This module provides the opportunity for you to gain experience working with recognised graduate-employing organisations.

In this module you will:
- find and secure work placement opportunities through a guided process of research, inquiry, networking and negotiation, utilising a range of resources including contacts, tutors, past placements, Careers Service and JobShop;

- undertake the equivalent of a three-week full-time individual work placement, as detailed in the Learning Strategies section below.

Tutor-led whole-class plenary sessions [18 hours] for guidance and support with finding and securing a work placement;

Mandatory submission of work placement applications via a procedure stipulated by the module leader (all applications to be quality reviewed by the module leader or a designated person before transmission to employers);

Mandatory final whole-class briefing [2 hours] on Health & Safety (by Faculty Health & Safety Adviser or a designated person) and conduct & assessment of the work placement (by the module leader or a designated person);

A three-week full-time usually unpaid individual work placement [120 hours], normally with a recognised graduate-employing organisation, comprising work at or near graduate level and/or part of an established undergraduate
work placement training programme or graduate training scheme, usually but not necessarily science or science-related, and normally three continuous weeks at the end of level 2 (usually in May/June). [Note that all work placements are subject to academic approval by the module leader or a designated person, and to Health & Safety approval by the Faculty Health & Safety Adviser or a designated person]

Students will not be allowed to formally register on this module unless they have attended the legally required final briefing, and submit three or more work placement applications of acceptable quality before the end of semester 4 (the latter is waived where an application is accepted by an employer and approved academically and for Health & Safety).

Students cannot combine this module with any other work placement or work experience module.

i. details and evaluations of past work placements over several years;

ii. the Careers Service and its Advisers;

iii. the JobShop (based in the Careers Service).

iv. The Student Union volunteer service

Archive of details and evaluations of past work placements over several years, kept in the Sciences Learning Resource Centre.

Written and oral suggestions and comments from tutors, to be generated via the support sessions.

Students will be required to complete 1 piece of summative assessment.

2000-word work placement report that identifies and critically reflects upon the key (transferable) and other skills developed, the direct experiential learning acquired, how biological knowledge and understanding relates to the placement. The report needs to indicate the contribution to career development of the work placement undertaken, and needs to include a completed CV.

Students will be provided with formative assessment and feedback via

Group discussion based on exemplars of previous students work
Tutor comments on draft work.