If you are aged 16-19 years old and undertaking a Level 3 vocational course at Sparsholt College then you will undertake a compulsory industry placement as an integral part of your study programme with us.
Some of the key benefits when undertaking an industry placement alongside your studies, includes:
Who completes an industry placement?
Students undertaking the following Level 3 full-time courses require participation on a compulsory industry placement:
The College will timetable one day per week into the College calendar for students to be able to attend their industry placement during term time. You may also be able to complete your placement hours using any non-college study days, weekends, out of term time and holiday periods. An attendance plan will be agreed with each student, employer or voluntary organisation at the start of the placement.
In line with Government policy regarding T-Level programmes, students will complete an industry placement and achieve 350 hours activity with an employer or voluntary organisation in each year of their course with us.
Sparsholt & Andover College endorse Industry Placements for all young people studying a technical or vocational qualification. They play a key role in developing students’ technical and employability skills linked to students’ studies and help direct their career aspirations and future employment pathways.
The typical hours of a work placement day would be 8 hours including a 1 hour lunch.
Our Industry Placement team have put together a resource and guidance pack to help applicants and students source their own Industry Placements which can be viewed here.
Please be sure to also complete our Profile Form send it to the Industry Placement team on ip@sparsholt.ac.uk
The Industry Placement team have also produced a list of current and previous organisations that have supported students with industry placements, should you be struggling to identifying the type of organisation that you would like to work with or contact. It is worth looking at this list for ideas of who to contact to secure your placement but bear in mind this is not an exhaustive list. In the first instance, we would expect you to utilise online search engines – e.g. Google, etc. to identify organisations in your travel to work area that you would want to work with for your industry placement, and then contact these directly. This can be viewed here.
GroFar
Grofar is the software the college uses to manage industry placements and track your progress. You have access to Grofar and are provided with an online logbook via the Grofar Student Portal for recording your industry placement electronically. Use the Student Portal to keep a record of your hours worked, experiences and skills development towards the targets of your industry placement. This is yours to keep and a great record to show to potential employers when applying for jobs after college.
Grofar works on any device: smartphone, computer or tablet. To easily access Grofar on your device, add the Grofar homepage to your Home Screen. You gain access to the Grofar Student Portal using your college Microsoft login details.
We already work with a fantastic range of employers and voluntary organisations who have been offering industry placements to our students. Despite the challenges with the Coronavirus pandemic, many are getting ready to offer placements across our vocational areas once more. We have some great case studies with previous and current students that demonstrate the real benefits of getting involved. Our Industry Placement team will be able to support and guide you through the process from the start and can help you secure the right employer or voluntary organisation to suit your needs.
No doubt you will have some questions about the industry placement programme and so we’ve put together some common questions and answers to help you.
Is it compulsory to participate in an Industry Placement?
If you are in the government target group, then it is now a compulsory College requirement to participate in an Industry Placement for this next academic year. If you feel you have significant mitigating circumstances that could prevent you from participating, then please contact the Industry Placement team to discuss this further
Can I use an existing employer or voluntary organisation that I am involved with, as my Industry Placement?
If the employer or voluntary organisation is working in a similar industry or sector to your main programme of study, then this is possible, yes.
I participated in an Industry Placement this last academic year. Do I still have to complete a placement this academic year?
Yes. All students in the government target group are required to complete an Industry Placement.
I participated in an Industry Placement this last academic year. Can I use the same employer or voluntary organisation as my placement for this academic year?
Yes. The Industry Placement team would chat to your employer/ supervisor to agree more challenging learning objectives for this next year to help develop your employability skills further.
Is there any financial help that the College can provide me if I participate in an Industry Placement?
The College have provided financial support to students in the last academic regarding their Industry Placement, where they met certain financial criteria. If you feel this is a significant barrier to you engaging with a placement, then please get in touch with the Industry Placement team to discuss this further.
I am 19-24 years of age and have a current Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP). Do I have to participate in an Industry Placement this year?
The College would strongly encourage you to participate and the Industry Placement team, along with your Progress Coach and Learning Support staff, would provide support to find a suitable placement opportunity to meet your personal and employability needs. Please get in touch to discuss this further.
Can I source my own Industry Placement?
Yes. The Industry Placement team would need to verify with the employer or voluntary organisation that it would be relevant to your main programme of study, and that it was a safe environment to complete your Industry Placement.
I don’t have an employer or voluntary organisation in mind for my Industry Placement. Where do I start, and what help can I get?
The Industry Placement team have a bank of student resources that can be used by you to gain confidence in approaching the right employers and voluntary organisations for a potential Industry Placement. We also have some current and new employers and voluntary organisations that are happy to support an Industry Placement for this academic year. Get in touch with the Industry Placement team, and we can help you.
Can I use multiple placements across a number of employers and voluntary organisations to complete my Industry Placement this year?
You can have up to a maximum of two employers or voluntary organisations that will help you complete your Industry Placement hours. This gives you a chance to test out several career pathways in line with your study programme or different types of employers in the same pathway or environment.
Do I have to use the 1-day a week timetabled into College term times to complete my Industry Placement?
Every student will be encouraged to use this timetabled day for attendance at their Industry Placement. However, there is opportunity to ‘swap’ your timetabled placement day for a study day or a day(s) on the weekend where you can still attend placement while keeping up to date with your college work and other commitments.
I live on campus during College term time. Do I have to attend a placement each week?
If you do not have an existing employer or voluntary organisation that you work with local to the College, then you will need to work with the Industry Placement team to find something suitable for next academic year.
If you have a relevant employer or voluntary organisation that you work with outside of College term times and possibly back near to your home area, it is possible to use this as your Industry Placement. You will need to ensure you can meet the 350 hours required on placement and agree planned attendance hours with the Industry Placement team in advance of your placement start. It is also possible to combine these options to complete your total placement hours.
Visit our Open Days or speak to our friendly Industry Placements team:
Call 01962 797415 or email ip@sparsholt.ac.uk
We also offer Industry Placements at our sister campus, Andover College.