This guide is taken from the Know How Library, a tool on the Unifrog platform. Not sure whether to take the ACT or the SAT? Or how to give the perfect Oxbridge practice interview? The Know How Library is an easily searchable library of 100s of expert guides for both students and teachers, covering every aspect of the progression process. It is included as standard for Unifrog partner schools.
The Placements tool makes it easy to administer work experience, virtual work experience (VWEX), work shadowing, internships - any time when a student has sustained direct contact with an employer. In this guide, we answer your most commonly asked questions about the tool.
Our Placements tool is the industry leader, used and loved by more than two thousand schools and colleges; 300,000+ work experience placements have been administered from start to finish using the tool.
“The system is quite literally life-changing – thank you!” Eugénie Pasco, Kingswood School
"You can see for every student where they’ve gone on placement and all the details, even down to the employers' insurance documents. Ofsted were really happy I was able to produce that at the drop-of-a-hat.” James Golds, The Highfield School
"During our Ofsted inspection I was able to log into Unifrog and demo the tool to the inspector so I could show how Unifrog had helped us grow our work experience programme… my target was to get 100 students from the year group out on work experience but we’ve actually got 140 students going out - if anyone isn’t using the Placements tool, it is incredible!” Natasha Roberts, Melton Vale Sixth Form College
Here's a post from Careers Leaders UK, a popular group on Facebook:
**** Recent updates ****
We are always improving the tool. Here are some recent updates:
Logbook: a major new addition allows students to add, and employers to confirm, the hours of placement that a student has done each week
Multiple check-ins: coordinators can save multiple check-ins for a single placement
New charts: show % of students with in person / virtual / no placements
One-click buttons to send chaser emails to employers and parents with outstanding forms
PDF download of all the forms for a single placement
Students can indicate of a placement is for a T Level, and coordinators can sort to see all T Level placements for a year group
Coordinators can set learning goals for placements
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?
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).
Does the tool cater for placements associated with T-levels?
The tool will be fully set up to administer placements associated with T-levels by September 2024. To this end, we are working on two big new additions to the tool:
Logbook: Students will record their hours each week, and employers will confirm the hours
Multiple check-ins: Coordinators will be able to add multiple during placement check-ins, with drop-downs to rate students on various factors (eg attitude, punctuality), plus they'll be able to update the placement learning goals.
How much does it cost?
The tool is an add-on for schools to the normal Unifrog package. The normal price is £550 (ex VAT). As usual with Unifrog, you don't pay any extra for training and support.
Has the tool been properly put to the test?
Yes. More than 2,000 schools/colleges now use it, with more starting every day. Over 300,000 work placements have been successfully administered through it.
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, including relevant guidance from KCSIE 2022, and from the HSE. 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. There are a few elements to this:
Guidance Part of the tool is a set of guides that lay out in every-day-English each party's responsibility when it comes to safeguarding, H&S, RAs, GDPR, and insurance. There are templates for any paperwork that doesn't already exist. Students, parents/guardians and placement coordinators at schools/colleges all have access to these guides.
Gathering information The tool asks the right questions to the right people at the right time. If necessary - for example because the placement is at a workplace that is above average risk - the tool asks further questions so that decision makers have all the information they need.
Giving and recording permission The tool involves all parties in the process, asks their permission, and records it. As a coordinator you can review the paperwork for all placements that have been recorded - very handy if you have an inspection.
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 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.
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.
What's your favourite Facebook post about the Unifrog Placements tool?
