Frequently asked questions
Here are some frequently asked questions. Use the lists below to select a question and read the answer.
Placements
What does a Business Interchange placement involve?
What are the benefits to a teacher, tutor or trainer undertaking a vocational placement?
What are the benefits to provider organisations undertaking vocational placements?
What are the deadlines for registration and completion of Business Interchange placements?
How many placements can my organisation have?
How many times can a tutor take part in Business Interchange?
How long does a placement last?
What is meant by placement outputs?
Does a placement contribute to the IfL annual CPD requirements?
What are the requirements for carrying out a Business Interchange placement?
Support
What support can Business Interchange offer my organisation?
Will Business Interchange
continue after September 2010?
Placements
Q: What does a Business Interchange placement involve?
A: Whatever activities can help the individual meet their learning objectives and are agreed between the tutor and the host – for example job shadowing, supporting day-to-day business activities or managing a specific project.
Q: What are the benefits to a teacher, tutor or trainer undertaking a vocational placement?
A: A teacher, tutor or trainer can benefit in many ways from a vocational placement as it:
- Contributes to meeting 30 hours of mandatory CPD requirements
- Offers a structured and proven model for securing work placements
- Builds sustainable employer relationships, which can lead to new business and further opportunities for learners
- May help them emerge from the placement with increased motivation and enthusiasm for their role
- Develops new industry skills that can be applied in teaching
- Increases confidence when dealing with employers.
Q: What are the benefits to provider organisations undertaking vocational placements?
A: An organisation can benefit in many ways from vocational placements such as:
- Providing a communication channel with employers/businesses
- Helping to achieve organisation quality standards (Ofsted, TQS, Investors in People, Framework for Excellence)
- Enabling courses and qualifications to be provided that are more relevant to the needs of industry/businesses
- Creating new leaner placement opportunities
- Allowing your organisation to understand and be responsive to the needs of industry/businesses.
Q: What are the deadlines for registration and completion of Business Interchange placements?
A: Placements must be registered and
approved by 4 June 2010. The deadline for completing placements and submitting the placement evaluations to Lifelong Learning UK is 30 September 2010.
Please note, the Business Interchange coordinator service will be available until 15 June 2010 to provide support in finding business hosts, arranging placements and completing the evaluation process. After this date there will be access to support resources through this website but the coordinator service will no longer be active.
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Q: How many placements can my organisation have?
A: There is no limit to the number of Business Interchange placements your organisation can register. You can continue to order resources and access helpline support to arrange placements. For further information please see the Support section.
Q: How many times can a tutor take part in Business Interchange?
A: Staff can take part in as many Business Interchange placements as fits their professional development requirements. It is hoped that further education providers will take advantage of the positive relationships and structures developed through the programme on a regular basis.
Q: How long does a placement last?
A: A placement can be anything from a short visit or series of visits to a longer period of time, typically one to six weeks spent in the host organisation. The length of a placement should be guided by the individuals learning objectives and be long enough to enable them to complete suitable outputs as a result of the placement.
Q: What is meant by placement outputs?
A: These are materials produced during or after a placement. They can include case studies, lesson plans, learning materials, internal workshops, peer presentations, project reports, or anything else that is a useful result of the placement for the individual, your organisation and the host. Outputs should take a form which can be shared with peers in the learning and skills sector through the Learning and Improvement Service Excellence Gateway (by submitting them through the online Business Interchange record). Examples of good quality outputs and more information about developing placement outputs can be found here.
Q: Does a placement contribute to the IfL annual CPD requirements?
A: Yes, a Business Interchange placement can help you to meet the Institute for Learning (IfL)’s mandatory CPD requirements - with your learning and outputs from the experience being recorded and shared using IfL’s REfLECT tool. For more information please visit the IfL website.
Q: What are the requirements for carrying out a Business Interchange placement?
A: Placements should be in keeping with the spirit of Business Interchange – i.e. taking place at the premises of the business host and not a conference, or other type of learning activity. They should be based on pre-determined learning objectives and result in specific outputs which can be shared with peers in the sector through the Learning and Skills Improvement Service Excellence Gateway.
Full details of these requirements are set out in our downloadable terms and conditions.
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Support
Q: What support can Business Interchange offer my organisation?
A: Business Interchange will continue to provide a wide range of support, advice and resources until 15 June 2010.
We have a dedicated co-ordinator service offering advice and support to:
- help in setting up a placement
- assist with identifying and securing a business host
- help find committed business hosts across all sectors
- support in setting objectives and outcomes
- provide advice on producing good quality outputs that can be utilised within the organisation and more widely through the LSIS Excellence Gateway
To contact our team of coordinators email businessinterchange@star-tc.co.uk. Please note, the coordinator service will not be available after 15 June 2010, after this date the only support available will be through the resources on this site.
Our resource materials available to order or download from this website include:
- Employer Engagement Packs - designed to help teachers, tutors and trainers approach potential business hosts
- Best practice guide – to help line managers support participants on placements
- Case studies highlighting the experiences of participants from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines
- Staff Room Packs – containing posters and leaflets to encourage other members of staff to sign up.
Q: Will Business Interchange continue after September 2010?
A: Lifelong Learning UK are working collaboratively with partner organisations across the further education sector to develop and agree plans for the next phase of Business Interchange.
We will keep you up to date with any new information as soon as we have it.
