- Target:
- London Metropolitan University
- Region:
- United Kingdom
University decided to change the structure of our courses by introducing compulsory work placement module. We the students have been informed about this only in the second half of our second year and we are not happy about accepting such a peremptory change at this stage of our studies. We strongly belief we should have been told this at the beginning of our course, or even before signing up for the course. The aim of this petition is to bring our points to the attention of university and to ask them to reconsider this decision.
We the students believe that we should have the choice to decide whether we partake in a work placement as part of our degrees. Whilst we appreciate the importance of work, we believe that implementing a mandatory ‘Work Placement Module’ as well as ‘Work Related Learning Module’ would be detrimental to many students and could disrupt other valuable learning time.
As a diverse university with students from all over the world, some without work permits, many already working and those of us with children, could suffer negative consequences of this well intention action. Many do not have the financial ability to partake in unpaid work and the university currently do not offer that support.
Until recently, university has thus far been cryptic in its information about the work placements and many students feel uniformed and worried.
Furthermore, please be advised that some of the students already planned for their final project. We are aware that there is still a project option in what is now called ‘Pathway B’ (which consist of ‘Work Related Learning’ module and ‘Project’). However, by choosing this option we are obligated to undertake the ‘Work Related Learning’ module which raises even more concerns. We appreciate its flexibility of crediting us for any type of job or work experience. But how exactly is, for example, part time job in Mc Donald’s or in the university related to our course? We believe in this case it is more beneficial to choose to do a project and to invest our time to the wider research to prove the skills related closely to our degree.
This is not a negative review for work placement modules, and we are not denying that some of us will choose to partake in a work placement. But, in 2015 we signed up for our courses with having a choice between Placement or Project. And we are asking you to give us this choice.
We ask you to consider keeping work placements as on an optional pathway for students.
Thank you
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