Work Experience Placements - Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I consider offering a placement?
Offering a student the opportunity to work at your organisation allows you to work in partnership with Coventry University.
You will have a student dedicated to undertaking a workplace project for you. The student is not part of your usual staffing levels and can therefore work on a project where allocating time with current resources could be a challenge.
The placement should be relevant to issues within your organisation so that the student’s project can impact on your organisation in a positive and meaningful way.
Students will have completed a competitive selection process before joining the University and will be committed to making the placement work.
How long is a placement?
Anywhere from two-three months during the summer break to a full academic year. Students could work with you full-time during the summer or when undertaking a “sandwich” placement. On other occasions they may be able to come for one or two days a week throughout their placement.
Can I have more than one student?
Yes. If you have a need for a number of students to work in a number of different departments and on a number of different projects you may take several students at one time. There are no limits.
What sort of project would the student work on?
The project should centre on a core activity in your organisation. Typical projects might include:
- Designing websites
- Research and development of new products
- Setting up IT systems
- Analysing manufacturing methods
- Environmental audits
How much should I pay the student?
Employers would normally be expected to pay the student at least the National Minimum Wage, although some employers opt to pay more. Paying a student will normally lead to more applications arriving afterwards but as previously mentioned some projects lend themselves more to students doing voluntary placements.
What about intellectual property and confidentiality?
Copyright, design rights and all IPR-related elements produced for your company by the student during their placement will belong to your company.
Employers can ask students to sign a confidentiality agreement before starting their placement if required.
Can I interview applicants?
The University can undertake screening and selection on behalf of the employer or the employer can choose to interview the students following an initial screening process in order to make a selection.
How do I apply?
In the first instance, you will need to contact the Employer Liaison Team at the following email address: careers.ss@coventry.ac.uk. An adviser will contact you to discuss it further, where appropriate.
Once a project and a timescale have been agreed, the opportunity will be advertised to students and applicants will be screened for suitability. A shortlist of students will then be drawn up: employers can then choose to interview these students themselves and make a final decision or the University can recommend the most suitable student for the project.
Once the student has started a placement, an adviser will contact you to go over any questions you or the student may have.
What is expected of me?
The University expects employers to provide the students with the necessary training and equipment to undertake the project. We also ask that, if the student is to be based on the employer’s premises, they are given an induction including all necessary health and safety information.
You would be expected to alert the University if there were any issues arising from the placement that the university needed to be aware of.
What is expected of the students?
The University expects the students to conduct themselves in a professional manner whilst working for the employer and to undertake the agreed project identified by them.
Contact:
For more information contact careers.ss@coventry.ac.uk or call our placement adviser at 024 7615 2032.