Information for employers (DIntS)

Thank you for offering a short-term placement in your company to one or more of our students for a period of professional training during the third year of their degree programme.

A placement student speaking with another member of staff in the office, looking at a laptop.

The 6+6 or short-term placement is an integral element of our degree courses and something we believe is of particular benefit to our students. Over many years, Loughborough University has earned a high reputation for producing graduates who are well suited to the demands of modern businesses. Our 6+6 programme will lead to the award of the Diploma in International Studies (DIntS) for our students and aims to further equip them with the skills needed to succeed in the current, rapidly changing job market, along with the skills gained from their study abroad experience.

This webpage gives you an overview of the requirements needed for the student to qualify for the DIntS award, as well as a summary of what we ask of your company. It also gives you details of the students’ online placement information; key information on the placement progress meeting and contact details you may need for the Placements Office. Alongside this information, you should also have received a Certificate of Satisfactory Performance (CASP) for the student.

Each student will be allocated a Placement Tutor – an academic member of staff who will contact the student whilst on placement and will also want to meet with the student and their manager; this will most likely be online, but face-to-face visits can be undertaken if required. Only one meeting will take place for short term placements.

Finally, every year our second year students will begin looking for a placement from October. We would be grateful if you could send us the details of any year placements or short-term placements you may be offering next year, or contact us if you wish to chat about this.

We hope that the placement goes well for you and for the student, but please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further assistance at any stage.

What we ask of employers

A Host Organisation Declaration Form (HODF) should have been sent to you by the student to be completed and returned to the Placements Office as soon as possible. The placement cannot be approved for the purposes of the DIntS until we receive this.

Employers may be asked to complete a Placement Criteria Form. This helps us to establish that the role is suitable for the student.

  • Assign a supervisor to the student.
  • Draw up a programme of work for the student, including suitable relevant experiences in business which require a level of intellectual participation appropriate to a third year student.
  • Complete an induction period with the student.

An academic member of staff will be assigned to the student as a Placement Tutor. The allocated Placement Tutor will hold a placement progress meetings with the student. The default position is this meeting will be online.

Complete the first Certificate of Satisfactory Perfomance (CASP). The student completes the first part of the form before passing this to the manager.  

If you wish to use your company’s own development review/appraisal documents please do so, but please be aware that the student will need a signed copy of the review/appraisal for their DIntS folder at the end of the year.

Please meet the student’s Placement Tutor and review the student’s progress. Adjust the programme of work as necessary.

  • Review the student's DIntS work.
  • Complete the final part of the Certifiacte of Satisfactory Performance (CASP) with the student.

The placement progress meetings

The purpose of the visit is for the student and their academic placement tutor to meet and discuss the progress of the placement. It is also for the placement tutor to meet the student’s line manager to discuss the student’s progress and to address any queries or issues you may have.

A placement progress meeting usually lasts up to 60 minutes and typically comprises a meeting between the student and the placement tutor and a meeting between the placement tutor, the student’s line manager and the student. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange the meetings, to suit all parties involved.

The student’s Certificate of Satisfactory Performance (CASP) can form the basis of the meetings and the Placement Tutor will have a checklist to work through to ensure that they have gained all the information they need from the meeting. Should it be required, any further contact or even a further meeting can be arranged on a needs basis.

Diploma in International Studies

To obtain the DIntS on graduation, the student must satisfactorily complete:

  • A minimum of 10 weeks (excluding holidays) in a business and/or management related role.
  • A competent performance of duties on the placement; maintaining good conduct and upholding the reputation and standards of both the company and the University.
  • A 1500-word piece of work reflecting on the placement.
  • Prepare a marketing ‘product’ (for example a poster, infographic, presentation etc) that communicates their experience at your placement organisation.
  • Successfully pass their modules studied at a partner organisation. 

It is the overall responsibility of the student to ensure that they receive a suitable professional experience; to maintain satisfactory communication with the University and to see that the requirements for the award of DIntS are met.

Students are to complete their assessments outside of their working hours. 

Students are equipped will all the relevant information that they need for successful completion of their placement, as well as award of the DIntS.

Help and support

Most if not all of our students’ placements go well with no issues, as we like to ensure that our students behave and act accordingly to your organisation’s policy, rules and regulations. However, things do not always go to plan on placement such as work issues with company culture, roles and responsibilities, behavioural issues and more.

Therefore, it is very important that we are aware of any issues that may arise as soon as they occur. Please contact the student’s Placement Tutor and/or the Placements Office. The team will then help to resolve the issue the best they can, finding the best solution for your organisation as well as the student.

Contact information

The Placements Office is open all year round except for bank holidays and University closures. The first point of contact for you as a placement employer is the Placements Manager or Placements Team. Please do contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Claire Walker Placements Manager

Placements Team