How to prepare for vocational placement

For many vocational qualifications a job placement will be required to complete your study.

But its not just something that you need to tick off to get your certification, it is a vital part of getting you ready for the job and can be your foot in the door for your new career.

Job placements are designed to equip you with the real-life skills you will need when you join the workforce.

The exact requirements will differ between different qualifications or industries, however, generally, you will be working a set number of hours at a business in your industry.

You will be supported by an experienced employee who will gradually expose you to all the elements of the job.

You will usually begin by just observing people at work and assisting where possible but by the end of your work placement you will be doing these tasks yourself!

Different providers have different ways of organising work placements for students.

Our RTO teams at MAX Learning work with individual students and hosts to find the right fit for both parties.

A placement coordinator will help you to find a suitable placement that balances convenience with a learning environment that suits you.

Should there be any factors that may impact on your ability to easily find placements, this is normally identified before students start learning so it doesn’t impact on their course.

Your placement should be a great experience for learning and in taking your first steps into your new career so accommodations, where necessary, are made to ensure the success of each student.

Starting a work placement is exciting, it will be full of new experiences, meeting new people and putting the things you have learnt into practice.

However, this overload can be a little scary. It can be confronting having people observe you when you are doing tasks for the first time.

It’s important to be kind to yourself and put things into perspective. Everyone was new once and everyone has to do things for the first time at some point in their lives.

Make sure you are focussing on learning as much as you can during the experience and not worrying about what people think (chances are they aren’t at all!)

As a student undertaking a work placement you won’t be paid. It is important to be ready for this whatever situation you are in.

If you are working, it may be as simple as asking your employer to switch some shifts around or taking your paid leave.

But this will vary depending on the length of the placement so its worth planning the timing.

Talk to your placement coordinator at the RTO about how to find the right placement.

If you are out of work (or taking unpaid leave from work) there may be entitlements that you are eligible for.

Depending on your qualification there may also be scholarships or Government loans that you could apply for that can assist you during this time.

It’s important to talk this over with your course advisors early on so they can find the right placement for your situation.