How to Align Work Placement Expectations? 

One of the key factors for a successful work placement is communicating in advance on what the expectations are.   It is natural for all the parties involved to start a work placement from their own initial situation. That’s why it is important not to skip this step.  A study programme has set out a number of objectives, the work placement providers have their own corporate culture and expectations, the students have their own personality, expectations, experience and goals, …

 

Steps at the level of the study programme:  

The Work Placement Co-ordinator

• determines the expectations for the work placement as precisely as possible in the work placement manual and makes sure that this manual reaches the students.
• may organise an introductory class for all the students on general work placement expectations by the study programme. may during that class secure the presence of senior students who have already done a work placement, and ask them to give practical tips and tricks.  specific testimonials or finished work placement products are a good way to visualise the link between study programme expectations and the expectations of work placement providers. 

The Work Placement Supervisor

• may invite individual students for an introductory interview.  During this interview, the supervisor specifies the work placement expectations, makes practical arrangements (working hours, leave, insurance, ...), and explains content-related aspects such as the work placement objectives, the learning opportunities to reach those objectives, and the student’s as well as the supervisor’s range of duties, ... .
  Please note that practical arrangements are also laid down in the  work placement agreement.

• may also discuss the student’s expectations vis-à-vis the work placement (e.g. specific objectives the student wants to focus on). Conversely, the work placement provider may also have specific expectations vis-à-vis the students. If you or the student have a clear overview of those, you can discuss these, too.

What Happens during an Introductory Interview on the Work Placement?  

A possible script goes as follows:  

• introduce yourself; 
• explain to the student how the work placement is situated within the study programme:
  • the type of work placement; 
  • the duration of the work placement;  
  • its place in the curriculum; 
  • the starting competencies/admission requirements for the work placement; 
  • the learning outcomes that have to be achieved;  
• gauge the student's expectations and possibly let them determine a number of objectives;

• if students go in search of a suitable work placement provider it is important to discuss what type of provider they are looking for and why;

• give the student all the practical documents;

• discuss the supervision activities and the assessment criteria;

• ask the student to draw up an activity plan which includes the objectives and the work placement activities/assignments;

• conclude the interview. Summarise the key points or ask the student to do so. If necessary, schedule a follow-up interview. 

   

How to Arrange Work Placement Supervision?

Tell the students what to expect from you in terms of work placement supervision: will you do on-site visits or not (this is not necessary per se if the communication between the student and the work placement mentor runs smoothly), how often you will give feedback, etc. For international work placements, you may want to schedule an additional consultation during the start-up phase. The general aspects of supervision are also included in the work placement manual.

The following factors will determine how much time supervision will take up:  

• the number of students under your supervision; 
• the number of individual sessions you hold and how long they last (for example: the introductory interview, the feedback interview, the assessment interview); 
• The number of observations (for example: how long does it take you to reach the work placement provider?);
• the duration of your observation (for example: do you plan a meeting with the mentor and the student afterwards, and if so, how long does that take?); 
• what supervising activities (for example: supervision, intervision) will you organise and how labour-intensive are they?