Department of Computer Science

Information for Employers

All of our undergraduate degree courses are highly technical in nature, with students studying programming, networking, database management, project management, amongst other technical components. These placement degree programmes incorporate a year in industry where the student can put into practise the skills learnt at University to further enhance those skills, alongside learning new skills. Typical placement roles include Software Engineering, Programming, Web Development and Design, Consultancy, Hardware and Software support, Information Technology, etc.

Salaries

Since students receive no form of grant whilst on placement, they require an appropriate salary from the organisation for which they work. In 2009/2010 the UK salaries ranged between £14,000 and £38,000 per annum (the average salary was £20,000). Salaries for London-based placements were in excess of £20,000 due to cost of living.

Timetable

Placements typically start in July/August of one year and last until the summer of the following year. They usually last for twelve months, but it is not uncommon for employers to ask the student to stay on an extra month or two. Recruitment for placements begins in September of the previous year. This is co-ordinated by the Industrial Placement Officer who oversees all applications and liaises with employers.

Induction and training

It is important that you give the student an induction to your organisation. This induction should include an overview of the whole company's organisation, use of various equipment they will be expected to use during their placement, and all Health and Safety policies. We issue the students with a simple Health and Safety checklist form which must be returned to us within one month of the student's start date. This is to satisfy the University Placements Health and Safety policy.  If it is at all possible to arrange a handover period between the previous placement student and the new placement student, then this is very helpful.

Accommodation

In general, students are responsible for finding their own accommodation, however any assistance that you can provide in finding this is obviously greatly appreciated.

Educational Aims

We would expect students to be given sufficient and stimulating work to fulfill these aims within the period of their placement. If you are unable to provide means for the student to fulfill these aims, we will terminate the placement. The educational aims of a placement are:

  • to develop in students the ability to evaluate, select and apply appropriate technologies in the comprehension, manipulation and development of complex systems;
  • to expose students to established and emerging theories, methods and technologies and challenging problems that take them towards the edge of current knowledge;
  • to develop critical, analytical and interpersonal skills that prepare students to become active professionals and contribute to the intellectual life of society;
  • to provide practical experience in an industrial or commercial environment applying knowledge and skills gained within their studies;
  • to develop personal skills, including communication skills (oral and written), planning and time management, problem solving and analytical skills, decision-making skills, and have gained confidence in their own ability to appraise new information critically and operate as a part of a team;
  • to have acquired an understanding of the general structure of an organisation and of the contribution of an individual to the aims and objectives of an organisation.

Employer's Liability

During the period of employment with you, we would expect the student to be treated as an employee, be paid the appropriate salary and be covered by Employer's Liability Insurance. Our Criteria for Integrated Undergraduate Sandwich Courses state that:

"Students working in industry, commerce or public service as part of an approved integrated sandwich course must regard themselves as employees of the host organisation and conform to its rules and disciplinary procedures. Host employers should accept students as employees for the purpose of insurance.

Universities generally accept no liability and provide no insurance cover for students who are injured or ill whilst on placement. Nor can they consider themselves liable for any act which students may perform on the employers' premises."

However, the latest legal advice is that the University does have "a duty of care" to ensure that students are placed in environments that are suitable and that conform to Health and Safety standards and are not hazardous. We would therefore expect employers to co-operate in any necessary completion of Health & Safety Questionnaires that may be sent to them by the University's Safety Officer and to ensure at the student's induction that the Health and Safety Policy was explained to them together with emergency procedures and other relevant information.

Contracts of Employment

All placement students must receive a contract of employment and a full job description. Like all employees, placement students are subject to the usual conditions of employment. Contracts of employment must detail the following in accordance with the Employment Rights Act 1996:

  • The names of the parties, i.e. employer and employee
  • The date when the employment began
  • Date on which employee's period of continuous employment began.(If the student worked during the summer and then took up a placement afterwards, the date of when they first began working with the company should be stated on the contract)
  • The scale, rate or method of calculating remuneration
  • The intervals at which remuneration is paid
  • Entitlement to holidays/holiday pay (placement students are entitled to a minimum of 4 weeks' annual leave, although this may include public/bank holidays)
  • The job title or brief description of the work the employee is employed to do
  • Place of work
  • Terms and conditions relating to sickness, including sick pay (placement students are entitled to statutory sick pay)
  • Pension and pension scheme details (this should be offered, although placement students would not be wise to participate)
  • Length of notice the employee is required to give and entitled to receive to terminate the contract (a minimum of one week's notice must be given prior to the end of contract date)
  • Period of contract, including an end date for fixed-term contracts
  • Collective agreements, if any (this may include agreements between the employer and unions or representatives)
  • Details relating to working outside the UK
  • Disciplinary rules and where these can be found (not applicable to employers with less than 20 employees)
  • The name of the person to whom an employee may take a grievance (not applicable to employers with less than 20 employees)

Health and Safety

The University is responsible for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practical, that students are aware of potential risks to their health and safety whilst on placement and take steps to avoid them as far as possible. This includes ensuring that the risk assessment undertaken by the company is up-to-date and that appropriate training and induction for placement students has taken place. Although the placement company has primary responsibility for its employees, among whom placement students are included, we retain an element of responsibility for the wellbeing of the students and for ensuring that the placement company has appropriate health and safety mechanisms in place.

The placement employer is responsible for ensuring that students are aware of the potential risks in the place of work and that the placement student has received relevant training, induction and supervision commensurate with the type of job and environment in which the student will be working.

 
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