Placements

Why is a student placement important?

Important skills are learnt and more importantly practiced during a student placement. It is also an opportunity to develop and consolidate interpersonal skills in the workplace context.

Student placements are also an excellent opportunity for students to develop networks and explore career options and professional pathways.

What will I learn?

The list of things you can learn is potentially endless. The main thing is to make a conscious decision to learn as much as you possibly can.

If you enter your work placement with an attitude that you want to learn, you will.

Tips for Success

Good preparation has been shown to improve the quality of the experience, allowing students to quickly adjust to their new environment, and achieve better learning and practical skills outcomes.

• Ring your placement before you start to confirm the time/date you will be expected to be there and the name of your supervisor or person you will need to ask for on arrival.
• Take a notebook to write down any relevant information/ names you need to remember. – you will get a lot of new information on the first few days.
• Be clear about what the expectations are from the organisation regarding your placement, how you are going to be assessed and what you need to do to demonstrate that you have met the requirements.
• Remember you are a student and are there to learn. You are not expected to know everything! Allow yourself time to learn and don’t expect yourself to know everything on the first day
• Be helpful – look for the little extras you can do instead of waiting to be directed to action.
• Remember that the people you are working with on placement could end up being your colleagues in the future, or provide a reference. Showing enthusiasm and interest may help with job prospects after your graduation.