Run by School of History, Law and Social Sciences

30.000 Credits or 15.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 1 & 2

Organiser: Dr Sarah Nason

This module is designed for students undertaking a two-semester work placement as part of a four-year degree with work placement. The sandwich year may be taken at the beginning or end of the level 6 year. Students are away for the whole of the academic year. The minimum period in placement (at one or more locations) is seven calendar months; more usually students spend 10-12 months with a sandwich placement provider. Students normally start sometime in the period June to September of their second year and finish between June and September the following year. Students are expected to identify their own placement provider with the support of the University Careers Office and the School. The placement is not limited to locality and may be in the student’s home county or home country. All sandwich year placements must be approved by the module co-ordinator and Health and Safety Officer. Placement documents should be submitted by the deadlines in order for the necessary checks to be conducted and for the student to comply with financial requirements for student loans.

The practical element of the module comprises a block placement (of 7 to 12 months) taken at the beginning or end of the level 6 year. Students will register for the programme in the spring of their second year and will be provided with guidance on locating and applying for a placement. They will attend a series of work experience workshops during the spring to prepare them for the job search, creating applications and CVs, and preparing for the workplace environment. The student may begin their work placement at a date to be agreed between the student and employer, but not until the end of teaching for their current semester. The student will spend 7 to 12 months at the place of work and under the supervision of their employer. The onus is always on the student to find their own placement. Disabled students may require reasonable adjustments in acquiring a suitable placement (Code of Practice on Inclusive Provision for Disabled Students, p26. Where students cannot find their own placement and one cannot be found for them, they will switch back to a ‘normal’ degree course. The placement should be related to the student’s degree subject and this relationship must be made clear by the student in their pre-placement forms. The placement must be approved by the module organiser and the University before work begins. All students should be given the opportunity to share disability-related information. The school’s placement co-ordinator may need to offer students the opportunity to talk through the sensitive issues that sharing such information raises and may need to explain to students their responsibility to share any relevant information on an application form. Reasonable adjustments for disabled students must be as recommended in the student’s Personal Learner Support Plan (PLSP), and any additional adjustments identified when planning the placement must be discussed with Disability Services.

The module organiser will monitor progress during the placement, mainly by email or video conference. A risk assessment will be conducted for the identified work placement, as illustrated in the table that follows.

Risk Profile: Low Work Type: Office work or other low hazard environments and activities Action to Reduce Risk: None

Risk Profile: Medium Work Type:Working in proximity to high risk factors (but not directly with them) . Work involving more practical elements with moderate potential for harm, e g. education and service sectors Action to Reduce Risk: Ensure student is aware of the hazards of the placement as part of the briefing process

Risk Profile: High Work Type: Work with hazards that have potential to cause permanent injury or fatalities, including: • Construction site with work at height, dusts, moving machinery, electrical systems . • Operation of machinery with mechanical hazards such as high speed rotating parts, crushing or entanglement risks . • laboratory work with toxic / hazardous materials . • Community work with known high risk groups of clients or locations (drug abusers, homeless, violent patients) . Work with animal bedding or large or dangerous animals . • Activities requiring specific licenses or qualifications (e .g . diving, flying aircraft / UAv) . • Work involving significant hazards in small companies that do not have professional health and safety advice. Action to Reduce Risk: Ensure competency requirements for high risk activities have been agreed and ensure student meets them . Confirm that training & supervision will be provided by the placement provider. Consider pre-placement site visit . Ensure student is aware of the hazards of the placement as part of the briefing process.

good

Grade B; mark range 60-69%

The report is logically structured. It contains detailed descriptive text relating to the knowledge acquired by the student. Knowledge directly and indirectly related to the student’s degree subject is described. There is some analysis of the cultural influences on the interpretation and application of subject-specific knowledge but there is little critical evaluation. The report includes substantial content in which the student evaluates the learning experience, mainly as a retrospective description of the placement experience with only some emphasis on how the experiences might shape future learning.

excellent

Grade A; mark range 70-100%

The report is logically structured and with threads that create a holistic, coherent whole. It contains detailed and insightful descriptive text relating to the knowledge acquired by the student. Knowledge directly and indirectly related to the student’s degree subject is described with some exploration of the synergies between the various sources of knowledge. There is a well argued, critical analysis of the cultural influences on the interpretation and application of subject-specific knowledge. The report includes substantial content in which the student evaluates the learning experience, both as a retrospective description of the placement experience and as a critical reflection on how the experiences might shape future learning.

threshold

Grade D or C; mark range 40-59%

There are weaknesses in the way that the report is structured, resulting in repetition and/or lack of clarity. It contains descriptive text relating to the knowledge acquired by the student but with evidence that the descriptions have not been fully developed. Knowledge directly related to the student’s degree subject is described but with little emphasis on any other knowledge acquired. There is little analysis of the cultural influences on the interpretation and application of subject-specific knowledge and there is no evidence of critical evaluation. The report includes content in which the student evaluates the learning experience, mainly as a retrospective description of the placement experience with little emphasis on how the experiences might shape future learning.

1. 1. Deal effectively with challenges in employment
2. 1. Work with limited or no supervision and retain effectiveness while under pressure
3. 1. Respond positively to changing circumstances and new challenges
4. 1. Recognize and apply disciplinary understanding and subject knowledge to business and organisational issues and priorities in terms of both culture and economics
5. 1. Understand and appreciate how businesses and organisations work and ability to act accordingly

Type	Name	Description	Weight
	Pre-Placement Form		40.00
	Post-placement report		40.00
	Statement from Employer		20.00

		Hours
Workshop	Pre-placement training Students will undertake a series of work experience workshops during the spring semester before their placement. Workshops will be provided by the Careers and Employability Service, Study Skills Team, and the student’s individual School or College. Workshop topics will include Placement Search, Preparing Applications, Placement Prep as well as such subjects as writing your placement proposal, writing your reflective account, health & safety in the workplace, data compliance, and money support.	10
Work-based learning	Students will be based in a work environment for 7 months, which would normally equate to approximately 1,050 hours of work-based experience and learning.	1050

• Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
• Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
• Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
• Safety-Consciousness - Having an awareness of your immediate environment, and confidence in adhering to health and safety regulations
• Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
• Management - Able to utilise, coordinate and control resources (human, physical and/or financial)
• Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

Resource implications for students

Support materials and access to online materials to be made available via Blackboard.

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/sxl-9009.html

Reading list

• Bolles, Richard. What Color Is Your Parachute?: Job-Hunter's Workbook. Ten Speed, 2018.
• Douglas, Arlene, et al. Work Experience Level 5. Gill & Macmillan, 2014.
• Evans-Brain, Jane, and John Neugebauer. Employability: Making the Most of Your Career Development. SAGE Publications, 2016.
• Fanthome, Christine. Work Placements: a Survival Guide for Students. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
• Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. Bantam, 2006.
• Hordern, Jim. Placements and Work-Based Learning in Education Studies: an Introduction for Students. Routledge, 2017.
• Longson, Sally. Making Work Experience Count. How To Books, 1999.
• McCabe, Maria. How to Get an Internship or Work Placement. Createspace, 2013.
• Mostyn, Steven. Job Search: Fundamentals of Effective Job Hunting, Resumes, and Interviews. Sarah Mostyn, 2018. Rook, Steve. Work Experience Placements and Internships. Palgrave, 2015.

Compulsory in courses:

• M21P: LLB Criminal Law with Placement Year year 3 (LLB/CLP)