SOC-30051 - Module Specification School of Social Sciences Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
For academic year: 2024/25 Last Updated: 21 December 2024
SOC-30051 - Work Placement Year
Coordinator:
School Office:
Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25
Available as a Free Standing Elective
Co-requisites
None
Prerequisites
None
Barred Combinations
None
Description for 2024/25
Increasingly, employers are looking for graduates who have workplace experience in addition to their degree qualifications and who know how their skills relate to the world outside the university. This module supports students who are completing a placement year in locating and securing a relevant work placement in any workplace where the research, analytical, and communication skills as developed as part of one of the degrees in SPGS can be used. As well as valuable workplace experience, students will finish the module with a professional CV and portfolio, greater self-confidence and maturity, and a heightened awareness of the various ways in which their knowledge and skills can be utilised in real-world situations. This will ultimately improve their employability upon graduation.This module provides the foundation for the placement year together with a structure to ensure that the potential learning experiences from the year are maximised. With support from the School, Faculty Placements Manager and Careers Service, students have primary responsibility for finding and securing their own placement. During the module, students will undertake a long-term (minimum of 30 weeks, full-time) placement with a company or organisation, where they are required to contribute to organisationally defined goals and objectives. Students will be required to reflect upon their previous learning and to explore their own strengths and weakness in the workplace context with a focus upon the development of new skills and abilities for employability. There are three pieces of assessment and they all need to be completed successfully, in conjunction with the work placement, to pass the placement year.
The aim of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to carry out a long-term, placement-based learning experience (minimum 30 weeks equivalent of full-time work) between Years 2 and 3 (Levels 5 and 6) of their degree programme.This module will prepare students to undertake the placement year by assisting them in locating, applying for, and securing a placement. It will also provide employability skills training which will enable students to evaluate their skills needs and the skills they develop through their placement. Through assessments requiring written and oral critical reflection, students will also further develop their reflection and communication skills. They will also leave the module with a greater sense of the range of career opportunities available to SPGS students.
Intended Learning Outcomes
understand the variety of ways in which skills developed during the study of SPGS subjects can be deployed in non-academic contexts: 1,2,3assess their own strengths and weaknesses in an employment context through a SWOT analysis, design learning outcomes, and reflect on their progress throughout the module: 1,2,3articulate their placement experiences effectively and reflect on their enhanced skill set in front of an audience, utilising visual aids: 1,3understand the aims and priorities, as well as the strengths and possible limitations, of an external organisation and design and complete activities/projects/materials that recognise and support these: 1,2,3reflect on and critically evaluate their learning from the work placement, showing evidence that they have researched their sector and evaluated the effectiveness of their activities with this in mind: 1,2,3
Study hours
The placement year is the equivalent of 120 credits and the student will be expected to be on placement for a MINIMUM of 30 weeks equivalent of full-time work (this is roughly equivalent to a standard university teaching period), therefore a minimum of 1050 hours should be spent on placement. The placements can continue for up to 12 months, providing the necessary assessments are submitted and passed for progression into the final year (FHEQ Level 6).Students will also receive 10 hours of workshops.The 140 hours of Independent Study will be broken down as follows:- 30 hours locating and securing placement (including constructing effective application materials)- 25 hours completing initial placement portfolio (assessment 1)- 20 hours completing reflective diary entries throughout the placement- 15 hours completing the presentation- 5 hours participating in the presentation session at the end of the module- 45 hours completing the final portfolio
School Rules
The criteria to be applied are:- A good University attendance record and be in good academic standing;. - Passed all Year-1 modules and and Year-2, Semester 1, modules- Students undertaking work placements will be expected to complete a Health and Safety checklist prior to commencing their work experience and will be required to satisfy the Health and Safety regulations of the company or organisation at which they are based.- (International students only) Due to visa requirements, it is not possible for international students who require a Tier 4 Visa to apply for direct entry onto the 4-year with Work Placement Year degree programme. Students wishing to transfer onto this programme should discuss this with student support, the academic tutor for the work placement year, and the Programme Lead. Students should be aware that there are visa implications for this transfer, and it is the student's responsibility to complete any and all necessary processes to be eligible for this programme. There may be additional costs, including applying for a new/extension Visa from the UK for international students associated with a transfer to the work placement programme.- Students cannot register on both the Work Placement Year and the International Year, but it is possible to transfer between both.
Description of Module Assessment