Bring on the STUDENTS!

Why we take on placement students

Now I’m either in a really good position to account on this topic or a really biased one. I believe it’s slightly both. Back in 2011, I was hired to be the second web development placement student that The Health Informatics Service had taken on and now I am the team leader in the 9th year of working with Huddersfield University. You can read more about my journey from student to team leader here: Making the transition from student to team leader and what it has meant for me but I am not the only student success story of the team. Shanice is our team trainer for our CMS TYPO3 and recently began branching out into working on delivering training resources for web systems. She graduated in 2017 after completing a placement year with us, working part-time during her final year and then began full-time employment following her graduation. Bryde is our web application developer who served as a placement student in the team during 2012–2013. She also worked part-time during her final year but found other employment post-graduation. She recently re-joined the team making her our third hired placement student in the team currently.

The success stories are great but aren’t student placements just a case of cheap employment?

I will admit and say whilst I was a student I did have that feeling that a company may only be employing me because they can pay me a cheaper rate than a qualified individual. I put this down to my naivety of the experience both parties involved actually receive from student placements.

The student: Before taking my placement everyone told me I would receive a wealth of knowledge that studying at university wouldn’t be able to give me. As with everything in life, there is only so much a book can teach you and the rest needs to be experienced. It wasn’t until I finished my placement that I realised how much I had actually learnt in terms of both technical and soft skills. It wasn’t something that happened overnight, but on reflection, I could see that my confidence had grown, my time keeping had improved and my attitude towards a possible career had been excited. The opportunities that were ahead of me were becoming clearer and my ability to help myself and have initiative had evolved. I returned to university discussing with my peers the projects I had worked on that had allowed me to explore new design techniques and the coding practices my fellow employees had taught me. In return my friends shared with me the experiences they had been taught and my appreciation of collaboration and networking grew. I understood what it’s like to be in work nine to five, five times a week job and enjoy that Friday feeling knowing I didn’t have university work to complete or a part-time job to attend. And on that point, I will expand and emphasise that I was very lucky in my position that I was paid like an employee. It may not have been the same amount as my peers in the team but I quickly learnt I wasn’t far behind and this was only due to me not having the same experience in that industry or formal qualifications. But I was still skilled enough to perform a role in that team and was paid accordingly. A lot of student placements are not paid at all and this is because the industry they work in requires they wouldn’t be hired usually without it. And so the placement year is giving them that requirement to gain employment postgraduate which is ultimately the reward of that year. From a student perspective, it requires a broader outlook on what a placement year is offering to you rather than taking it as what they are paying you.

The employer: No employer should hire students based purely on the fact they can pay someone less. It may happen and I believe this may have been the case in the past but I can happily say that the yearly consideration myself and my manager have as to whether we apply for a student that year is a considered one about what they would bring to the team that year. Students are studying because they chose to. They picked this career because they have a passion for it and they usually decided to take a placement year because they wanted to prove themselves in this industry. They aren’t applying for this role just because they can do it and need to pay the bills. So instantly you have some investment. Every year it is also considered what we can bring to help that particular student. So not only are we interviewing based on skill, we are interviewing based on what we can bring to the table for them. Students can bring an instant spark to a team, giving it a new lease of life or perspective on how we work coming from a fresh set of eyes. They are being taught new technologies every year and so can introduce new ways of working that may be overlooked due to us being too comfortable in a routine. Most importantly they provide opportunities to grow the team when the time is right.

I have mixed emotions every year around our student crossover. I have the pleasure of reflecting on the year we have progressed on together, seeing how the team environment has helped the individual grow as well as looking on the effects they have had on the team and myself. I feel that excitement as they go back to university to see how their final years are enhanced with their new knowledge but I also feel the sadness of losing that embedded member of the team. This is always felt harder with those individuals that have really evolved the role into their own and brought something new to us. But I equally have the excitement to see what the new year will bring, what ideas will our new student bring and the plans we can make to achieve their targets for the year. The first month with a new starter is always intense. Your time is split between the day job and ensuring they learn the ropes but we always get through this stage as a team together and reinforces that unity we have.

Our 9th year of hiring students will see us hiring our 11th student and I’m so looking forward to seeing the dynamic this brings. Watch this space for our new face!


Published by Rebecca Johnson on 06.09.2018

Becky is our Team Leader and Web Developer. She has been working within the Webteam since July 2011 and her role includes managing and supporting the whole team and developing the infrastructure of websites and ensuring sustainability. Becky also has Level 3 qualification in Education and Training, Level 2 qualification in Customer Service, PRINCE2 Foundation and Management Studies certificate.

THIS Web Development

The Web Development team at THIS have established a reputation for developing high-quality websites and promotional campaigns for both NHS and non-NHS clients.

The Health Informatics Service

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THIS provide innovative IT solutions and services to Health, Social Care, Social Enterprise and the Third Sectors across the UK. http://www.this.nhs.uk/

THIS Web Development

The Web Development team at THIS have established a reputation for developing high-quality websites and promotional campaigns for both NHS and non-NHS clients.

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