The
Code of Practice for With Industrial
Experience (WIE) Programmes
An essential element of
4-year BScWIE and MEngWIE programmes
is a formally assessed year in industry in year 3 of the programme. This
document outlines the aims and objectives of the scheme, requirements for
acceptance, selection criteria and an abridged version of arrangements,
requirements and assessment of the Industrial Placement year.
To provide a full year of practical working
experience in an appropriate industrial organisation, including experience of
the application of principles studied, acquisition or enhancement of practical
and inter-personal skills, general understanding of the requirements of
industry and promotion of independence and self-confidence.
The MEngWIE
syllabus also includes a formal taught module introducing a basic appreciation
of financial accounting in commercial organisations and an in-depth scientific
dissertation of Masters standard. The detailed
learning outcomes can be found in Appendix 2 to this document.
BENEFITS OF A PLACEMENT
There are many benefits to spending a year in Industry, including:
·
an opportunity to put their learning into action in the workplace
·
better motivation (and frequently better results) in the final year
·
an opportunity to earn some money! (typical
salaries range from £12-17k)
·
a focus for career direction
·
an opportunity to conduct project-work or other relevant activity targeted
towards a successful commercial goal
·
an opportunity to network with key personnel within one or more major
companies
·
help when applying for work after graduation as the student already has
relevant experience on their CV
Being on a placement also helps you develop attributes that will be beneficial
to your studies and your career, such as responsibility, flexibility,
communication skills and initiative.
HOW TO GET A PLACE ON
THE WIE SCHEME
1.
WIE programmes are open to all students subject to non-EU nationals
obtaining the necessary Home Office clearance.
2.
All students on undergraduate programmes in the
3.
Students should normally have satisfied the Examiners in first and
second year examinations without reworks or resits
and have demonstrated commitment by an attendance record at lectures,
laboratories and tutorials of >95%.
4.
In addition to point 2:
(i)
students registering/ed for MEngWIE
must achieve an overall average of 55% or greater in the second year
examinations to proceed with the programme. A second year assessment of >50
and <55% will result in transfer to the BScWIE
degree and <50% will result in withdrawal from the scheme.
(ii)
students registered for BScWIE
must achieve a second year assessment of >50% to proceed. <50% normally
results in automatic withdrawal from the WIE scheme.
(iii)
students registered on non-WIE BSc (Hons) programmes may transfer on to the WIE version of the
programmes once an appropriate placement has been agreed and subject to
satisfying the relevant assessment requirements.
5.
All students wishing to be considered for the WIE scheme must apply for
selection at the start of the second year (whether registered at that stage or
not) in accordance with notification given at the start of the second year and
as covered in the assessment guidelines below.
6.
In order to assist in selecting suitable
candidates, the student will be required to prepare a CV and write an essay
(~500 words) on the reasons for seeking industrial placement and three possible
areas of work/companies that are of personal interest, and submit this with a
CV to the appropriate Industrial Liaison Coordinator (ILC) prior to the
interview. The panel will use these documents – which must be submitted by the end of week 6 in year
2 – to
assess communication skills.
7.
Interviews for the MEng WIE programmes will normally be
conducted in week 6 (or consolidation week) of year 2. The student will be
formally interviewed by the Industrial Placement Selection Panel comprising
three academic staff members from: the student's personal tutor; Programme
Director; Undergraduate Admissions Tutor; and the ILC.
The
panel will assess the suitability of the student for industrial placement on
the basis of examination results, essay and CV (see 5 above), communication
skills, commitment and attendance. Possible outcomes are:
(i)
Proceed unconditionally – where all selection elements have been
clearly achieved;
(ii)
Proceed conditionally – subject to achieving certain specified
conditions (notified in writing) by a specified deadline;
(iii)
Defer – decision deferred to a further formal interview in mid-February
subject to achieving specified conditions (notified in writing);
(iv)
Reject application – on the basis of poor performance or if it is
considered that the academic interests of the student are likely to be
jeopardised by interrupting their formal academic studies.
All
decisions will be referred to the Head of Department for ratification.
8.
Students on BSc programmes who wish to go on placement must complete a
programme transfer form. Approval to transfer to the WIE version of a programme
will be given at the June Board of Examiners’ meeting if students meet relevant
progression criteria. (see Appendix 5)
1. Under normal circumstances students
registered for the 3-year BSc or the 4-year MEng (non_WIE) programmes may arrange transfer to WIE programmes
in the 1st semester of their 2nd year, subject to:
(i)
successfully negotiating the selection procedure
(ii)
completing a transfer request form
(iii)
BSc registered students arranging and obtaining
written confirmation of funding extension for the 4 year WIE programme with
their LEA (or other funding body) during the first semester of the Second Year;
The Director of Undergraduate Studies will assist in this matter.
2. It is the responsibility of those
students registered for programmes with Industrial Experience who do not
satisfy the selection criteria or no longer wish to undertake a placement, to
arrange change of registration and appropriate funding for the progammes without IE. A supporting letter can be provided by the appropriate
Programme Director who will also advise the student.
PREPARING
TO GO ON PLACEMENT
1.
Students successfully completing the selection
procedure are expected to apply for industrial placements to companies of their
choice (a minimum of 10 applications is suggested). Information and databases
of potential companies are available from the relevant Blackboard unit, though
students should bear in mind that this is not exhaustive and direct approaches
to other companies are encouraged. Specific placement advertisements will be
posted on relevant notice boards (from which most placements are arranged) and
students seeking placement are advised to check these regularly. Students
should also register with the University’s Careers Service to receive placement
alerts. Once a student has applied to a company for a placement, the student
shouldn’t sit and wait for a reply. Students must be proactive and contact
companies to ask what is happening with their application.
Some placements, e.g.
biomedical-related and buying-related placements, are in limited supply.
Students may therefore need to be a little bit flexible in that they may not be
able to get a placement directly related to their programme of study.
2. All placements arranged by the student
her/himself (that are not from the
approved company database) require ratification by the School’s ILC.
Students should provide the ILC with the name of the company and full contact
details of the appropriate person to whom enquiries to enable the suitability
of the placement should be addressed.
3. The biggest and most prestigious of the
companies providing placements have early closing dates for the submission of
applications (October – December), but most of the activity – advertisements,
interviews, etc. normally takes place between March/April.
4.
It is the responsibility of the student to enquire
about possible moral or ethical conflicts at the interview so that these are
either resolved to the student’s satisfaction or result in polite termination
of the interview.
5.
All placement companies must be informed that
acceptance of a placement is subject to the student satisfying the Board of
Examiners with no reworks or resits in their second
year.
6. Once a placement has been accepted,
even verbally, no change in placement company is
permitted.
7. It is the responsibility of the student
to provide the Undergraduate Coordinator for Placement Students with the
following information in the period prior to and whilst on placement:
(i) progress with
placement applications
(ii)
family home address, telephone number and an
email address (if applicable)
(iii)
personal email address and mobile telephone
number
(iv)
Placement Company address, telephone and fax
numbers
(v)
local address and telephone number whilst on
placement
(iv)
names, positions, email
addresses, telephone and fax numbers of relevant industrial contacts and their
industrial supervisor.
This is done so by completing a Personal and
Placement Details Form (see Appendix 6).
Failure to communicate this information effectively may jeopardise WIE
status.
8.
MEngWIE students must attend the “Introduction to
Financial Accounting” course, held after the examination period in June, to
obtain the necessary background and skills to undertake the coursework whilst
on placement. See Appendix 19 for more information.
APPROVED PLACEMENT
CONDITIONS
1. Work content must be relevant to the programme.
MEngWIE placements must include at least one major
project.
2. Industrial placements will generally be
of 12 months duration but can last
between 9 – 13 months. Holidays in this placement period will be in
accordance with company practice.
3. Students on the Biomedical Materials
Science and Materials Science Engineering programmes must keep an accurate
daily log during the placement which meets the requirements of the IoM3
and other professional institutions. This must be submitted with the final
report.
4. It is possible for Biomedical Materials
Science and Materials Science Engineering students to satisfy a number of
credits towards professional membership of the IoM3 and CEng whilst
on placement. The student is strongly encouraged to keep a personal copy of
their log, placement reports and other relevant information (strictly subject
to disclosure and confidentiality agreements with the company) that may be put
forward at the time of application for IoM3 membership or CEng
registration.
THE PLACEMENT YEAR
1.
Throughout the period of the placement, and
particularly in the first few months, the student is encouraged to contact the
Industrial Liaison Co-ordinator or Undergraduate Coordinator for Placement
Students with any queries or concerns. In addition, an academic member of staff
with relevant experience will be allocated as academic mentor/advisor to the
student soon after receipt of the placement outline (see point 3). The academic
supervisor will be the main internal (University) assessor of placement
performance and available for technical (or personal) discussion.
2.
The ILC will make contact with the student and
the company representative within 4 to 6 weeks of the start of a placement to
ensure that:
(a) the
student:
(i)
has received necessary induction and training in
experimental procedures, protocols, health, safety and reporting requirements
(ii)
has finalised accommodation and financial
arrangements
(iii)
is completing the personal log to IoM3
requirements (NB: this standard applies to Biomedical Materials Science and
Materials Science and Engineering students only)
(iv)
has encountered no major problems and is
satisfied with the placement
(v)
recognises the importance of timely submission of
the placement outline
(see point 3)
(b) the
company:
(i)
is satisfied with punctuality, attendance and
inter-personal relationships
(ii)
is satisfied with progress and the manner in which
the student has settled in
(iii)
is clear on mutually acceptable mechanisms of overcoming
confidentiality issues
(c) the
School:
(i)
updates and completes all relevant details upon
receipt of the completed Personal and Placement Details form (Appendix 6)
(ii)
is assured that the student and company are mutually
satisfied
(iii)
is proactive in resolving any minor issues
(iv)
can ultimately recall the student from placement
if irreconcilable differences are apparent; in this unlikely event, the student
would return to the School for their 3rd year i.e. the final year of
BSc or the 3rd year of MEng, as
appropriate. In such a case a degree
“With Industrial Experience” will not be awarded.
3. Students must submit a single A4 page
single-spaced outline of their placement duties which includes a summary of
work content and project(s) as soon as is possible and by the end of September
at the latest.
4.
During the period October to December, the
academic mentor will normally visit the student on site to discuss progress
with industrial supervisor and student, provide initial assessment and feedback
on the placement log and assess a 15-minute presentation to be given by the
student on progress-to-date and future plans. Assessment of the presentation
(PowerPoint preferred) will be based on structure, delivery (clarity and flow),
content and quality of visual aids. See
Appendix 9 for information.
5.
A mid-placement report should be submitted to the
ILC by mid-December (students are advised to complete the write-up in
sufficient time to obtain release by the company who may require some
alterations for reasons of confidentiality). In all cases where the report
submitted is specifically covered by a confidentiality agreement, or is held to
be commercial in confidence by the company, EACH PAGE should be headed COMMERCIAL:
IN STRICT CONFIDENCE.
The report should be a detailed
and substantial write-up of work undertaken in standard academic scientific
format with any literature or other work referenced fully cited, i.e. abstract
(150-200 words); table of contents; introduction; work undertaken; reflection
and conclusions (including suggestions for further work); references; and
appendices (if appropriate).
For any experimental work
undertaken there should be full details of materials used, sample preparation,
experimental and testing procedures, results and discussion including the
significance of results, rational interpretation of the data and comparison
with the literature.
Guidance and information
regarding report writing, plagiarism, referencing etc. can be found on the
University’s website and via the relevant Blackboard unit. The report will be assessed by the academic
mentor/advisor. See Appendix 10 for
information on assessment.
6.
A mid-placement review will normally take place
on site in the period January to March at which the academic mentor/advisor
will require:
(i)
a private session (of the order of 20 minutes)
with the Industrial Supervisor to discuss student progress and obtain her/his
assessment of the student against specified personal, technical and
communication categories
(ii)
a private session with
the student to take up any specific points brought out in 6 (i) and to provide detailed feedback on the mid-placement
report; of particular importance is the highlighting of areas where and explanation
how areas where performance could be enhanced that would contribute to an
improved performance in the final report.
7.
The final
report and two copies of the log
book should be submitted over the University summer vacation period by a date
to be agreed with the supervisor (for MSE and BMS students this will normally
be by the end of June) and no later than the end of third week in September. In all cases where the report submitted is
specifically covered by secrecy agreement, or is held to be commercial in
confidence by the company, EACH PAGE should be headed COMMERCIAL: IN
STRICT CONFIDENCE. The log is assessed by the academic mentor/advisor.
Report assessment is by the academic mentor/advisor and another academic member
of staff with relevant experience in the general subject area. The final report
mark will be recorded as the arithmetic mean of the two marks provided they are
not separated by more than 5%. Where a discrepancy of more than 5% between the
two assessments is obtained, further measures include 3rd marking
and adjudication by a moderating panel consisting of 3 academic members of staff
who review general standard and consistency of marking of all final placement
reports. This panel also has the power to moderate other marks on a logical and
comparative basis.
8.
Upon return to the University for year 4 of the degree programme, students will be expected to
give a presentation summarising the activities of the company where the
placement was undertaken and the project described in the Final Report. If the project was subject to a
confidentiality agreement then the presentation must contain only
non-confidential material. Presentations
will be made to relevant programme-specific students and staff.
9.
In the case of students registered for MEngWIE,
the final report shall be of a detailed scientific and concentrated nature
concerning one (or more) of the projects undertaken during placement that
constitute approximately 40-50% of the time allocation of the placement. This
report must be of similar standard and content to that required for an MSc
dissertation.
10.
An objective detailed standard assessment of
personal, technical and inter-personal skills will be separately solicited from
the industrial supervisor.
11.
Students registered for:
(i)
MEngWIE students must
achieve a minimum placement assessment mark of 50%. If the placement assessment
is 40-49% the student will only be eligible to continue on the BScWIE programme and consequently will return to complete
the final year of the BSc programme. If the placement assessment is less than
40% the student will return to complete the final year on the BSc programme but
will only be eligible for the award of BSc (i.e. without the designation WIE).
(ii)
BScWIE students must
achieve a minimum placement assessment mark of 40%. If the placement assessment
is less than 40% the student will return to complete the final year of the BSc programme
and will only be eligible for the award of BSc (i.e. without the designation
WIE).
12.
During the early part of the 1st
semester on return from placement, the student will receive a full private debriefing by the ILC who
will discuss strengths and areas for improvement on the basis of all assessed
elements of the placement.
List of Appendices
Appendix 1 Key Contacts
Appendix 2 Learning Outcomes
Appendix 3 Transferring Programmes – transfer form
Appendix 4 Personal and Placement Details form
Appendix 5 Health and Safety form and information
Appendix 6 Industrial Placement Contract
Appendix 7 First Presentation Information
Appendix 8 Mid-Placement Assessment Information
Appendix 9 Final Report Assessment Information
Appendix 10 Final Presentation Assessment Information
Appendix 11 Key Points for Students
Appendix 12 Key Points for Academic Supervisors
Appendix 13 Key Points for Placement Company
Appendix 14 Tuition Fees for Placement Year Students
Appendix 15 Vacation Placements
Appendix 16 Placement Flowchart
Appendix 17 Financial Accounting Assessment
Information
Appendix 18 Assessment Breakdown
APPENDIX 1
KEY CONTACTS
For
further information about the operation of the placement scheme in the
Industrial Liaison Co-ordinators: Dr
M Preuss (Materials Science Centre)
michael.preuss@manchester.ac.uk
Mr
M Bailey (Textiles & Paper)
Undergraduate
Co-ordinator Ms. Philippa Lee, Room B1, Materials Science
for Placement Students: Centre, Tel.: 0161-306-5942, email: philippa.lee@manchester.ac.uk
Health and Safety Ivan Easdon,
School Senior Safety Advisor
Careers Service
The Careers Service
website can be found at
http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/careers/
The Careers
Service telephone number is 0161 275 2828.