Students
Good practical training practices for students
TUURA – Support for Career Path project has produced concise and accessible materials on students’ practical training to three target groups.
There are concise guides for students, UAS supporting staff and working life representatives (companies, organisations and associations which offer practical training places). They help to implement UAS students’ practical training periods successfully.
The materials are open for all who find them helpful.
Practical training is a key part of university of applied sciences studies and all universities of applied sciences have related guidelines and procedures. The aim of this page is to make your practical training process more fluent and offer further information and tips to support your practical training.
Practical training aims at developing your working life skills, competence and conceptualisation of competence. Practical training is an important way of creating contacts and networks in working life.Map potential practical training places based on your interests and motivation and discuss your options with the supervising teacher. Contact interesting places and ask for help on the search, if need be. In practical training, your key cooperation partners are the supervising teacher in the university of applied sciences and the training supervisor at the workplace.Finding a practical training place or starting the practical training may sometimes be challenging but cooperation and the supervising teacher or coach help you forward. If you need tips when searching for the practical training place or during the practical training, please read the following guidelines carefully. If need be, contact your supervising teacher or student counsellor for help.Working life needs diverse employees. It is everybody’s benefit that people’s strengths and potential are used. You will see different work communities and colleagues in working life. You will notice that there are no two similar ones. You are also special. In fact, our diversity is a resource and you will certainly blend in.Equality and non-discrimination are principles which are everyone’s responsibility in working life, already during search for work. Finland has a Non-Discrimination Act, which we all have to follow. The law guarantees that anyone may not be discriminated.Podcast: Self-direction and positive attitude essential for trainees
Leea Lepistö, a student of musical theatre at TAMK, is interviewing Song Tran, and IB degree student from TAMK. Song did her trainee's internship for the Tampere Entrepreneurship Society, (Tampere.es), and she is sharing her experieces and advice from her trainee period. Recorded on 5 Nov 2020. Duration: 18 min.
Before practical training
If needed, discuss the competence and studies needed for practical training with your supervising teacher.
- Make a practical training plan with the supervising teacher. The plan should include your professional interests, mapping of the professional field and practical training places, personal competence assessment, drafting of job search documents and preparation for practical training. You can use the enclosed initial mapping of practical training as help.
- You search for the practical training place by yourself but if you have difficulties in finding a suitable place, discuss with your supervising teacher.
- Contacts to employers may feel challenging or you may feel uncertain about your competence. In such a case, ask for help from your supervising teacher – it is the teacher’s job to support you in practical training.
- If you need more training in job search, you can see the Steps in my career path material or participate in studies or services organised by your university of applied sciences to develop your working life skills.
- When you have agreed on a practical training place, make a written practical training contract in accordance with your university of applied sciences’ guidelines. The supervising teacher approves the practical training contract.
During practical training
- Practical training is a learning process and as a student you have the right to receive support and feedback from the employer. You may ask for guidance during the practical training. You do not have to cope alone.
- If necessary, you can agree with the employer and your training supervisor on a more extensive orientation during your practical training.
- During the practical training, you may face situations in which you need support from the university of applied sciences’ supervising teacher. Contact the teacher in such cases – the teacher can come and visit the practical training place and discuss the practical training with the employer and you.
- Keep an hour diary or other working hour monitoring to document your practical training. At the same time, you learn time management.
- Remember to ask for a testimonial of service when your practical training ends.
After practical training
- Consider what you learnt in practical training for example by answering the following questions: were your practical training objectives realised, what new skills or working methods did you learn and what general working life skills did you learn?
- Have an assessment discussion with the supervisors or make a practical training report in accordance with your university of applied sciences’ guidelines.
- Use the experience and feedback when updating your job search documents for future needs (eg CV, LinkedIn, portfolio).
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It is essential for a successful practical training that the supervising teacher and student have good cooperation and interaction. Student support begins by identifying and establishing the needs for individual support.
Go through the practical training plan and objectives with the student. Guide the student also to set objectives related to working life skills and professional development. It is good to familiarise with the workplace and work assignments before the practical training. If the student needs support in practical training, it is worth using enough time for orientation. You can also support practical training by clearly agreeing with the student on the cooperation between the student, supervising teacher and training supervisor.
During the practical training, the student can be supported with different pedagogical methods and teaching and supervision arrangements. Workplaces have to be informed of learning difficulties, need for special support and competence in a way that helps students to achieve their best possible potential and strengthens their participation in working life.
It is also good to agree on the student’s individual supervision and support measures and procedures in potential problem situations. This site supports the teacher in giving the student a clear picture of practical training and its benefits.
Podcast
Listen to Janne Hopeela sharing his experiences on coaching TAMK IB students during their practical training periods. Janne works currently as Seniour Lecturer in the IB degree programme, Academic Advisor, Practical Training Coach and International Coordinator in TAMK. Interviewers: TAMK students of musical theatre Milla Sukki and Leea Lepistö. Recording date: 27 Oct 2020. Duration: 31 mins.
Before practical training
- Make sure that the student has the competence and studies needed for practical training.
- Discuss the practical training objectives with the student and make sure the student understands them.
- Encourage and support the student to search for a practical training place and use the higher education institution’s services and network, present the field and help, if need be.
- Guide the student to identify personal competences and bring out personal strengths.
- Encourage the student to familiarise with the practical training place in advance. Attend if need be.
- Make practical training contracts together with the student and workplace.
- Discuss and agree on with the student how individual needs for support are considered in practical training and bring up the matter (eg longterm illness, dyslexia) confidentially at the workplace (with the student’s permission), if need be.
- Inform the workplace of learning difficulties and needs for individual support.
- Contact the training supervisor at the workplace and agree on contact and supervision practices.
During practical training
- Encourage and ask for news regularly from the training supervisor and student during the practical training.
- If need be, make supervision visits.
- Follow progress of the practical training plan and objectives in cooperation with the student and training supervisor.
- Support the training supervisor in considering the student’s needs for individual support.
- Agree on procedures if the practical training has to be interrupted.
- Bring out promotion of equality and diversity in working life.
- Ask for feedback from the workplace to develop cooperation.
After practical training
- Have a feedback discussion with the student and training supervisor.
- Consider future views from the viewpoint of the student’s competence and development objectives.
- Discuss realisation of objectives, successes and competence development.
- Ask for feedback and development ideas on practical training and its supervision from the training supervisor.
- Inform the student of employment possibilities and give guidance in search for work or making and application for further studies.
Cooperation between education and working life takes shape especially in students’ practical training.
Learning at workplace is important for students. The workplace, student and educational institution all benefit from high-quality practical training. It is important for workplaces to find competent labour in the changing working life of the future.
Education offers competence needed in future working life. Students bring creativity and renewal to workplaces and support working life development. Successful practical training promotes students’ enthusiasm, motivation and commitment to the field, which promotes availability of labour for workplaces in the future, too. There are diverse learners at workplaces and their positive experiences on practical training are a success and attraction factor in labour market.
Hopefully this site will help you to ensure that the practical training benefits the workplace, student and educational institution. Be brave and give diverse learners the chance to show their skills, competence and development potential.
Podcast
Listen to TAMK students Milla and Leea interviewing Business coordinator Vân Lê, from Business Tampere, about coaching trainee students. Date: 22 Oct 2020. Duration: 20:39 min.
Before practical training
- Make sure that your workplace is ready to commit to and cooperate with the educational institution and trainee.
- Organise the needed resources (time, willingness, joy, enthusiasm) for supervising the trainee (also students in need for support).
- Choose motivated employees to supervise the trainee and give them high-quality training.
- Make it possible for the trainee to visit the workplace in advance. You also learn to know the trainee at the same time.
- Familiarise with the trainee’s course objectives and contents in advance. This way all have a uniform picture of the practical training objectives. Familiarise with the trainee’s other educational contents, too.
- Make a practical training contract with the trainee and educational institution. The contract includes the practical training objectives, contents and duration.
- Discuss potential needs for support in advance with the trainee.
During practical training
Supervise the work tasks sufficiently. Give the trainee time to learn the guidelines and repeat them, if needed.
- Familiarise the trainee with the organisation, procedures and occupational safety.
- Welcome the trainee into the work community. The trainee may have several supervisors, if necessary.
- Give the trainee constructive feedback in supervision discussions and in connection with work tasks. Emphasise the trainee’s strengths and successes.
- Promote confidential atmosphere and listen to the trainee. Bring up difficult matters in an encouraging and empowering manner.
- Support professional growth and understand different ways of learning. Follow the trainee’s competence and learning and talk about matters the trainee does not know yet. Guide and instruct – practical training is a learning process for the student.
- Modify the work tasks if need be. Discuss the practical training objectives with the student. They can be modified.
- You can also use pair work. The work task can be completed by an employee and the trainee together.
- Go through the training supervisor’s career story in appropriate situations.
- Contact the educational institution if the training supervisor or student needs support during the practical training.
After practical training
Give the trainee feedback and assess the practical training in accordance with the educational institution’s guidelines. Organise an oral feedback discussion with the trainee. If need be, ask a representative from the educational institution to attend the session.
- Think about the future views from the viewpoint of the student’s competence and thoughts.
- Consider how you succeeded in supervision and how it could be developed.
- Develop your cooperation with the educational institution.
- Consider potential continuation of cooperation with the student.
UAS supporting staff
Good practical training practices for supporting staff at universities of applied sciences
Working life representatives
Good practical training practices for working life representatives
