Overview

The Work Placement year may be taken following completion of Year 2 or Year 3 study. Students who are on placement will be away from campus for the whole of the academic year. The minimum period in placement, (at one or more locations), is 7 calendar months (or the equivalent of 1000 hours). Students normally start their placement sometime between June and September and finish between June and September of the following year. The placement should be related to the student's degree, and this relationship must be made clear in the Pre-placement forms. The placement must be approved by the SOS Work Placement Lead (Dr Michael Roberts) and the College Health & Safety Manager, before work begins. Placements can be undertaken in any part of the UK or abroad.

Sessions will be provided at the start of the semester preceding the placement year. These are designed to advise students on searching for opportunities, 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 year of study. The onus is always on the student to find their placement. If it transpires that a placement cannot be found, there may be opportunities within SOS, but we can make no guarantee of this. Otherwise, the student will switch to the non-work placement degree programme.
The placement comprises a work placement (1000 hrs ~ 7 months) which should be related to ocean sciences, and this relationship must be made clear in your Pre-placement form. A risk assessment from the placement provider is also required . The placement must be approved by the SOS Work Placement Lead (Dr Michael Roberts) and the University before work begins. There are two post placement reflective assignments for this module. These are designed for the student to reflect on one skill or activity developed during their placement, and also to reflect on the whole year experience.

Assessment Strategy

-threshold - All assessments have been graded as either 'Satisfactory to continue' or a Pass. This demonstrates the progression through planning the placement, carrying out the work, reporting and presenting on the work through reflective assignments. The following statements explain what is expected from students to reach threshold (pass) criterion. Given that this is the only criterion by which the assessments are graded, only threshold is specified here. Below are the details provided to the students:

Pre-placement: In your Pre-placement form, you will have clearly identified and conveyed the potential health and safety risks associated with the placement. You should have also outlined and acknowledged the primary health and safety policies in operation in the employing organisation. As part of this, you should have also evidenced that you have considered the type of placement you seek e.g. is it to try out a particular career, build useful contacts, get some professional context to an academic area of interest, develop particular skills or technical knowledge, and/or gain working knowledge of a specific sector/profession? You will have also succeeded in justifying how the placement is linked to your degree programme, and you will have realistically identified and evidenced which work-related skills you already possess, and which skills might be acquired or practised on the placement. An important aspect of reaching the threshold target to pass the assessment is that you convey the above with a well-structured and clearly written placement form.

Post placement reflective assignments: There are two assignments for this module: you will need to reflect on one skill or activity you have developed on placement, and to reflect on the whole year experience. To reach the required threshold, you will have shown thoughtful engagement of the following: - The job role and how it contributed to the success and effectiveness of the organisation. This may include elements of both teamwork and individual contributions. - Your experiences and observations during the placement, in relation to the goals that were set-out for self-development in the pre-placement document - A synthesis of how the experience will benefit you in the future; specifically how it will affect your thinking about your degree programme and how it will influence the way you seek employment in the future. An important aspect of reaching the threshold target to pass the assessment is that you convey the above with a well-structured and clearly written reflective assignment.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe in detail one area of the organisation's activities, (in which you were directly involved during your placement), and make suggestions for improvements in this area.

• Gain practical insight into how businesses and organisations operate via work-based learning (this can be desk-based research or in the field).

• Recognise and apply disciplinary understanding and subject knowledge in placement activities and explain how these fit with your personal objectives and development in the future i.e. both short- and long-term.

• Reflect on your placement performance and contribution in terms of strengths, weaknesses, personal skills and skill deficiencies together with how your involvement supported the organisation more generally.