Practice placements are an essential part of many college courses as they support students to transition from academic learning to the professional field in which they are interested in. Practical placements offer a valuable experience that contributes significantly to a students’ personal and professional development. At TUS Midwest you will be informed about placements procedures, responsibilities and timings on your course through your lecturers and academic department. You can also link with the Disability Support Service Team or Careers and Employability if you have an questions or concerns in relation to your college placement.
You can also find our more information on placements at TUS Midwest here- TUS | Work Placements.
Background
Work placements can be for a period of 1 month to 9 months, sometimes even a full year. Work placement is a structured period of work experience. Which enables students to apply theoretical knowledge gained during lectures and tutorials to real-life experiences. The primary objective of college work placement is to bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice. Each college placement that you undertake is generally designed with specific learning objectives which align with your course. You may also be required to submit a portfolio of work and learner records, which will describe your learning experience. You will also be assigned an academic supervisor, during your placement, who you can liaise with if you have any questions or concerns. The academic supervisor will also evaluate your learning and will provide you with relevant feedback.
If you have to undertake practical work placement in your course. Work placement is a great way of gaining extra work experience and provides an opportunity to learn how to transfer the knowledge and theory from your course into practice while developing your personal and interpersonal skills also. It can be an exciting time also as it can give you an insight of what it will be like working in that environment when you graduate and subsequently inform your career choice. A successful college placement can also adds valuable experience to your Curriculum Vitae (CV)
How could this affect me?
Before going on placement, students registered with the Disability Support Service are advised to meet with Disability Support to discuss supports you may require while on placement. The best way to establish what accommodations may be required, if any, is to attend a Placement Planning Meeting before starting your placement.
Examples of reasonable accommodations may include:
- Supervisor to be aware that the student may find it challenging to adjust their communication style throughout the day depending on the task or setting.
- Supervisor to be aware that the student may benefit from being given advanced notice of meeting times and topics, clear and explicit instructions on what is expected and clear structured feedback at consistent times.
- Allow student flexibility to take short sensory or relaxation breaks.
- If possible, locate workspace in a quieter part of the workplace.
Practical tips
- Meet with your Disability Officer to discuss whether you will need additional supports in the workplace such as installation of any assistive technology, physical requirements etc…
- You should inform your Placement Supervisor of any additional supports you may need while on work placement or any barriers you may encounter while on placement that other students may not face.
- When you are going on a work placement, you are a representative of the college so maintain professionalism at all time and ensure you are complying with all of your college’s regulations and requirements.
- Build a relationship with your work colleagues while on placement as this is the start of your professional network and it may come in handy one day!