Industrial attachment course offers students an experiential learning to apply their knowledge from the academic discipline, broaden their social horizon and enhance their work readiness. It emphasises teaching and learning through hands-on experience of real-world practices in an authentic workplace.
In line with the department’s focus on interdisciplinary nature of knowledge, the course equips students with communicative competence and transferable skills for a wide range of careers. Through a co-supervision from an Academic Supervisor and a Workplace Supervisor, the course encourages students to reflect upon their performance and identify areas for self-improvement throughout the experiential learning process.
Industrial attachment course is designed for students from Year 2 and above. The total hours required to complete the internship are 120 hours.
Credits will be awarded to students who demonstrate that they have been able to apply their academic knowledge and analytical skills successfully to achieve the intended learning outcomes.
- To develop mutually beneficial partnership between the University and the community.
- To enhance students' employability through integrating academic knowledge from class with real-world practice in an authentic organisational context.
- To provide the Agency opportunity to know the talent of Shue Yan students, more available manpower and potential staff for advancing the business.
- To keep the teaching and learning practice of the University for students abreast with the current job expectation and requirement.
The Department
- To provide students guidance on working attitudes and behaviours before the placement;
- To assign an Industrial Attachment Coordinator to liaise with agency to deal with issues in relation to the placement;
- To conduct the recruitment process and the selection of the appropriate students for the placement;
- To ensure students on placement to be covered by a Group Personal Accident Policy Schedule;
- To arrange Academic Supervisor(s) for students to guide their academic learning process;
- To collect the Agency Evaluation Form from the Agency upon the completion of the placement.
Agency
- To make available a range of opportunities for students to learn through working in the Agency;
- To provide a Workplace Supervisor to guide students onsite for the implementation of the roles, tasks and projects assigned to them throughout placement period;
- To give professional and constructive feedback on student’s performance and help them to improve;
- To monitor students’ behaviour and attitude to ensure that they behave in an ethical and courteous manner;
- To stay in touch with the Industrial Attachment Coordinator to discuss students’ performance, behaviour and attitudes;
- To complete the Agency Evaluation Form and send it to the Industrial Attachment Coordinator upon the completion of the placement.
Recruitment
The Industrial Attachment Office supports academic departments to source the potential external agencies and coordinate the recruitment process for the work component of an industrial attachment course.
To identify the potential external agencies, the Director of the Industrial Attachment/the Industrial Attachment Coordinators in academic departments should visit the agencies for a site observation and consider whether they would be able to meet the University’s requirements as a provider of industrial attachments as part of a credit-bearing course for undergraduate programmes.
Once the provision of industrial attachments is confirmed, the Industrial Attachment Office helps the Industrial Attachment Coordinators in academic departments to set up briefing sessions for students about the opportunities for industrial attachment and the application procedures. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon their career interests, to familiarise themselves with the work expectations of the external agencies, and to identify their own intended learning outcomes from the industrial attachment. The Industrial Attachment Coordinators/Academic Supervisors in academic departments will designate special office hours to provide additional consultations and advice.
Evaluation
The agency has to complete the Agency Evaluation Form and send it to the Industrial Attachment Coordinator upon the completion of the placement. Please contact us at iao@hksyu.edu for the requesting Agency Evaluation Form.
The Statutory Minimum Wage does not apply to students taking industrial attachment courses as part of their learning programme. The relevant government regulations can be found from the Statutory Minimum Wage: Notes for Student Employees and Employers.
Financial Subsidy
In order to provide an incentive to students, external agencies are recommended to offer students a travel allowance to encourage their participation at work. Students should, however, understand the work component of an industrial course is conducted for teaching and learning purposes. Students taking an industrial attachment course may work for the external agency entirely on a voluntary basis, particularly if the external agencies are NGOs, community organisations, charity institutions, welfare authorities, social enterprises, or non-profit making companies, etc., financial subsidy should not be the target.
Insurance Coverage
Hong Kong Shue Yan University has a Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy Schedule in place that covers all students during their work placement outside campus. Further information on the insurance policy can be obtained from the Industrial Attachment Office.