Loughborough Student Placement Charter

The University must ensure that:

1. The learning outcomes are clearly identified, contribute to the overall aim of the programme, and are assessed appropriately.
2. Students are informed of their responsibilities, and are provided with appropriate and timely information, support and guidance throughout the placements process.
3. Host Organisations are provided with appropriate and timely information, support and guidance throughout the placement process.
4. Placement staff are appropriately trained, resourced and competent to fulfil their roles.
5. Policies and procedures for securing, monitoring, administering and reviewing placements are reviewed regularly and are up-to- date and effective.

The Schools must:

1. Guide students through the procedures set out in the University Health and Safety (H&S) Policy: Student Placements, and ensure suitable Health & Safety arrangements are in place, confirm the Host Organisation supplies the required information, and monitor and review the placement in accordance with the Health & Safety Policy.
2. Publish a module specification for the placement, setting out the aims and intended learning outcomes and the method of assessment.
3. Brief students on the structure, timing and method of assessment learning, and how the placement is integrated with the taught part of their programme.
4. Inform and support students about how to find and apply for placements, and other professional work experience options if they decide not to do a placement, utilising the Careers Network and signposting students to its services. School and Careers Network support includes but is not limited to CV and application advice, guidance, mock interviews along with access to resources and information technology systems.
5. If the placement is in Europe, liaise with the School/Departmental Exchange Coordinator and/or the Institutional Exchange Coordinator, to check if the student is eligible to receive Turing Scheme funding. 
6. Prepare students in sufficient time, before they go on placement. Including providing information about professional conduct. 
7. Inform students of their rights under the Equality Act 2010, including their entitlement under UK law not to be discriminated against in the work place and/or to request that the Host Organisation puts into place any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, and at any stage after the placement has commenced.
8. Check the placement presents appropriate learning opportunities at a ‘graduate-level’.
9. Help the student with any enquiries relating to insurance, referring if necessary to the University Insurance Team.
10. Ensure that initial and regular contact with the student is maintained on placement.
11. Ensure that a minimum of three placement meetings are undertaken for all placements, with a minimum of two meetings to be undertaken by a placement tutor and an additional one by either the tutor or administrative staff. All placement meetings can take place online, however the student must have the option to request an inperson meeting. The option for an inperson meeting must be clearly highlighted to all students. Where a student is working remotely any inperson meeting should be undertaken at a neutral venue wherever possible e.g. it would not be appropriate for a staff member to meet a student at their home.
12. Nominate an Academic Placement Supervisor who will act as a tutor to their placement students and:
    1. Check during placement meetings that the student does not have any concerns about their health, safety or welfare.
    2. Complete a placement meeting report to record and evidence that the meeting has taken place, the necessary checks have been carried out and any follow up actions are noted and actioned.
    3. Provide academic supervision and undertake the assessment of the placement in collaboration, where appropriate, with the External Tutor/Line Manager at the Host Organisation.
13. Record and/or upload any placement related activities and documents onto Co-Tutor. These include (but are not limited to):
    1. Contact with the student and/or the Placement Host.
    2. Attendance and/or participation in Health & Safety and placement preparation activities.
    3. Health & Safety and risk assessment procedures outlined in the University Health & Safety Policy: Student Placements.
    4. Placement meeting reports.
    5. Placement assignments and reports submitted by the student and/or the Placement Host.
14. Provide the student and the Placement Host with details of an appropriate contact at Loughborough University in the event of an emergency, as well as contact details for non-urgent enquiries.
15. Notify international students and their Placement Host of the procedures for reporting to Loughborough University, so that the University can fulfil its reporting obligations to UK Visas and Immigration.
16. Respond promptly to enquiries from placement students.
17. Utilise (where appropriate) the support and expertise provided by colleagues in Professional Services and/or signpost students to Departments such as the Counselling and Disability Service, the Student Advice and Support Service, the Careers Network, Student Enquiries and Insurance Support.
18. Advise the student of alternative courses of action, in the event of withdrawing from a placement or the placement being terminated due to circumstances beyond their control.
19. Inform the Placement Host if the student’s studies are terminated or suspended.
20. Mark assignments in a timely manner and inform students of their Diploma in Professional Studies/Diploma in Industrial Studies pass/fail mark as soon as possible.
21. Provide an evaluation of placement activity at the Annual Programme Review.

All parties are expected to maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality regarding personal and/or professional information, recognising that the Host Organisation must take all reasonable measures in protecting its own information. To that end, the Host Organisation will work with the Placement Student to remove, disguise, anonymise and protect any commercially sensitive or confidential information in any submissions made to the University, while ensuring no detriment to the conclusions drawn in the submissions. The University will only enter into confidentiality agreements in exceptional circumstances.

A placement student is defined as an Undergraduate student who undertakes a placement or other form of Work Based Learning experience as part of their programme of studies.

Placement students must:

1. Follow the procedures set out in the University Health & Safety Policy: Student Placements.
2. Purchase (at a reasonable cost to themselves) any additional insurance required to cover the placement, in the event that a Placement Host does not have adequate Placement Hosts’ Liability insurance in place.
3. Attend pre-placement briefings and/or participate in any preparation activities as required by the School. Including but not limited to; preparing a CV, attending placement talks/meetings/presentations, attending timetabled and non-time- tabled Placement Fairs, Health & Safety Briefings and reading resources.
4. Proactively engage with the process of finding and applying for suitable placement opportunities, accessing support from Loughborough University if required.
5. Promptly inform the School on acceptance of an offer from a Host Organisation.
6. Abide by the rules and regulations regarding Health & Safety and other working practices and procedures of the Host Organisation.
7. Report any Health & Safety concerns either before or during the placement (which have not been addressed by their Host Organisation) to the School.
8. Contact the School at the earliest opportunity if any significant matters arise during the placement, including any areas of concern relating to their welfare and safety, well-being, and any other placement or academic related matter.
9. Contact the School if their contact details change or any other circumstances of their placement changes, such as site and/or duties.
10. Monitor their student e-mail and respond promptly to any enquiries from their School.
11. Conduct themselves in a responsible and professional manner when liaising with Host Organisations.
12. Give due consideration to informing their Host Organisation of any change in circumstances, student registration or if they expect to resit their exams during the Special Assessment Period (SAP) and need to take some time off work.
13. If during the recruitment process the Host Organisation has specified that marks must be achieved above a certain threshold in individual modules and/or a degree classification achieved at the end of Part A and/or Part B, and/or Part C (if applicable), students should inform their Placement Hosts if they have failed to attain these. Students will be afforded the opportunity to provide evidence to prove if there have been mitigating circumstances leading to them not attaining such a grade.

All parties are expected to maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality regarding personal and/or professional information, recognising that the Host Organisation must take all reasonable measures in protecting its own information. To that end, the Host Organisation will work with the Placement Student to remove, disguise, anonymise and protect any commercially sensitive or confidential information in any submissions made to the University, while ensuring no detriment to the conclusions drawn in the submissions. The University will only enter into confidentiality agreements in exceptional circumstances.

The Host Organisation is a third party, who during the placement has direct supervision of the student. Note that if Loughborough University provides the placement as an Placement Host, it will be the Host Organisation.

Host Organisations in the UK are subject to UK legislation and have the primary duty to ensure the Health & Safety of the placement student engaged in placement activities.

All Students on placement should be treated as employees of the Host Organisation for the purposes of ensuring Health & Safety.

The Host Organisation must engage with Loughborough University procedures to:

1. Confirm:
   1. That suitable Health & Safety arrangements, policies, procedures and risk assessments are in place and that they accept their duty of care towards the student during their placement.
   2. They have Placement Hosts’ and/or Public Liability insurances in place (or the equivalent thereof if the placement is not located in the UK), and that the student and/or member of Loughborough University staff is deemed to be an employee for the purposes of those insurance policies.
2. Provide any additional Health & Safety, risk assessment and insurance information requested by Loughborough University.
3. Nominate an appropriately trained, resourced and competent member of staff to act as the ‘Placement Supervisor’ to the placement student.
4. Provide the student with a full and clear induction to the organisation (preferably on the first day and within 14 days) and its working practices, regulations and policies, including Health & Safety arrangements, appropriate risk assessments, fire precautions, emergency evacuation procedures, how to report accidents, incidents and unsafe conditions.
5. Provide the student with an appropriate working environment and necessary equipment to carry out their job.
6. Facilitate placement meetings with the student by Loughborough University staff.
7. Inform Loughborough University/School of any significant placement related matters which may arise, such as an accident or incident at work, and/or any unauthorised absence.
8. If during the recruitment process the Host Organisation has specified that student marks must be above a certain threshold in individual modules and/or a degree classification achieved at the end of the year, and such a grade is not achieved, but the University has accepted that there were genuine mitigating circumstances, then host organisations are asked to also accept the deviation from the expected grade.

Host Organisations in the UK must uphold the duties of the Equality Act 2010 protecting any student with a protected characteristic from being discriminated against. All Host Organisations are expected to respect equality and diversity and be inclusive in their practice. This includes but is not limited to:

1. Making reasonable adjustments for disabled students; both physical and mental
2. Being sensitive to the needs of different faiths such as providing facilities for religious or spiritual worship.
3. Ensuring the working culture is inclusive of people from diverse backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Loughborough University reserves the right to withdraw placement opportunities if it determines that the Host Organisation is unable to meet the criteria above and therefore does not fulfil the requirements for an academic placement and appropriate safeguarding of the student.

All parties are expected to maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality regarding personal and/or professional information, recognising that the Host Organisation must take all reasonable measures in protecting its own information. To that end, the Host Organisation will work with the Placement Student to remove, disguise, anonymise and protect any commercially sensitive or confidential information in any submissions made to the University, while ensuring no detriment to the conclusions drawn in the submissions. The University will only enter into confidentiality agreements in exceptional circumstances.

Due to a responsibility of inclusion to all of its membership, the Students’ Union must:

1. Ensure that placement students can engage with the events of the year through the Placements, Alumni, Affiliates and Returners (PAAR) Rep system.
2. Represent placement students’ interests democratically and academically regardless of geographical location – this will also include confidential and non- judgemental support should an issue arise.
3. Make all placement students aware of events and changes on campus
4. Put systems in place to ensure that placement students feel comfortable and confident to return following the end of their placement year.

All parties are expected to maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality regarding personal and/or professional information, recognising that the Host Organisation must take all reasonable measures in protecting its own information. To that end, the Host Organisation will work with the Placement Student to remove, disguise, anonymise and protect any commercially sensitive or confidential information in any submissions made to the University, while ensuring no detriment to the conclusions drawn in the submissions. The University will only enter into confidentiality agreements in exceptional circumstances. through the use of targeted marketing.