Become a host organisation

Students on benefits of placement (networking, passion, confidence)

Student 1: the biggest benefit was really networking. I was able to gain some really valuable connections throughout the organization I was doing my placement with they have continued to keep in touch with me to help any further questions I've got for jobs as I search for a full time job now that I've finished the degree, they've shown me that there's a lot of jobs in the future that I can have greater confidence for because I've had the experience.

Student 2 : He told me what kind of environment that I would thrive in and where I would do my best work. So it really left me with a clear vision of the line of work I wanted to pursue, what kind of organizations that I could scope out as potential employers and what line of work I wanted to undertake when I finished my degree

Student 3: I got to meet new people who were all passionate about working with community and improving health and wellbeing as well as inclusion which I found really inspiring and I can aspire to be that I also got exposed to a new working environment which is different to the places I've worked in the past and I found that really beneficial.

Student 2: It did really highlight some of my weaknesses and strengths, which are really important to recognise when you're going out into the workforce. It's great to know what you're good at. But it's also even better to know what you're not good at. So if you want to play to your strengths where you know you're going to be best utilized where your skills align with any organization that that aligns with really helps you get the most out of your employment and be the best you can be for that organization utilizing your skills to your full advantage.

Student 1: I’ve got confidence in myself in my own capacity. It also shows on the resume that I've got the experience which helps that job search in the future

Student 2: [It] was an empowering experience. It was really good to know that I could do work that was asked me that wasn't schoolwork or university assignment D It was good to know that whatever was kind of put in front of me, whilst it could be a challenge was always something that I could overcome. So I felt like I hadn't really been tested at university in that sense, until I got two placements. So it was kind of that final hurdle that I had or final doubt that I had that was kind of alleviated once I'd finished placement and done that. So it was a really great catalyst that led me towards the end of my degree which almost felt like reward, something that I'd worked really hard for over the previous three years.

Student3: Placement made me more confident in my current skill set as well as more confident to try new skills and learn new things. Something that surprised me was how much I learned about governance and organizational structure. It's not something I've thought much about but it's really important and to understand it and be able to apply it.

Student 1: I've always been a student or a young person in a workforce that I'd never actually realized that people treated me differently or they even viewed myself differently. They just treated me as an adult that I had views and opinions that were worth hearing and that really changed what I was doing myself and how I interacted with everyone in the workforce.

Students on benefits of placement (transitioning to professional work, levelling up, job-ready experiences)

Student 1: One of the tasks I had was to call people and offer help or advice to follow up on a webinar that we'd run the idea of calling random people and offering help or providing information and doing all those kinds of things was something I'd never really enjoyed to do that and that really stood out to me whilst I was on placement. But now transitioning into professional work. It's one of the main duties of my role, something that I've kind of definitely come a long way with, which comes down to verbal communication, exposure to all sorts of different people and scenarios. And it has done enormously in the last three to four months since I've been working at this job.

Student 2: It also gave me more experience with funding and the money and thinking about that next level up rather than just what's on the ground. I question things about where the processes can be improved, rather than just accepting things that this is the way it is and how do we get there is readjusting my own way of thinking to think about the why and where the issues are.

Student 1: I was given quite a bit of freedom to do what I wanted to do for some of the projects I was given. Just doing them without needing too much guidance was something that's really helpful for me starting a new job. As a student, you get instructions or rubrics on how to write something or do something but you don't get that placement or in a job. So having that experience was really pivotal to when I did find my first job at the university, being able to do things on my own. And just take initiative to the tasks that I've given.

Student 3: Placement has given me new skills that I can build on so when I do finish uni I can use them and be more prepared. It also gave me some life experience, which I think is really important when you're going out into the world and makes it possible for you to make a really positive difference.

Student2: It also gave me more experience with funding and the money and thinking about that next level up rather than just what's on the ground.

Student 3: understanding governance and organizational structure. That was a big one.

Student 2: In the past, I don't have the confidence to go out and apply for all the jobs because I don't feel like I had the capacity to do it the skills that they were looking for. And so I wouldn't put myself out there. Having this placement experience has actually helped me feel better about myself so that I can do that next step and feel more confident about it.