Unifrog Placements tool: FAQs

Our Placements tool is one of our most popular tools ever, loved by hundreds of schools and colleges:

“The system is quite literally life changing – thank you!” Eugénie Pasco, Kingswood School 

Since launching just over a year ago, more than 35,000 students have had their work experiences administered using the tool.

The tool is designed to make it easy to administer work experience, VWEX, work shadowing, internships - any time when a student has sustained direct contact with an employer. 

**** New for Spring 2023 ****

New for Spring 2023 we've launched a suite of important developments. Here's a summary:

• Uploading into forms: If they’re required to, employers now upload straight into the Employer initial form their Employers’ Liability Insurance certificate, their H&S policy, and their Risk Assessment.
• Placement coordinators: Schools can assign ‘placement coordinator’ as a role to specific teachers, and then students can only pick teachers as placement coordinators who have been given this role.
• Editing nearly everything: Placement coordinators and teachers who are Editors can now edit nearly everything in the Student initial form, and the Employer initial form. This includes things like the start and end dates, and the employer and parent/guardian email addresses.
• Email fails: Three things: we now have extra warnings for students and teachers when an email has failed, we give full explanations of why an email has failed, and we let teachers with editing permissions edit failed email addresses (then re-send the emails).
• Auto-filling employer initial forms: Two things: Firstly, employers who have hosted a placement via Unifrog in the last 6 months now have most of the information about themselves and their organisation auto-filled (they can still edit this information if they want). Secondly, employers who are Unifrog partner organisations have more information auto-filled, including documents like their ELI certificate, and they also have the option to auto-fill placement-specific information (eg the start and end dates and the placement overview). Together these changes mean that the process for employers in setting up a placement is far, far faster and easier...
  
  If you already have a Unifrog teacher account, see the detail about these changes here (you'll need to login)

Here are your most frequently asked questions about the Placements tool, answered:

• What is it exactly?
  
  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 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 does the tool help employers?
  
  The changes we have made live for Spring 2023 greatly speed up the process for employers:
  • Employers who have hosted a placement via Unifrog in the last 6 months now have most of the information about themselves and their organisation auto-filled (they can still edit this information if they want).
  • Employers who are Unifrog partner organisations have more information auto-filled, including documents like their ELI certificate, and they also have the option to auto-fill placement-specific information (eg the start and end dates and the placement overview).
     
• How much does it cost?
  
  It's an add-on for schools 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.
   
• Has the tool been properly put to the test?
  
  Yes. 600+ schools/colleges now use it, with more starting every day. 35,000+ work placements have been successfully administered through it.
   
• Do people like it?
  
  The really important thing is that it's popular with everyone involved: students, employers, parents/guardians, and placement coordinators at schools/colleges.
  
  It saves everyone time, and it helps students and employers to have more successful placements.
  
  “It is a complete game changer. Thank you Unifrog!” Judith Crimes, Birchwood High School
  
  “The whole process is so easy and hassle-free” Sweta Thakrar, Dr Challoner's School
  
  “Careers leaders have been waiting for a planning and safeguarding platform for many years! Thank you Team Unifrog.” Karen Green, Westgate School
   
• 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 want to get yourself clued up in advance, check out this guide on the tool (you'll need to login).
  
  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.
   
• 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.