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Postgraduate Placement Year

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The Postgraduate Placement Year Courses

These courses all include a placement year, during the second year of the course, where you work within your chosen industry sector:

How the placement works

  • The length of the placement depends on the Masters course you are studying.  Some courses require placements of between 6 and 12 months in duration, while others require placements to be a full 12 months.  Please contact your Course Leader for information.
  • Irrespective of the course requirements around placement duration, you will study a work-based learning module alongside your placement and you will submit your final assessment on your Course End date.  The module depends on the Masters course you are studying and details of which can be found on your course award map.
  • You will be allocated a Personal Academic Supervisor who will support you throughout your placement year.  That person will directly supervise you as you progress through your academic module and is typically the person who marks your assessments.
  • You will remain an enrolled student throughout your placement year, allowing you to continue to access UON student support services.
  • Students who hold a student route visa are eligible to undertake a course with a placement year, but additional checks are required by the University.

Why undertake a placement year?

  • Gain industry experience and develop your transferrable skills.
  • Build industry networks.
  • Apply the theory from your Masters to real-world situations.
  • It helps you to make well-informed decisions about your future career by providing you with real employment experience in a protected environment.

Support for applying for a placement

Whilst it is your responsibility to find and secure your placement there is a range of support available:

  • In the first semester of your Masters course you will be required to undertake a module to prepare you for the placement year. This includes information on the job market, applying for jobs and where to get support and help.   You are required to pass this module to undertake the placement year.
  • You can book a 1-2-1 employability appointment with one of our Careers Coaches for application support and where to look for sector specific placements.
  • You can search for placement vacancies on Student Futures Jobs Board for UON students.

Employer Organisation Criteria

When you are looking for jobs that may be suitable for the placement year, here is the criteria you need to consider:

  • Employment contract is fixed term, meeting the minimum requirements of your course
  • The contracted work is for between 35 and 48 hours per week
  • You are paid at a rate that meets the UK National minimum wage legislation or equivalent if you relocate out of the UK.
  • The company needs to employ more than 5 employees
  • The company needs to have been trading for a minimum of 2 years
  • Your role allows you to spend at least 40% on-site in the workplace and cannot be solely working from home (‘remote’ working).
  • The placement can be undertaken within the UK or abroad as long as 40% of your work is on-site in the workplace.  This will involve your relocation outside of the UK.
  • For students holding a student route visa, if the employment is based abroad this will impact on the sponsorship arrangements for your visa.  More information can be gained from ICS@northampton.ac.uk

Please note that students holding a student route visa are not permitted to fill a full-time permanent vacancy while holding that visa.
Although the job itself does not need to have the word “placement” or “intern” in the title, it is preferable that students seek out specific roles designed for students because they will have development opportunities and sufficient support.  In all cases, it must be clear that the job is designed to be fixed term.

Placement approval

All placements have to be approved by the University as suitable to meet the requirements of your course.

For students who hold a student route visa, additional checks are also required to ensure the University is meeting its SRV sponsor obligations.

The deadline for submitting information to the University of the details of your placement depends on your course – and will be provided to you during the first year of your course.  However, it is typically at least 3 months before the start date of your placement.  There are no extensions to placement document deadlines.

Next steps

Contact Student Futures to arrange your employability appointment.

For students enrolled on courses within the Faculty of Business and Law:

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