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FINDING PLACEMENTS
For a number of reasons, finding student placements is becoming increasingly difficult:
Times are tough for businesses and challenging market conditions have caused a general reduction in placement opportunities.
Increasing competition from other universities for scarce placements
Rapidly changing business environments (fewer returning employers)
New players entering the business environment may not be aware of student placement initiatives and benefits
Increased awareness of the risks associated with offering placements (confidentiality, safety, injury-related risks)
Why ?Why ?
Investing time, energy, and resources now saves all three in the long term
No stress of having to rely on employers return
Avoid getting caught in the ‘urgency’ of placements
No stress of having to do employers induction/education continually
Ensure employers’ satisfaction and improve their loyalty to the program
Adopting a long-term, proactive approach to finding placements
2 plans to help you find placement providers and keep them:
Assess your current situation and employer database; “what are your needs?”
Devise an implementation plan Establish reasonable goals for your plans, take into consideration
timing, resources and get a faculty team to help out.
Work on your current database as a starting point. Is my database current and complete? (organization contact
names, pay range, number of placements, how to improve my current database? who is doing what?)
The ‘Job Development Plan’ and the ‘Employer Engagement Plan’
Analyzing the market in your specific field. (Are there smaller organizations in your region? Any new organizations? Are there professional associations /events?)
Explore all possible options: Previous student placements University alumni Academic staff contacts Internet search and related company websites Business outreach or enterprise groups Chambers of commerce Industry of placement providers Remember professional associations meetings / other events Student’s own network Expand your search to other fields /business areas and to non
traditional settings Expand your search to other regions International placements
Job Development Plan
Establish a target list: initiate a ‘contact’ campaign / consider doing some visits /organize an employer event
‘Talk’ to employers: website, marketing materials and events
Spend time ‘listening’
Consider employers as ‘customers’
What are they looking for ? what are their motivation ? what are the skills they are looking for ? Are they looking for cost effective resources/ benefit free labor for
getting work done? Do they have seasonal, cyclical work or temporary projects? Would they like to test out some students before hiring them ?
Understanding their needs will help you negotiate placements and demonstrate how the program can respond to some of their needs.
Complete a task/ project that may otherwise not have been resourced
Boost creativity and innovation in the workplace Monitor student performance with a view to long term employment Opportunity to train students with a specific set of skills suited to
the organization/specific work . Develop a working relationship with the University Access to University resources and facilities Engage in the curriculum Working with students, help the organization develop a learning
culture Make a real contribution to the development of a skilled workforce Partnering with the University on workplace learning reinforces their
professionalism and offers a competitive edge. Raise the profile of their organization in the community
Potential benefits to employers
Develop time saving materials Presentation of the program /
FAQ document/ placement assessment criteria sheet/ “How to get started kit” for employers)
Plan on using the program web pages/ the workplace learning
website to advertise your placement opportunities
to potential placement providers and to provide materials .
Determine what can be done just as effectively in a larger group Employer event on campus, short seminar on offering placement
Link with Career Services
Time saving strategies
Employers as partners in education.
Workplace learning is a two-way street. It leads students into the workforce and brings the workplace into the
curriculum (Prof. Lynne Hunt)
Engaging employers in curriculum decisions. (Learning outcomes, course content)
More flexible approach to when, where, and how learning takes place
Re-think employers’ role with respect to informing the curriculum, assessment, facilitating workshops and talks, coaching, providing work culture, and authentic learning dimensions.
Mapping the employer’s agenda into our curriculum (and not the other way round).
Employer Engagement plan forging a strong relationship with employers
Employer Engagement Plan
Employers on campus (initial engagement)
Continued contact• Create multiple opportunities to connect and talk to
employers (events/talks)• Surveying employers on a regular basis
Understanding the specific employment context Company profiles
Recognition
Employer centered approach
APPROVING PLACEMENTS
Not all programs are involved with finding placements, some have to approve placements initiated by students or employers
Approving a placement is an assessment process that determines if a placement is ‘suitable’ and ‘appropriate’ to meet the expected placement outcomes .
The placement outcomes outline what the placement is expected to provide (learning opportunities) to meet the course learning outcomes
‘Suitability Criteria’
Field /activities Infrastructure General health and safety, other risks and related procedures
‘Appropriateness’
What will be tasks/projects and responsibilities of student? Are the learning opportunities relevant to the learning outcomes of
the course? Who is involved in supervising the student?/supervisor’s
qualifications? Student induction and support?
Think of the process (what will your assessment process look like? establish assessment steps, required documents, who is involved in the process?)
Do you need a different process for out of province placements? International placements?
Assessing placements
ESTABLISHING PLACEMENTS
Matching and selecting processes help ensure that placements will provide a positive experience for both students and employers .
Matching and selecting processes ensure both student success and employer satisfaction.
Effective matching and selecting rely on ‘How well you know your students and your employers’.
Prior to placement selection, early communication with students and employers is necessary to identify needs and considerations.
Geographical/physical factor
Match of interests between the organization and the student
Specific learning opportunities
Work demands: Pace and pattern of work
Work culture
Supervision style/relationship
Communication skills and language skills
Technical abilities /skills/strengths
Motivation
Human qualities
Learning styles
Key variables:
Establish a process to facilitate matching and selecting.
What do you need to be able to engage in the matching and selecting process?
Develop time-saving materials
Update database with information to facilitate the next matching process.
Embed a process in debriefing to inform your next matching and selecting process
Formalizing placement rules and objectives
A certain level of commitment is recognized as an element of placement quality
The Student Placement Agreement (SPA)
Establishes a formal agreement between the different stakeholders. (host organization, student and academic institution)
Defines conditions of placement. Provides an understanding of the rights and duties
of each partner. Stipulates legal requirements, insurance and WCB
arrangements.
The Learning Contract or the Learning Plan
Devised by the student and the supervisor based on course learning outcomes and placement outcomes. The learning contract is approved by the placement coordinator.
Outlines expectations and outcomes of the placement experience .
Indicates the activities, tasks and responsibilities of the student .
Provides explicit time-lines for evaluation.