Unifrog Placements tool: FAQs

Our new Placements tool is already one of our most popular tools ever. It's designed to make it easy to administer work experience, VWEX, work shadowing, T-level placements, internships - any time when a student has sustained direct contact with an employer. 

Here are your most frequently asked questions, answered:
 

• What is the Placements tool?
  
  It’s a new tool within the Unifrog platform that aims to help schools and colleges manage the admin behind the placements process.
  
  At a basic level it’s a series of forms which need to be completed by specific people at specific times; when one person finishes their form, the system automatically messages the next person in the chain.
  
  The new tool makes it easy:
  • For students to get the ball rolling, then reflect on the placement afterwards;
  • For the employer to plan a brilliant placement (we give them a little library of expert guides);
  • For the employer to also follow and confirm that they follow best practices in:
    • Insurance;
    • Health and safety;
    • Risk Assessment;
    • Safeguarding;
    • Covid safety guidelines;
    • Data protection (eg the UK GDPR);
  • For the parent / guardian to agree to the placement and stay informed of what’s happening;
  • For the school / college coordinators to have an overview of the whole process, across multiple students;
  • For the school / college to build up a database of employers who have previously hosted placements, showing things like student ratings, the sector, and whether the employer is up for hosting virtual or in person placements. 
     
• How much does it cost?
  
  It's a small add-on to the normal Unifrog package. We can give you a quote after your demo. As usual with Unifrog, you don't pay any extra for training and support.
   
• How can I see it in action? And how can I ask questions about it?
  
  If you're already a Unifrog partner, please contact your Area Manager. 
  
  If you don’t work with us already, please request a demo here (we'll then set up a meeting with you), or call us on +4420 3372 5991. We would love to hear what sort of technical solution you are looking for, and what questions you have for us. 
   
• How do we know the forms in the Placements tool sufficiently meet the official guidelines?
  
  We’ve designed the forms to meet official guidance fully. Over the course of building the tool, which has been several years' work, we’ve been careful to benefit from the expert input of tens of experienced work experience coordinators, and from employers who are old hands at hosting placements.
  
  When it comes to placements and the law, the school / college’s role is to take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that the employer is acting responsibly, while not second guessing the employer or creating unreasonable obstacles to a placement happening. 
  
  We’ve carefully crafted the Placements tool so that it’s easy for schools and colleges to satisfy themselves that the employer is acting responsibly, and we also make it very efficient for the employer to provide the necessary and proportionate evidence.
   
• Is it compliant with the GDPR / UK GDPR?
  
  Yes - we have built the tool with data protection law firmly in mind. For example, you'll see that our Privacy Policy fully deals with this new tool.
   
• Does the system work if the placement is not in the UK?
  
  The Placements tool is built from a foundation in UK law and best practice, but the confirmations and agreements between parties are binding regardless of the country where they are made.
  
  We’ve been careful to make things work seamlessly for non UK environments, for example in the tool the employer commits to complying with local data protection law and local covid guidelines, and we’ve built in various handy things like asking the employer what languages are spoken in the workplace.
   
• Can we use it for VWEX? Or for volunteering placements?
  
  Yes and yes. 
  
  In the case of VWEX, the process is more simple than for in person placements, for example there is no parent / guardian agreement form, and no school permission form. There are some different safeguarding questions, for example the employer has to confirm they will comply with safety online best practice.