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Vocational Placement Student Guide

Vocational placement is to provide a student with the opportunity to undertake practical training and to gain the experience required to enable them to demonstrate competency against the outcomes of a nationally recognised qualification.

Students are required to complete placement in an acceptable workplace to ascertain competence. An acceptable workplace must have available the necessary resources, facilities, equipment and the range of work required to complete the tasks as outlined in the Vocational Placement assessment/s.

Vocational Placement Requirements

Unless a student is currently working or volunteering, it is anticipated that students will not begin a vocational placement until after the first unit of study has been completed. This allows:

• Opportunity for Police and/or Working with Children checks to be completed

• Students to gain underpinning knowledge and appropriate workplace behaviours prior to placement in the sector they are studying.

Students will only be covered by Strategix’ insurance arrangements while conducting activities on voluntary placement, during the hours as agreed upon by the host and student. Insurance coverage will take effect after Strategix has received the signed agreement. Employed students will fall under the insurances of their employer.

Responsibilities and Obligations

Student’s responsibilities

Student’s responsibilities prior to vocational placement:

• Find a host willing and able to provide information provided below (Host responsibilities)

• Ensure vocational placement is voluntary (unless currently employed in the industry)

• Complete, sign and return the vocational placement Agreement prior to commencement.

Student’s responsibilities during vocational placement:

• Do not hinder or disrupt the operations of the host during visit/s

• Understand and observe the hosts privacy and be respectful of their operations and regulations

• Comply with and uphold the Strategix Training Group rules, regulations and ethics

• Complete activities in a timely manner

• Book and report all visits and activities to the ‘supervisor’ at the host location

• Ensure the trainer is also informed of all visits and activities

• Record your attendance and have supervisor verify

• If required, provide summary of changes, recommendations, findings to employers for their use (this is an activity, hosts do not need to implement any changes or recommendations you may have suggested)

• Ensure all relevant sections of the Vocational Placement assessment/s are completed.

Host responsibilities

Your host is responsible to ensure:

• They provide a safe environment for students to complete activities

• They provide an onsite mentor/supervisor

• The mentor/supervisor to sign off vocational placement assessment/s

• They provide information and assistance to the student to complete activities

• Provide the required activities as per the training package and Vocational Placement assessment/s.

Trainer/VP Coordinator responsibilities

Will:

• Ensure students have gained a vocational placement for the required Units of Competency

• Provide support to the employer and student as required.

Undertaking Vocational Placement

Step 1. Induction Day

On Induction day students are informed of vocational placement requirements including but not limited to:

• Requirements to have a current police check and/or working with children check

• Attendance requirements

• Time limitations to completing their vocational placement

• Host employer dress requirements

• Information on Vocational Placement Agreement forms

Step 2. Student Preparation

In order to prepare for vocational placement:

1. In the second week of your course Strategix will work with you to obtain a Police and/or Working with Children’s check (update Strategix with its details when it comes through)

2. The student must secure a location to complete their placement (Appendix 1)

3. Ensure the Vocational Placement Agreement is signed and returned prior to commencement of vocational placement

4. Provide your host with a copy of your Police and/or working with children check (where required)

5. The trainer will go through the Vocational Placement assessment requirements

6. After the Vocational Placement Agreement form has been signed by the host and returned to the trainer you will *receive your Vocational Placement Assessment/s.

*Individual Support only:

Individual Support students must complete instruction in manual handling covered in the WHS unit and on the practical days. Failure to attend both of these days may mean the student cannot attend vocational placement on the scheduled date.

If the Vocational Placement Agreement is not completed before commencing vocational placement, your work completed prior to receiving the agreement will not be recognised and you will not be covered under Strategix insurance cover in the event of a workplace accident.

Understand that the placement of students in vocational placement is at the trainer’s discretion. The trainer may postpone student’s vocational placement if they feel the student does not have the necessary foundational knowledge and skills to complete this successfully

Step 3. Attending and completing vocational placement

During placement the following must:

• Attend vocational placement during the dates scheduled for this course

• Ensure the following is completed in your Vocational Placement Record Book:

  • Student Instructions

  • Attendance Record

  • Declaration/s

  • Task Logs / Projects

• Follow all obligations set out by Strategix and the host (code of conduct etc.)

• Complete vocational placement within 10 weeks of the last class date or they may be withdrawn from the class (unless negotiated with and approved by Strategix management)

After you have completed the required number of vocational placement hours and all tasks/projects are completed, you are unable to obtain competency for your subjects.

Appendix 1.

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Tips for obtaining a location for vocational placement

Finding and securing a place to complete your vocational placement will be a whole lot easier when the following is applied to your efforts:

Start early

Start looking for a vocational placement early. It is recommend that you don’t leave it any later than 6 weeks (even this may be a stretch to get in the door for some locations). Other students from other organisations are also looking for placement and some may be booked many months in advance.

Get help

Ask your family, partner and/or friends who work within the community sector if their workplace takes students for vocational placement

Treat it like a job interview

• Prepare a resume titled Vocational Placement Request (unpaid)

• Include a letter with your resume (we have a letter template which you can use)

• Dress smart

• Go to the organisation of interest to you, don’t phone

• Request to see the manager/supervisor.

If you don’t hear back, go back and follow up. Ask if they have had time to review and contemplate about your request and if it is somewhere you really want to be, leave another copy of your resume.

What to say and do

When meeting with the manager/supervisor at the organisation of interest explain and outline the following:

• You are a fulltime student and require a vocational placement to complete your studies

• You are a volunteer, so no wages or employment contracts or the like are required

• Strategix provides all insurance (Liability, Workers Insurance and Public Indemnity)

• The mentor will be required to sign off on attendance throughout the course and check of the tasks/projects completed by you

• Information/processes which you may be exposed to, collect or collate as part of your placement will be and is kept confidential and will not be used inappropriately or released to unauthorised parties.

If you get limited hours you can still complete your placement, it may take a little longer to complete. Sometimes if you are doing real well they can look at increasing your hours.

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Internal information

Policy:

This procedure sets out the way in which Strategix will manage Vocational Placement (VP) requirements of students who are studying online, on campus or in the workplace.

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VP requirements are identified within training packages by either the inclusion of the wording ‘must be assessed in the workplace’ or by mandated hour requirements listed in the assessment requirements for the course or subject/s. Refer to training.gov.au for minimum work hour’s requirement for specific training packages.

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Student Instructions

A quick guide for students is as below.

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A quick guide for trainers is as below, this sequence must be followed.

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Procedure:

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The course co-ordinator is to award the results as indicated in the VP book.

Contributor/s:

The following person/s were consulted and involved in the process of developing this document:

Standards Reference:

Glossary:

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Appendix A –

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VP Prerequisites

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