Defining the Placement Opportunity
We recommend that placement opportunities should develop skills and experiences that students can use to benefit them during their academic studies, with a view to securing graduate opportunities. We therefore use the term ‘graduate level’ to help define the kinds of work experience that may be suitable.
Some organisations use placements as a recruitment tool to allow them to find fantastic students who could be a future employee, either on a part-time basis during the student's time at University or when they graduate. Placements can also be used for a variety of other reasons, including (but not limited to) completing projects, to fill gaps where staff have left, or to help where workload has become excessive for current staff.
When thinking about a placement, you should consider this in the same way as if you needed to recruit a new or temporary staff member by taking into account:
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The overall purpose/outcome of the work.
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Activities/tasks needed to complete the work successfully.
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Skills/experience required to undertake the activities/tasks (bear in mind that students may or may not have any prior experience in work when thinking about this element).
- Salary (placements can be unpaid but we would recommend payment is always made at least to the minimum wage, especially for longer placements i.e. over 2 weeks in duration.).
- Any obligations relating to pensions – government advice for employers can be found here.
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Training.
- Management/supervision.
- Working on-site or remotely. Whilst working on site has lots of benefits, bear in mind that students may not be able to get to your premises unless they live nearby or they can afford to move/travel (unlikely if unpaid).
- Equality, diversity & inclusion throughout the recruitment process through to the placement itself.
- Wellbeing provision to support any students who may have wellbeing needs. Please note that while the University will continue to provide wellbeing support to students on placement, students should be treated and have access to the same wellbeing provision as all employees of the organisation.
- The duration of the placement to fit one or more of our placement programmes/modules. All of our placement modules have specific requirements around the number of hours/weeks/months necessary for the student to complete assessments and gain the required credits. You can find more information on our placement modules by clicking on the drop-down menu at the bottom of this page and downloading the module information spreadsheets found in the relevant sections. This can be a little time-consuming, so feel free to contact us for assistance if needed.
The University has many students who arrive from countries/region outside the UK and may therefore require a visa to study and work. They are able to undertake a placement with an employer as part of a credit-bearing programme without the need to apply for any further visas, and this would not be required of the organisation either.
These students can offer the workplace; a fantastic insight into other cultures, ability to speak other languages and a range of skills and attributes that will benefit organisations. Whilst there may be visa requirements for them to work on a permanent basis or outside their studies, they can still undertake short-term or year-long placements.
For a list of modules and programmes that currently include work-based learning, please consult the following faculty lists:
Faculty of Environment, Science & Economy
Faculty of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences
Faculty of Health & Life Sciences
Requirements for placements will vary depending on the particular placement programme/module, though some general principles for year-long and short-term placements can be found below:
Industrial or Professional Placement Year
- Typically last for between 6 to 12 months
- Undergraduate students take the placement in their third year
- Some students may be able to undertake two or more shorter placements as part of their overall placement requirements
- Opportunities can start as early as June and finish in September of the following year (for the student to return for their fourth and final year)
- Work must be of an appropriate graduate level and aid career development
- Advertised at least 3 months in advance of start date to allow for recruitment process and University placement paperwork process
- We would recommend that all placements are paid on a minimum of National Living Wage
- Students may need to complete an academic piece of work as part of their placement module e.g. a self-reflective essay, business report etc and you may be asked to provide feedback as part of this
- Placement students may need to complete an academic piece of work e.g. report, based on their placement
Short-term placement modules
- The minimum placement length ranges from 1 week up to 3 months and may be worked on a full time or part time basis both during term time and holidays
- Placements are undertaken by both undergraduates and postgraduates
- Short-term placements may be unpaid although we would recommend all placements are paid
- Advertised at least 2-3 months in advance of start date to allow for recruitment process and University placement paperwork process
- Placement students may need to complete an academic piece of work e.g. report, based on their placement
The University of Exeter is committed to ensuring that students with a disability or long-term health condition face no additional barriers when pursuing or undertaking work placement opportunities as part of their degree programme.
Organisations that have a positive approach to disability and inclusion can reap many benefits, including increased loyalty and commitment from staff, the ability to tap into different perspectives and skills which can boost innovation and performance, and the ability to recruit and retain good people. It also makes commercial sense. The best businesses like to reflect the make-up of their consumer base in their workforce – disabled customers and their families have a spending power worth £249 billion.
Businesses that aren’t inclusive - and don’t manage health and disability effectively - risk their wider reputation as an employer and business, as well as legal action (if UK organisation but this could be applicable in other countries as well) if they fail to comply with the equalities law (Equality Act 2010).
We expect organisations to have and adhere to appropriate Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies that support reasonable adjustments for disabled students and those with health conditions to apply for.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has produced extensive guidance on disability equality at work, including a practical guide for line managers that advises on recruiting, managing and developing people with a health condition or disability. This can be accessed on the CIPD website and the guide for managers can be accessed here.