Studying at York
Placement Year - combined - POL00081I
- Department: Politics and International Relations
- Module co-ordinator: Mrs. Ann Tunstall
- Credit value: 60 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
- See module specification for other years: 2023-24
Module summary
Taking a placement year will give students a valuable insight into the world of work, and increase their potential for employment. This module will involve students spending 9 - 12 months after their stage 2 teaching, working in an organisation that will prepare them for a graduate level role. The placements will not be required to link to their degree discipline, however they will provide the opportunity to consider the value and utility of their degree studies in a working context.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 to Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
Taking a placement year will give students a valuable insight into the world of work, and increase their potential for employment. This module will involve students spending 9 - 12 months after their stage 2 teaching, working in an organisation that will prepare them for a graduate level role. The placements will not be required to link to their degree discipline, however they will provide the opportunity to consider the value and utility of their degree studies in a working context. Placements are generally paid however we will consider unpaid placements on a case by case basis i.e. an unpaid placement with a reputable Charity or NGO could enhance a student’s opportunities of working in this competitive sector. As the placement forms part of their degree, the student would benefit from being an employee of the placement provider whilst still being a student of the University of York. This arrangement would permit them to maintain links with and gain support from the University whilst on placement. The students’ placement supervisor will visit the student in the first few months of their placement to ensure the placement is as expected.
In addition to gaining experience of a working environment, students undertaking a placement year will develop strengths invaluable for the remainder of their degree and attractive to prospective employers and further study hosts.
The strengths a student may develop are likely to be:
• An understanding of a working environment(s), its language, culture and how things are achieved
• Communication skills, report writing and oral communication appropriate to the working environment and also the ability to articulate their experiences in terms of their personal development
• Time management and the ability to prioritise effectively
• Self-motivation, independence and autonomy
• Team working, interpersonal and networking skills
• Commercial awareness, the ability to relate wider contextual information to the work of an organisation and individual roles
• Creativity and innovation, the ability to identify opportunities for improving activities and putting them into practice
Module learning outcomes
Apply employability skills and enhanced self-awareness and understanding through reflection on a minimum of 9 months experience in a work-based context.
On completion of the With Placement Year, our students will be able to:
• Articulate their strengths in a concise manner through consistent reflection of their skillset development over the duration of their placement
• Articulate a sense of career direction based on an exploration of their own values, skills and motivations arising from their placement experience
· Evaluate the fit of their own personal values to the culture and working environment of their placement employer’s organisation
• Identify their impact on the placement organisation through a critical analysis of their individual role and the tangible outcomes of their work
• Confidently reflect on specific experiences obtained over the course of their placement
• Articulate the value and utility of any transferable skills they feel their degree studies have provided in a work context
Students will be expected to demonstrate these learning outcomes on a formative basis through completion of monthly entries into an online reflective blogs and on a summative basis through a written, 3000 word reflective report.
In addition, there will be a requirement for the student to meet with their Placement Supervisor at least once during their placement.
Assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Reflective Report |
N/A | 100 |
Special assessment rules
Pass/fail
Reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Reflective Report |
N/A | 100 |
Module feedback
Feedback will be provided for the reflective learning blogs by mid May to allow time for the student to incorporate this into their report. Feedback will also be provided on the reflective reports and all feedback will be provided via the VLE.
Indicative reading
N/A