• Section 1 - Summary
• Section 2 - HESF/ASQA/ESOS Alignment
• Section 3 - Scope 
• Section 4 - Definitions
• Section 5 - Policy/Regulation
• Section 6 - Procedures
• Part A - Summary Roles and Responsibilities
• Part B - Preparation and management of placements
• Part C - Assessment arrangements
• Part D - Complaints and completion
• Part E - International Students and Offshore Practical Placements
• Section 7 - Supporting Documents and Information

Section 1 - Summary

(1) The purpose of this Procedure is to ensure that Practical Placement complies with:

1. Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 (Cth);
2. Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth);
3. National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (Cth)
4. Guidelines issued by the Department of Education and Training Victoria for Registered Training Organisations and Employers in relation to Post-Secondary Students undertaking Practical Placements (Updated Practical Placement Guidelines) as at 10 April 2017;
5. Victorian Department of Education and Training Dual sector VET Funding Contract, 
6. Requirements for professional bodies and industry regulators about accreditation and professional registration; and
7. All related University policies and procedures.

Section 2 - HESF/ASQA/ESOS Alignment

(2) Standards for RTOs: Standards 1, 2, 5, 6.

(3) ESOS Act - National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018: Standard 1.2, 2.1, 3.3, 5, 10.

Section 3 - Scope 

(4) This Procedure applies to Practical Placements undertaken as part of National Training Package qualifications and VET accredited courses, including delivery in Australia and offshore. It outlines the responsibility for, and processes involved in, the effective delivery and management of Practical Placements at TAFE.

Section 4 - Definitions

(5) Host Employer

(6) Host Clinical Educator (Nursing): An employee of the host organisation who is suitably qualified and approved by TAFE to take responsibility for supervision of a nursing student during Practical Placement. i.e. the clinical educator.

(7) Internal Placement Agreement Letter: An agreement signed by a student and a host Victoria University (VU) department, where a placement is undertaken within VU.

(8) Practical Placement: A required or assessable component of a qualification. Undertaken by TAFE students and is intended to develop job-related skills in the area of the particular post-secondary course. Conducted when a requirement of a qualification, as specified in the relevant Training Package, accredited course curriculum or by a professional body for the purposes of accreditation or with approval of the TAFE's Course Advisory Committee (CAC).

(9) Practical Placement Coordinator: Responsible for the management and coordination of the practical placement program in a course area. This role may be held by a teacher or an administrative officer.

(10) VET Practical Placement Agreement: A formal agreement between the student, the host employer and TAFE, which outlines the responsibilities of all parties.

(11) Suitable workplace environments: An environment which provides a safe, relevant and appropriate learning environment for students undertaking practical placement. Students should not be placed in a workplace setting where they are currently engaged in paid work (see Workplace Assessment).

(12) Supervising teacher: The VET teacher allocated responsibility for supervision and assessment of a student during Practical Placement.

(13) Unit of competency: The specification of the standards of performance required in the workplace as defined in a training package.

(14) VET accredited course.

(15) Workplace assessment: An assessment conducted by an allocated TAFE assessor in a student’s own workplace, where the workplace provides a relevant scope of work for the student to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge.

(16) VET Workplace Assessment Agreement: An agreement between an employer, a student and TAFE, which outlines the arrangements for the conduct of a Workplace Assessment.

(17) Workplace Supervisor: Suitably qualified worker and/or experienced supervisor nominated by the host employer to provide direct supervision for the student undertaking placement. The designated workplace supervisor must be on site for the full duration of the placement. In instances where the supervisor cannot be available, another named supervisor should be allocated.

(18) Student file: a soft or hard copy file in the teaching department containing student course documentation or the University’s placement management database. 

Section 5 - Policy/Regulation

(19) Work Integrated Learning Policy

Section 6 - Procedures

Part A - Summary Roles and Responsibilities

Part B - Preparation and management of placements

(20) Executive Directors and Education Managers will oversee and monitor delivery of practical placements within their colleges / departments to ensure compliance with relevant regulatory guidelines, directions and requirements. 

(21) The relevant education manager will prepare and submit an application to the TAFE's Course Approval Committee (CAC) for approval to include a practical placement in a course where it is not mandated in the training product or required for professional registration. The application should include:

1. Documented feedback from either a range of named industry stakeholder representatives, where placements would be hosted by a number of employers, or from a specific organisation where placements would be with a single host employer;  
2. An educational rationale for the inclusion of a placement; and
3. Details of any additional resource or cost issues associated with the inclusion of a placement component.

(22) Teaching areas that deliver courses which have a Practical Placement will:

1. Develop course documentation that includes relevant Practical Placement details:
   1. Training and Assessment Strategies (TAS) identify Practical Placement requirements as stated in the relevant training product, or as approved by the TAFE's Course Approval Committee, and allocation of hours. The allocation of additional hours to those identified in the relevant training product or the maximum set out in the DET Practical Placement Guidelines must be supported by appropriate evidence such as industry endorsement and/or professional body/licensing requirements.
   2. Learning and Assessment Plans and Unit Guides include details of units of competency assessed in the workplace, along with the hours allocated to placement. Training Plans identify unit/s delivered and assessed in the workplace, with the allocated hours per unit.
2. Communicate practical placement requirements to prospective students via VU’s website, course information sessions, International Course Guide and other associated marketing material, including: 
   1. In instances where courses have a mandatory practical placement component, that failure to obtain a satisfactory police check and/or working with children checks will impact negatively on the likelihood of gaining the Victoria University award in the first instance and gaining employment in the industry in the longer term.
3. Develop Practical Placement guides, logbooks and assessment tools; and provide them to host employers, students and assessing teachers.
4. Source and assess workplace environments for suitability in relation to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), travel safety, accessibility, supervision arrangements, scope of work, appropriate supports for vulnerable students, relevant learning opportunities and Safety and Welfare of Children and Young People Policy and Procedure requirements for students under 18 years of age.
5. Conduct site visits and OHS inspections for all new host employers unless the organisation is subject to independent accreditation. Evidence of current accreditation should be obtained and stored in the relevant course area network drive and/or the University’s placement management database. The Host Assessment Form (TAFE) and the Host Employer Site OHS Checklist (TAFE) should be completed, signed and stored in the relevant course area network drive and/or the University’s placement management database.
6. Arrange practical placements in accordance with relevant Anti-Discrimination Legislation and the Student Equity and Social Inclusion Policy.
7. Prepare students for practical placement through a range of preparatory activities including, but not limited to:
   1. Workshops and/or relevant professional practice classes;
   2. Reading and completion of associated written activities and/or assessments;
   3. Individual meetings with placement teachers/coordinators; and
   4. Research relating to the area of work, the host employer and workplace expectations.

(23) Students must demonstrate readiness for practical placement through satisfactory course progress, satisfactory completion of relevant pre-requisite units and additional requirements as documented in the TAS and communicated to students pre-enrolment (e.g. provision of a current Working with Children Check, National Police Record Check, physical preparedness).

(24) The responsibility for managing the police check and/or working with children check process and ensuring that a satisfactory police check record and/or working with children check is made available to an employer providing practical placement to a Victoria University student lies with the student. This includes:

1. the responsibility to become acquainted with the specific industry requirements for experience in industry;
2. the responsibility to ascertain the period for which an individual Police check record and/or working with children check is valid;
3. the responsibility for initiating the request to the Police or the Department of Justice and Community Safety;
4. the responsibility for any associated fees;
5. the responsibility to make sure the police check record and/or working with children check is forwarded to the student's address.

(25) The University takes no responsibility for a student's police record and/or working with children check in regard to the employer who offers work experience, particularly as the University does not know the content of any of the student's police record and/or working with children check.

(26) The relevant TAFE staff member must sight and record any identifying number on documents required by a host organisation, for instance, police record check documents, working with children documents etc. (‘Student Placement Documents’). Where an issue is identified VU will not disclose the nature of the issue but will permit the student and the host organisation to discuss the matter in private. In the event a significant problem is disclosed in the Student Placement Documents, the Education Manager/Executive Director of that teaching area should be informed, and the matter referred to Legal Services for advice. Student Placement Documents must be returned to the student and not copied or retained by VU.

(27) A TAFE VET Practical Placement Agreement must be developed and signed by all parties (host employer, student and VU representative) prior to the commencement of placement. A copy must be provided to the host organisation and the student. The original should be retained on the student’s file.

(28) Where applicable, overarching placement agreements with a host employer must be developed and signed by both the host employer and TAFE. The original agreement should be retained by VU and a copy provided to the student and the host.

(29) If a student undertakes a placement within Victoria University, the Internal Placement Agreement Letter should be used. The letter must be signed by the student and the relevant VU staff member from the host department prior to the commencement of the placement. A copy should be provided to the VU host department and the student. The original should be retained on the student’s file.

(30) Students should not be placed in their own workplace for Practical Placement. Where a student’s workplace provides an appropriate scope of work for demonstration of competence, a workplace assessment should be conducted. A Workplace Assessment Agreement must be signed by the student, the employer and the TAFE representative. A copy should be provided to the employer and the student. The original should be retained on the student’s file.

(31) Where the scope of work in the student’s workplace does not support demonstration of all required skills and knowledge and/or there are additional professional body or licensing requirements, the student must be provided with a practical placement/supplementary practical placement that enables them to meet those requirements.

(32) A TAFE Travel Assessment Form should be completed by all students who will be traveling to or in regional areas for their placement, and retained in the student file.

(33) A workplace OHS induction form should be completed by all students prior to commencement or on the first day of placement, and retained in the student file.

(34) Where required, details of Practical Placement arrangements must be reported to professional or licensing bodies (e.g. ANMAC).

Part C - Assessment arrangements

(35) Teachers who are allocated placement supervision responsibility for a student (supervising teachers) must make contact with the student and the workplace supervisor in the first week of placement and additional contacts commensurate with the duration of the placement, to check progress and conduct assessment. For the purpose of assessment, at least one of these contacts must be face to face onsite at the host employer, or via a virtual face to face meeting if required. Telephone and/or email contact is acceptable for the other contact/s. Records of contacts must be maintained in the student file. Records should contain details of the type of contact, when it occurred (date and time), what was discussed and any follow up arrangements that were put in place. 

(36) Supervising teachers must provide students with feedback to support them to demonstrate competence and must document assessment outcomes in the Assessment Record Book or the Learning Management System.

(37) Where a student is unable to demonstrate competence within the allocated Practical Placement hours:

1. The current practical placement should be reviewed to determine if the workplace environment can offer the learning and assessment opportunities required and, if so, additional hours should be agreed; or
2. An alternative host employer should be sought if necessary

(38) For both (a) and (b) a new Practical Placement agreement should be developed; the hours detailed in this agreement should be sufficient to address the outstanding assessments only.

(39) Specific details of the requirements for successful completion of the outstanding assessments should be documented and provided to the student and the host employer; and a copy should be retained on the student file.

Part D - Complaints and completion

(40) Where either the student or the host employer has a complaint about the practical placement, the supervising teacher should attempt to secure an appropriate resolution. If the issue cannot be resolved, the student should be withdrawn from placement and, if appropriate, offered an alternative Practical Placement opportunity.

(41) In circumstances where a student or a supervising teacher identifies an issue relating to the student’s safety that cannot be immediately resolved, the student should be withdrawn from placement and provided with an alternative Practical Placement opportunity.

(42) Once all Practical Placement requirements have been met, the Practical Placement ceases. Any further engagement between the student and the host employer must be negotiated under voluntary or employment arrangements. VU is not involved in this process.

(43) Post Practical Placement feedback should be sought from host employers, students and supervising teachers.

(44) Required actions from evaluations should be documented in the course area Continuous Improvement Plan.

(45) Practical Placement records (the agreement, attendance records and assessment evidence) should be forwarded to Student Records at course completion, to be retained for a period of seven years after completion of placement.

Part E - International Students and Offshore Practical Placements

(46) All practical placements undertaken by on-shore international students must comply with ESOS legislation and visa requirements.

(47) Particular care should be taken with the provision of information to prospective International onshore students who may face difficulties with the police checks requirement. Some Australian employers may not accept overseas police check records.

(48)  All offshore practical placements undertaken by international or domestic students must include:

1. Appropriate customisation of learning activities for offshore locations;
2. Clearly documented allocation of responsibilities between all parties for risk assessments of activities, risk management considerations in offshore locations, regular communication arrangements, and emergency response protocols;
3. Details of arrangements and expectations of students in non-placement time.

Section 7 - Supporting Documents and Information

(49) VET Practical Placement Guidelines.