Placement essentials
Learn more about the key aspects of successful career-ready placements, from timing and supervision to health and safety, intellectual property, and insurance.
Paid vs unpaid placements
The Fair Work Act 2009 applies to all employees in Australia including students participating in our career-ready placements program. Under the Act, placements are referred to as ‘vocational placements’.
Unpaid placements are lawful under the Fair Work Act 2009 so long as they form part of a course requirement and are approved by the university. However, if you and the student decide to extend a placement beyond the course requirements, it will no longer be considered a vocational placement under the Fair Work Act 2009. In this case, both parties should consider whether an employment relationship has been formed and needs to be formalised.
While unpaid placements are lawful, paid placements offer significant advantages. They attract strong candidates, generate greater student interest, and allow for more flexible durations. This fosters a stronger sense of value and contribution, benefiting both the student and the employer. If a placement is paid, then the student is considered an employee and is entitled to the minimum wage, and all employment entitlements. Paid placements can be extended in consultation with the student. Ultimately, the decision to pay a student is up to you as the host organisation.
Timing
Understanding the timelines and commitment requirements for career-ready placements can help your organisation effectively plan and support student placements throughout the year. We recommend connecting with us 2-3 months before you wish to onboard a placement student to ensure ample time for completing the necessary pre-placement steps and paperwork.
Placement scheduling
Different disciplines have varying timelines for arranging and facilitating career-ready placements. While many placements align with our semester dates, some disciplines offer more flexible timelines, allowing students to complete their placements outside of the semester. This can include summer or winter vacation periods. Our main term dates run from February to June (Semester 1) and July to October (Semester 2).
Placement structure
Students may have the flexibility to complete their placement either in one block or spread out over time, depending on the placement requirements, your organisation's needs, and the student's preferences. The placement hours are typically negotiated with the student and their host supervisor, unless pre-determined by the university.
Commitment requirements
The minimum time required to count towards a student's career-ready placement hours will vary by course. Some courses offer flexible arrangements, allowing students to combine placement experiences across different organisations to meet their total required hours. To learn more about the specific requirements for a particular discipline, please get in touch.
Student matching and selection
Different courses have varying methods for connecting placement hosts with students. Depending on the course, matching methods may include one or more of the following:
- Preferencing: Students preference placement opportunities from a selection of placement options that have been vetted and approved by the University. University staff then review preferences and allocate students to a placement opportunity that aligns with their preferences.
- Allocated (no application): University staff will allocate available placements to students without a preferencing, application or interview process.
- Allocated (with application): Students will apply and/or attend an interview with organisations offering positions within their course. The organisations will review applicants and select their final candidates.
- Student-sourced placements: Students may ask their current employer to act as their host, approach organisations to host them for the duration of their placement, or apply for advertised roles and ask the employer to act as their placement host.
Supervision and supporting students on placement
To ensure a successful placement experience, you will be asked to assign a dedicated placement supervisor to be the primary point of contact for the student/s with your organisation. The supervisor will offer support, mentoring, feedback, and guidance throughout the placement. When assigning a supervisor, keep in mind the following:
- Professional accreditation requirements: If the placement is part of a student’s professional accreditation requirements, their supervision must be facilitated by a professional from their chosen field.
- Non-accreditation placements: If the placement does not contribute to professional accreditation requirements, supervision can be facilitated by a professional from a different field. However, the professional should still be employed in a role related to the student’s tasks.
Host Supervisor Toolkit (PDF, 332KB)
Our Host Supervisor Toolkit is designed to guide industry partners in effectively supervising and supporting students during career-ready placements, ensuring a positive and productive experience for both the student and your organisation. It includes:
- Supervision overview and best practice
- Tips for supervisors for before and during the placement
- Induction/orientation checklist and example schedule
- Weekly activity schedule template
- Placement hours log template
- Information on WHS, intellectual property, and insurance
- Troubleshooting information covering lateness, absence, inappropriate behaviour, incidents and accidents
While students have received formal education, they may not have had many opportunities to apply their knowledge in real-world settings. As you assign tasks, provide clear and practical instructions. Expect that students will make mistakes and be ready to help them learn from these errors. Your support in these moments is invaluable.
Remember, students on placement still need to attend tutorials and fulfill other course requirements. They should not miss scheduled classes or assessments due to their placement. We appreciate your help in balancing our students’ practical experience with their academic commitments.
Work health and safety
As a host organisation, you have a primary duty of care to ensure people are not injured, physically or psychologically, when working with you. This includes students on placement.
Safety is serious but it doesn’t have to be complicated. We understand that some organisations are small or sole trader businesses, whilst others are more complex. Whatever experience you are providing we want to ensure that our students are safe in your space. We’ve found the Easy to do WHS toolkit from SafeWork NSW is a great guide for any size business in ensuring both compliance and safe systems of work.
When you sign up to become a host organisation, and prior to students commencing a placement in your workplace, we’ll collect some details about your organisation’s capacity, resources, and suitability for providing placements. We’ll also ask you to conduct a risk assessment to identify and mitigate potential hazards, including for any project-based activities that occur off-campus. This is our way of exercising due diligence to proactively ensure we are not placing you or our students in risky situations.
Intellectual property
We understand intellectual property (IP) is important to your organisation. It’s important to note that, unless otherwise agreed between your organisation and the student/s, any IP created by the student/s during a placement will usually remain the property of the student.
If required, it is your responsibility to enter into a separate agreement with the student regarding IP rights ownership. This may involve having the student sign relevant documentation to transfer IP, typically in the form of a Deed Poll.
Relevant considerations might include:
- Has the IP been created using your resources?
- Was the student part of a team whose combined work created the IP?
- Was the student building on work that had already commenced by your organisation (i.e., ‘background’ IP) as part of the project?
- Are there any proprietary or privacy concerns around the IP?
- Is the IP created valuable? How likely is it that the IP will generate commercial return?
- Did university staff also support the creation of the IP?
- If students require reuse of created materials in a work portfolio or similar, are you willing to grant them permissions to do so?
Insurance
University insurance
The University maintains several insurance protections which may apply to students undertaking a placement including General and Product Liability Protection, Professional Indemnity Protection, Medical Malpractice Insurance, Group Personal Accident Insurance, and Travel Insurance.
The insurance cover will apply differently, based on the nature and location of the placement. Students undertaking an approved placement will be covered subject to the conditions, limits, and exclusions of each insurance policy. Note, there is no University property insurance for loss or damage to any personal property (vehicles, equipment, clothing, etc.).
See the Career-ready Placements Insurance Summary (PDF, 339KB) for more information. This summary contains key information regarding cover, general limits, exclusions, and claims, and applies to all career-ready placement activities.
In addition to the below Confirmations of Insurance, we can provide you with a copy of the University's Certificate of Currency for a relevant insurance policy upon request.
Confirmation of Insurance – General & Products Liability (PDF, 102KB)
Confirmation of Insurance – Professional Indemnity (PDF, 101KB)
Host organisation insurance
For your organisation to become an approved placement host, you require the following current policies:
- Public Liability Insurance
- Professional Indemnity Insurance
- Personal Accident Insurance
- Medical Malpractice Insurance (where applicable)
Where placements are unpaid, students are not an employee of your organisation and therefore no Workers’ Compensation applies.
If students are paid by your organisation, they will enter an employment contract with your organisation. This means they will be covered by your organisation's insurance policies, including Workers’ Compensation. Employment arrangements must also comply with the Fair Work Act 2009.
Email us
Call (02) 4921 5588
Connect with us
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.