Going on a placement abroad is a big deal.
We’ve been organising placements for over 10 years and we know just how important it is to provide structure and support for our learners before, during and after their mobility.
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“My confidence, as well as independence, has grown tremendously over the three week period living in Prague. Living with other students and having to manage essentials like budgeting gave me a taste of responsibility. I know that I wouldn’t have had that opportunity if I’d done work experience in the UK close to home.”
How we plan a placement
Designing our placements
We work closely with vocational providers and a network of international partners to identify sector specific placements. We want each placement to be unique and a real life experience for every learner.
That’s why we listen to our students to design placements which reflect their needs. We consider the relevance of the placement to their course and whether it’s sufficiently challenging. We also try to ensure that all our placements are engaging and give learners the opportunity to apply the skills they have learnt to a real world setting.
Support network
We know that things might come up during the placement that participants need help with. Most of our students are young and haven’t lived or travelled independently before, so this is a key consideration when designing our delivery model.
We want students to feel supported so they can push themselves further, increase their confidence and develop resilience. All while knowing there’s always support if they need it. That’s why students always travel to and from their placement with an accompanying person. This is usually a tutor or someone they’re familiar with. And we don’t just stop there. Once in country, our local partners provide pastoral support which means that students have access to a key point of contact 24/7. So whether they need help navigating local transport or simply want some additional support to deal with being in a new country, we've got this covered.
Recruiting participants
While we entrust our partners with the recruitment process, we provide guidance to our tutors to ensure that all students have an equal chance to participate and that selection is fair and transparent.
We also recognise that some of our students may not have travelled before and may need to be supported and encouraged to apply. The placement can also be a great opportunity for tutors to motivate and engage students in their vocational course.
Health & Safety
The safety of our students is our priority and we make sure that everyone we work with takes this seriously. We’re committed to ensuring their safety so all of our placements and accommodation facilities are fully risk assessed.
As well as having our own safeguarding policies, we also make sure that our partners have their own rigorous policies which prioritise the health and safety of our students. We work closely with each college to ensure that these are implemented at all times. Although safeguarding policies vary in different national contexts, we ensure that all our International partners understand and follow our safeguarding requirements.
Preparing successful applicants
Tutors prepare students by discussing the skills, knowledge and competencies they can acquire through the placement. Students are then matched to an opportunity that complements their CV and aspirations.
We support tutors to build placements which link to each student’s area of study and align the placement to specific learning outcomes or modules from their vocational course. We then deliver a pre-departure training which introduces participants to their placement and gives them a flavour of the local context. Real life scenarios are used to prepare them for cross cultural working and help them identify the key life skills they’ll need to develop, such as learning to budget and living independently.
After the placement
Once the placement comes to an end, we celebrate the achievements of our students! We also touch base with all our participants to find out what went well and if anything could have been improved.
This helps us understand the impact our placements are having on young people and also improves our ability to provide placements that are life-changing.
Host Countries
We have a network of partners who are able to offer structured work placements to vocational students. All placements and accommodation facilities are fully risk assessed, and learners have access to 24 hour support as well as accompanying staff whilst they’re in country.
