Employers are looking for graduates who can quickly adapt to organisational objectives and become an important member of their team. Undertaking an internship placement component as part of your UniSC degree helps you prepare to meet industry expectations.

Placement courses

The Human Services Placement courses SWK201 and SWK305 enable students to complete their placements in their second and third year of studies in the School of Law and Society. They provide an opportunity for students to obtain academic credit for a course at university at the same time as gaining valuable experience in the workplace prior to completing their studies and seeking employment in their chosen field.

The placement experience

Fields of practice

Examples of the fields of practice that recently hosted UniSC Bachelor of Human Services placements include:

• Child Protection
• Domestic Violence
• Mental Health
• Disability
• Youth Work.

Structure of placement

Students undertake a placement of 250 hours in a human services organisation. The placement is normally 3 full days per week across either semester 1 or semester 2. This provides an opportunity for students to become immersed in organisation practice and develop professional relationships with colleagues, clients and the community. They will transfer campus based learning into a supportive workplace environment, enabling them to develop new skills as they put their theories into practice.

Insurance

Students undertaking placements are covered by the University’s insurance policies for worker’s compensation and third party insurance.

Assessment

Students are required to submit reports on their placement experience which will be assessed by their allocated academic supervisor from the School of Law and Society. These reports are in addition to any work allocated by the workplace supervisor. A human services placement provides the opportunity to develop links to theory learnt on campus in a practice based setting; reflect on theory supporting practice; critique developing skills, theories and knowledge; develop a range of essential skills sought by employers; establish a work history and create networking contacts.

Important

The planning and coordination of placements by the Field Education Coordinator can take up to six months. To commence this planning process, students will receive an email, providing instructions on this process, toward the beginning of the semester prior to them commencing their placement. Registering for placement and enrolling in the courses are two separate functions of student placement. Students will need to enrol in SWK201 and SWK305 when enrolments open for all courses. Registering for a placement does not include enrolment.

More information

For more information about the SWK201 and SWK305 courses please contact:

Gerard Jefferies
Field Education Coordinator
School of Law and Society

Contact

For general enquiries about work integrated learning opportunities please contact:

Technical Operations - Work Integrated Learning
Email: TechOpsWil@usc.edu.au