School of Art Design Issue April Linda Whiteley Placements

							School of Art & Design Issue 6 • April 2007
Linda Whiteley Placements Administrator Address Queen Street Building Floor 1, room 4 Tel 01484 471091 E-mail desplacements@ hud.ac.uk Welcome to the latest edition of the School of Art & Design’s bi-annual Placements Newsletter. If you have any queries or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. In this issue we will be looking at overseas placements and what options could be out there! For general information on placements you can look on the School of Art & Design webpage, go to: http://des-tech.hud.ac.uk/ BandR/business/index.asp This website will be updated regularly.

Placements Newsletter
Welcome to the School of Art and Design’s latest newsletter. The School has an enviable reputation for quality placements and I'm sure you will enjoy reading about the breadth and richness of the experience from our students. We know that our students go on to work in many different related fields within the Creative Industries, it’s through placement that students can receive a real taste of what is on offer, helping to confirm their professional intent once they have left University and indeed when they return for Post graduate study or continuing professional development. I would also like to say a big thank you to all our placement hosts who undertake to offer superb experiences for our students. Emma Hunt – Dean, School of Art & Design

Why choose a placement?
For students in their second year, choosing to add another year onto your degree may or may not seem like a viable option at this point in time, especially as you will have to pay half fees to cover the extra year, and do a lot of legwork to ensure you get what you want. However, in our opinion, and in the opinion of past placement students, the pros far outweigh the cons. Here are some of the reasons why you will benefit from spending a year in industry: • Most companies will pay a salary. At the very least, you will have a solid, ‘real world’ reference to offer potential employers after graduation. Some companies even offer their placement students full-time employment following graduation!! • Learn about your chosen discipline from a working perspective, gain insight into the art and design market and develop your general business skills and industry links. • Give yourself the edge over other graduates who may not have any relevant work experience. Make informed decisions on your future career path. • Initial research also shows that students who have undertaken a workbased learning experience generally achieve a higher degree classification than those who either suspend studies or work straight through to final year. • 86% of graduates from full-time first degree courses from the School of Art & Design in the academic year 2004/05 went into employment, this is much higher than the national total for full-time first degree graduates which was 63%*. • In the last three years we have created 35 new student start-up businesses!
*Higher Education Statistics Agency press release (HESA SFR101), 4 July 2006 I

MaPPit
Well done! Lots of you have registered with the MaPPit system, and are hopefully using it to its full advantage. Lots of placement opportunities are being advertised on there and this increases daily, so keep checking – don’t miss the deadlines! Any problems, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m sorry to those of you already out on placement, and who have tried to register with MaPPit, Access is only given to second year students (third year for BA Architecture). Please contact me for further assistance and I’ll try to help. I

Placement Conference
A big ‘thank you’ to all second year students who attended the Conference on Wednesday, 10 January 2007. It was a huge success with over 170 in attendance from a wide variety of subject areas. Because of its success it will become a regular feature and I will be asking current year out students for input at the next conference.

Blackboard
Don’t forget to check Blackboard for other information, whether out on placement or still looking to secure your placement. Blackboard has a lot of information on there about other events, competitions and general advice. I

In this issue: Overseas placements • funding • case studies

new placements over the summer
OK, you’re coming to the end of your second year of study and you’re going to start your placement within the next few months. Or maybe, you’re still looking for a placement and you’re not sure how long you’ve got to try and find employment.
So you can start planning ahead, here’s how the School schedules its administration over the summer. • June -Aug – most students begin their work experience. • Mid Aug – deadline for contacting me regarding your intentions. If you are unable to make the deadline, get in touch with me as soon as possible. • Early Sept – contact is made with students we haven’t heard from over the summer. • Late Sept – Induction period for all students and re-registration. EVEN IF YOU ARE ON PLACEMENT, YOU MUST RE-REGISTER. Contact me if you have any problems. • Oct – teaching begins. By this time, you must be in, or near to being in, your placement.

summer
Returning students
You’ll be coming to the end of your placement soon. Hope you’ve found it both rewarding and worthwhile. I look forward to hearing about some of your experiences and hope you will find the time to write your thoughts (good or bad) down for me to publish in the next newsletter. Please ensure your employer completes the Evaluation of Managed Work Placement form and you complete the Student Evaluation Form, both found at the back of the Placement Booklets. You should all have returned the H&S Checklist – if not, please do so immediately.

which you are studying and the length of your placement. A full study year could be in the region of £1300. An ‘Advice for Students’ sheet can be collected from Allan Shearer, T1/02 or Linda Whiteley, QS1/04. PLEASE NOTE – if you are studying abroad for a full year as a SOCRATES student, your normal UK tuition fees will be waived. Students working or studying abroad, MUST arrange their own travel and medical insurance.

What defines a placement/ managed work experience?
• Employment with an established company • Setting up your own business • Student Exchange Overseas If your idea for your placement year falls into any of the above categories, please let us know your intentions asap. Otherwise you must enrol for your final year in September.

Access to Learning Fund
The Access to Learning Fund is a sum of money that is given to the University each year by central government. The University administer the fund along the guidelines set by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), and it is designed for students who are in financial difficulties. As long as students meet certain UK residency criteria and have taken out the full student loan available to them (which may be none at all) then they should be eligible to apply. Postgraduate and part-time students can also apply, although the assessment procedure is slightly different. The Fund is assessed on the student’s income and expenditure throughout the academic year, and any award is designed to make up any reasonable shortfall between the two. Placement year students can apply, although if they receive a salary it will be taken into account. Those students who are on unpaid placements are particularly encouraged to apply. The applications are accepted each academic year between September and May. If you have any more questions or would like an application form then please contact the Student Finance Office at the Queensgate campus at Huddersfield, email studentfinancialsupport@hud.ac.uk or ring on 01484 472176.

Place Me First Website
www.placemefirst.com – new site, free registration, first for undergraduate placement.

Erasmus funding – working abroad
Leonardo da Vinci grants are available to students who have secured a European placement and are due to start in 2007 – but you must return by the end of May 2008 to qualify for funding through Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency. The amount you would receive is €110 per week and if you were overseas for 45 weeks or more the full €5000 would be given. For initial enquiries please contact Elle Vuitton (e.vuitton@yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk). If you need further information please log on to their website: www.yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk. Funding for a longer period is now through a different source. Please see me, Linda Whiteley, for further information.

Placement handbooks
When your placement is secure, the next documents you will receive are the handbooks. You will receive three handbooks: one laying out your responsibilities as a student on placement, the other giving you general advice on Health and Safety issues in the workplace (what to do if there is a fire, working with machinery, etc – form to be returned as soon as the placement starts) and the third to be given to your employer. In all three handbooks there are various forms that need to be completed at various stages in your placement. The content of each handbook should ensure that any contact or visiting issues are fully understood, and that everyone involved knows their part in the placement process.

Socrates Erasmus funding – study abroad
The European Commission promote a number of education and training programmes designed to prepare young people for a working life within the European Union. Socrates-Erasmus should provide you with a top-up grant for your period of study abroad. It is intended as a contribution towards the costs of travel, subsistence and accommodation, the amount varies according to the country in

case e studies studies cas
Georgie Holt Schooling, Interior Design, Cape Town

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Ruth Priday and Kate Barnes, BA(Hons) Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors
“In the past year we have been on two European funded Erasmus Student Exchange programmes. In our first term we studied Fashion Management in Amsterdam. We quickly adapted to the Dutch lifestyle, even riding our bikes to get around the city. We both study Textile Design, so by studying Fashion Management we have gained new knowledge and skills. In our second term we studied in Kuopio, which is a small city in Finland. The first three months was like a winter wonderland. We had the opportunity to regularly go skiing and skating on frozen lakes like the Finnish do. We studied Textile Design but unlike our course in Huddersfield they concentrate on teaching craft techniques, which were interesting to learn. As well as learning these new techniques we even studied a course in Jewellery Design. While we were in Finland, we travelled to Russia, Sweden, Estonia and Finnish Lapland. We have had an amazing time travelling to so many different countries this past year. We definitely recommend going on exchanges abroad.”

My search for an architectural placement took a long time, and after many almost-internships and fallen-through offers, I eventually landed my perfect job – in South Africa. I don’t have any links over here, apart from a distant relative who spent some time here, but the (very basic) history I knew of the country intrigued me.

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been in charge of my own project, a small building for classrooms at a private boys school. Small project, but with a very steep learning curve architecturally, as I was designing the building as well as the interior. All of my colleagues have helped me immensely, and made time to explain how to make a roof fix properly to a wall – elementary, but essential. The project is on site now, and I’m so excited about seeing my first project as an actual, functioning, standing up building! Of course, my year’s experience isn’t just about working. For me, my primary goal is to discover the different culture and understand what ‘makes’ people around the country. During the Christmas holidays I went to the Wild Coast, the Trans-kei, an area of the country that was designated black during apartheid, and original home to a large amount of the Xhosa people who now live or work in Cape Town. (Xhosa’s pronounced with a palatal click by the way.) The time I spent there has been the most valuable part of my work placement – knowing a person’s background makes all the difference and I wouldn’t have truly been to South Africa until I had been outside of one of its cities. I get a couple of weeks leave soon, and mean to travel around the interior of the country to see how the provinces so close to each other have such different histories – I’ll find some way of relating it to my dissertation! I finish my placement at KMH, and am then going to either Paris or London to pick up the remaining weeks for my placement year to be complete. Whilst I’m looking forward to going, I had such a great introduction to the African continent I’m not sure anyone can top it. If anyone considers going abroad, don’t just settle for a good job. Go and experience as much as you can of the culture, the people, and their histories, because your time there won’t be complete without it. I

Emma Coxall – Tokyo, Japan

Emma Coxall – BA(Hons) Interior Design
Over the past six months I have been working at an interior architectural company, (Midas Ltd) based in Tokyo, Japan. It has been challenging in every way possible but has proved to be the most amazing and rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I had the opportunity to work alongside main designers, producing designs, layouts, presentation packages and sample boards. I was also involved in several projects from the beginning and was fortunate enough to be involved in regular client and vendor meetings, which as a student was great to see the relationship between the client and the designer. It has given me a great understanding of how a Japanese design company operates and more importantly, how to live and work in a completely different country, where language and culture are literally a thousand miles away!” I

I work for KMH Architects, whose 100+ years in the industry has meant they have a huge range of projects that I’ve been able to dip into and work on small details for. The coming World Cup in 2010 has meant all architectural firms in the country are working hurriedly to develop stadiums, transport systems, roads and accommodation suitable to accompany the thousands of fans. The airport is where KMH comes in – a huge project that was a little intimidating to someone who has no familiarity with an architects office, but I was gradually introduced to the experience of deadlines and contractors, and my first project for them involved designing… a tree. Got to work my way up, I suppose! Before Christmas, I worked mostly on the interior design of a seriously fancy apartment that was a lot of fun specifying furniture and materials for, and I think was the owner’s second or third house. Although it was very low pressure, and I wasn’t in charge of the design, it was a great way of being introduced to the company whilst leaving me time and energy for exploring Cape Town.

case studies
“I’m a graphic design student from Kuopio, Finland. I've lived most of my life close to the capital city of Finland, but I had to move for my studies in Kuopio. Even the cultural differences between Helsinki and Kuopio are easy to spot, but actually living a period in another place, like I was in Huddesrfield, is totally different from just visiting a country. So I was there to study Advertising as a Creative Imaging student. I was the only foreign student in Advertising on that semester. Everyone seemed to be friendly and helpful. I have to say that the exchange program did give me a lot of new aspects and views. The adaptation to the unknown culture is a thing I recommend to everyone. It just opens your mind.

Jussi Forsström, 3rd year student from Kuopio, Finland Age 24 Visiting from Savonia University of Applied Sciences/Kuopio’s Design Academy, Graphic Design attending the University of Huddersfield’s Creative Imaging course
It’s a great way to develop your language skills, meeting interesting people around the world, finding something new to try and solving problems on your own. It's more than likely that you will face some cultural diversities or other issues to be solved. But then again, you won't learn, if you don't face it!I guarantee you, it's worth it. We’ll I’m so lucky to gain more challenges next summer and autumn, for I'm doing my 4 months of internship in a marketing and advertising company in Graz, Austria! I will design and produce corporate designs and some advertising for local and international customers. Actually, I've already started to work in advance for them. My present project is to design a corporate design for a company that is specialized in international candies and sweets.”

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Jussi (far left) with fellow students visiting the Saltaire Brewery for a project briefing.

Second year Interior Design student placement in Japanese design agency
One of the second year students had arranged a placement interview while on the visit which resulted in him being offered a 6 month placement in a leading Japanese design practice – part of the sandwich placement aspect of the course. The Interior Design students found the experience challenging and fun. The city, although busy, had a distinct calm and tranquillity about it and a fusion of strong contemporary design and Japanese tradition. The group were also challenged with the differences in culture, and of course, food. All the students enjoyed the visit and we hope that their design work will reflect the complexity, consideration and purpose of the Japanese design. Hopefully the course may return to Japan next year.

what’s on offer
As I said earlier placement opportunities are being advertised on MaPPit regularly. Please check at least once a week. The majority are UK based, there are some overseas placements.

Study abroad – exchange places
There are various institutions offering this exchange service – listed below are study placements which have already been fulfilled for 07/08 and ones which are still available (this is correct as of going to press). For further information on these, please contact Allan Shearer, based in T1/02, tel: 01484 472065, e-mail: a.j.shearer@hud.ac.uk FINLAND Kuopia Academy of Design, Kuopio University of Central Ostrobothnia, Kokkola NETHERLANDS Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Amsterdam DENMARK Teko Centre, Herning GERMANY University of Hof, Hog. Munchberg Facility POLAND Strzeminski Academy of Fine Art and Design, Lodz

6 taken; 6 available 1 taken; 2/3 available 3 taken; 2 available 6 taken; 0 available 0 taken; 3 available 2 taken; 6 available
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Linda Whiteley, Placements Administrator School of Art & Design University of Huddersfield Queensgate Huddersfield HD1 3DH Location: Queen Street Building, QS1/04 Tel: 01484 471091 E-mail: desplacements@hud.ac.uk

Further opportunities may still become available, so please contact Allan if interested.