MM284-Work Placement

Module Provider: Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour
Number of credits: 120 [60 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring / Summer module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Placement opportunity: Maxi placement
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Mrs Jennifer Phillips
Email: jennifer.phillips@henley.ac.uk

Module Co-convenor: Mr Dominic Prosser
Email: d.prosser@henley.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module provides insight into the practical application of Accountancy and/or Business Management Skills.

?This module is also delivered at University of Reading Malaysia. 

Aims:

1. To gain relevant work experience in order to provide a practical context for the academic material studied in the first, second and final year.

2. To enhance employability through being able to demonstrate 12 months relevant work experience.

3. To extend knowledge and learning of degree discipline modules, to help identify future career path(s).

4. To further develop nine employer-identified competencies, which in turn will be used to benchmark   students’ performance while on placement: Relationship building, Communication, Analysis & Critical Thinking, Self-reliance & Accountability, Collaboration & Inclusion, Innovation & Creativity, Adaptability & Flexibility, Resilience, and Commercial Awareness. 

Assessable learning outcomes:

After completing this module students will be able to:

1. Research a company/organisation and present both verbally and graphically their findings.

2. Think critically, analytically and evaluate the work they have done and how it has contributed to the organisation/company’s business.

3. Appraise their own performance and have a commercial view of their placement company’s performance. 

4. Reflect on what has been learnt from the placement year, examining and discussing the positives/negatives learnt. 

5. Provide examples of the skills acquired and developed whilst on placement.

They will also have gained experience of being a paid worker/employee(1) within an organisation, and will have experience of working under a contract of employment which represent responsible business practices and shows strong corporate and social governance.

(1)Being a paid worker or employee within an organisation implies, under UK legislation, that they will have been paid at least the national minimum wage.

N.B. Some students elect to carry out a non-paid placement, which is their own decision but the university does not advertise any positions which do not meet minimum wage requirements.

Additional outcomes:

Students may also develop some or a combination of the following:

1. Knowledge /experience of the selection methods used for recruiting placement students/graduates.

2. An appreciation of internal and external factors that impact on the running of a company/organisation.

3. Self-reliance, initiative and the ability to manage time, projects and resources. 

4. Work as part of a UK/international team with one or more managers/supervisors.

5. Numeracy and the ability to research, interpret and use business and financial data in relation to project and business goals.

6. How to balance demands from multiple simultaneous projects.

Outline content:

Once a student has been offered and accepted a placement, they will normally work for a minimum of nine months (40 weeks) with that organisation /company. As the COVID-19 situation continues to be fluid, that time frame is subject to reduction and information is updated according to university guidelines. During the placement the student is an employee of the organisation/company and must abide by all the company/organisations regulations and legal responsibilities as outlined in their contract of employment and associated documents. The University will accredit the position offered in terms of opportunities for student development and appropriate remuneration (unless student elects to carry out a non-remunerated placement). The work placement must provide the student with the opportunity to expand their knowledge/understanding in one or more subject areas of their degree course and provide them with situations that will develop and enhance their behavioural capabilities/competencies.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

The placement is viewed as a three–way partnership between the employer, the student and the University. The work content will be determined by the organisation/company and the student’s line manager who will be responsible for setting and evaluating the work that the student must undertake. Every student within their level of competence and training should, ideally, have their ability stretched when out on placement. 

From Septe mber 2021 all placement students are required to maintain a monthly reflective log/diary which records their experience while out on placement. This will provide content and insight for the poster presentation which is the assessment for the placement module.   

The student will be visited by their assigned placement tutor once during the time that they are out on placement (for UK based placements) or will have a placement review by Teams  if this is deemed appropriat e. 

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

All students on placement will have a compulsory, timetabled poster presentation session in the autumn term of the final year, to discuss placement experiences with staff members and the current second year students who will be applying for placements.

For the poster presentation, students will have kept a monthly log/diary of their experience while out on placement, recording the work they have undertaken, the challenges they faced, the progress they made, and the skills they developed. In order to present at the poster presentation session, create an A3 Poster, to summarise the placement experience in an eye-catching way, to include some of the following:

• Name of company, roles and responsibilities

• Information about the company/service/product

• Training opportunities/qualifications/skills

• Any other opportunities such as social/charity/travel

• Anything else which you feel relevant to the poster presentation.

Please direct any questions you have about the coursework to placements@henley.ac.uk only, where they will be dealt with by the relevant person. We would ask you not to submit the same request to multiple team members as this can cause a delay in responding to you.

Submission: Please submit your poster along with the accompanying log, which must have a minimum of one log record per month via Turnitin, which will be on the Blackboard Course Module page, by 5pm on Friday 23rd June 2023. You will be allocated a timetabled slot in autumn term when you return for your final year, which will be the poster event, where your attendance will be compulsory in order to pass the module.

Please ensure that you show your work to your manager before handing it in, to ensure that you are not inadvertently sharing company confidential information. You will not be penalised if you need to hide any figures/sensitive information. 

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

The Module Convenor will apply the following penalties for work submitted late, in accordance with the University policy. 

•  where the piece of work is submitted up to one calendar week after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for the piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;

•  where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

Pass/Fail submission

Reassessment arrangements:

Reassessment will be by oral presentation of the poster during a timetabled session in the Autumn Term of Year 4. 

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 16 November 2023