Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Improving the placement experience
The Destination of Leavers in Higher Education (DLHE) showed that 94.1%.of Leeds Beckett 2013/14 graduates were in work, further study or both six months after leaving university.
With strong graduate employment statistics, our University already does much to support our graduates as they transition into the world of work, but as we strive to further increase this number, more is needed to ensure our students have a fantastic placement experience which sets them up for their future careers.
One way in which this is being brought to bear is the further roll-out of our university-wide placement management system. InPlace is an off-the-shelf piece of software, but is customisable to work in many situations and contexts.
The Faculty of Health & Social Sciences led the way in the use of the system and have been using it since 12-13, primarily as the placements which needed managing were mandatory and part of the course.
Catherine Coates, Co-Director Practice Learning and Employability in our Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, said: “We have successfully implemented InPlace across our health and social care courses to enhance the management and allocation of placements and work related learning experiences for our students, tutors and placement supervisors. The system provides a central communication hub for all placement activity and can audit placement quality and the equity of the allocation process which has had a positive impact on student satisfaction and reduced the academic and administrative time involved in these processes.
“We are now looking forward to working with the InPlace Project team to develop new models and opportunities within the system to promote volunteering and work related opportunities to all of the HSS students, developing their employability and enterprise skills.”
This was then replicated to manage teaching placements in Carnegie, and was subsequently rolled out to cover other placements for Carnegie students. The Faculty of Business & Law and Arts, Environment & Technology started to use the system last year as well.
The idea is that if all placements are managed via the system – whether self-generated or mandatory placements – the experience for both staff and students will be improved as they are guided through the process.
Sheila says: “Inplace is being used increasingly across the HE sector but very few institutions are using it as comprehensively as we are. This breadth of scope brings obvious benefits. It’s mainly about the student experience; improving the quality and consistency of the placement experience is crucial. Students who engage in placement opportunities and work-based learning will be more likely to secure a job. This then feeds through to other success measures which we know we want to improve as a university.
“The system will also allow us to support our staff better. Many academics support students directly with placements and we want to provide a framework to help those colleagues through the process – templates and guidance are provided all the way through and it enables document sharing and direct communication with the employers involved.
“The system also gives us important management information about what placements our students are undertaking and which employers we are engaging with.”
The expansion of the InPlace system means shorter term placements, in the form of projects, live briefs and work-based modules can also be supported.
Did you know?
- In 2015, 4,532 placements were registered for 2,916 students
- Over 3,884 organisations are now providing placements for our students
- Most placements happened from September to November but the peak month was January with 1,357 placements
The software is very adaptable to our needs, which has provided a range of possibilities for uses in different areas. The International Office are looking to use the system to manage student exchanges, international volunteering and international work placements, which are currently managed manually.
“We also know there is sometimes an issue with keeping in touch with students who are out on placement. It is all too easy for students to feel out of the loop when they are away from our University.
“InPlace will help us to manage that, making sure that we plan visits to those students at set intervals; it is so crucial to the students to ensure they still feel part of our community,” said Sheila.
One of the project aims for this year is to maximise placement opportunities available to students and promote awareness and take-up of these, so expect to hear more about InPlace in the run-up to the next academic year.
Sheila is no stranger to large, complex projects and organisations, having worked for Leeds City Council previously and a number of private companies including O2 and Thames Water, particularly on large scale change projects.
“It’s very rewarding, when you look back and see the transformation, and know you have been able to make things happen,” she said.
For more about the project please contact Sheila on ext 29153 or email s.e.duxbury@leedsbeckett.ac.uk