital opportunities but don’t always have the resources needed to use digital technology effectively. Showcasing what they can do and talking to the employer about how their skills demonstrate how they can benefit the organisation. 

Site visit

Site visits to employers can help students gain first-hand knowledge of what is expected in the work environment. This could include basic information such as location, transport links, number of people in the workplace and facilities provided.

Site visits can also include job-shadowing and other work taster activities. For example, La Retraite Sixth Form organised a ‘hackathon’ with the Rail Delivery Group in which teams of T Level students worked on ideas to improve the services offered to the growing numbers of rail passengers.

Open days

By attending open days at the provider, employers can meet students informally and give them a better sense of what a placement involves:

• Employers regularly visit Nelson and Colne College to present information on the nature of placements and the roles available.
• North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College hold virtual events at which employers present to students. They have planned a summer face-to-face event under the STEAM theme which includes digital employers.
• Ajar Technology visit Cranford College regularly so that the staff become familiar to students before they start choosing their placements.  

Placement search

Students can find their own placements if they are interested in a particular employer or have a personal connection This approach shows a student’s commitment. Providers should manage the relationship with employers and ensure checks are in place to make a successful match. Providers who encourage students to find their own placement can refer to the self-sourcing guidance.  

Where students have part-time work that is related to their course, their part-time working hours can count towards their industry placement. La Retraite Sixth Form has a strong tradition of engaging students in community volunteering, which has led to various placements at Trinity Hospice including one digital placement.

Matching students to placements

The placement

• How many different placements are on offer?
• Which roles are they in?
• Which departments are they in?
• Which skills will the student develop?
• What specific requirements does each role require?
• What attributes do students need for each role?
• Is there a job specification for each role?
• How relevant is it to the student’s interests and aspirations?
• How much will the role enable the student to develop the knowledge and skills at route level?
• How closely does the role match the occupational specialism?

The student

• Which aspects of working in the digital sector are the student interested in?
• Does the student already have a career in mind or are they open to different possibilities?
• Have they tailored their CV to reflect their digital skills interests and experience?
• How well-prepared is the student with:
  • presentation skills
  • communication skills
  • interview skills
  • confidence?
• What information does the student have about the placements on offer?
• What research have they carried out themselves?
• Would the student be better off as part of a team going to placements together or as an individual?
• Does the student have other commitments outside of college, for example, a part-time job?

The process  

• How is the information about placements presented to students?
• How are employers involved in the selection process?
• What opportunities do students get to meet employers informally?
• How much choice do students have in seeking placements?
• How competitive is the process?
• How are expectations managed on both sides (student and employer)?
• What happens if students are not selected for their preferred placements?
• Is there the option to place students in a small group as well as singly?
• Are students encouraged to find their own placements?

The timing  

• Is the student ready to enter a work environment?
• Has the placement timing been flexed at the employer’s request?
• Has the student gained enough technical skills (for example, programming language) to start the placement?
• If the placement takes place outside normal hours, have parents or carers been consulted? 

The location

• Is the student able to travel reasonably by public transport without excessive expense?

Matching student to placement

The placement

The student

The process  

The timing  

The location