Work experience sh*t show

[Dwellernf]

DD17 is starting her 2 week college industry placement today. Level 3 extended diploma in equine studies. Students had to find an industry related placement and give all relevant info...placement address, contact details etc to the college by January. No problem. DD knew the yard she was going to, all arranged. Due to the easter holidays, students were given the option of doing it during the holidays, or the 2 weeks following. A few have already done their placement, or a few days of it. Good Friday we went to the yard to finalise days, hours etc. We had arranged it with the yard manager that DD would be doing these 2 weeks, as it allowed a member of staff to go on leave and DD would be the replacement. Yard manager was off over the Easter weekend and would see DD Tuesday. Good Friday pm... email from the college to say that due to the college not completing the necessary checks DD would not be able to do her placement at her chosen yard, and would instead have to chose from a short list of places that the college had managed to vet. The closest venue to us being 25 miles away! According to DD's group chat this was affecting 9 out of the 17 students, and 3 of them had already completed/started their days. These were now not valid, and they will have to re do them, at a different place!! We were told we had the Easter weekend to sort out the new placements!!! I managed to get hold of the course leader, and was told it wasn't HER fault, and the placement team had failed to get the relevant insurance docs. I explained that the yard DD was going to have full insurance and I can get them to send the docs on Tuesday when yard manager returns to work. No. It had to be in place before DD starts. The yard is a registered charity, in which one of DD's course lecturers is a trustee, as well as the charity's head instructor. She could verify all is in order. No. Still wont be done in time. The yard also run major show jumping and dressage competitions at the college equestrian centre. They would have the insurance copy? No! The events team is a different dept and we cant possibly 'cross departments'!!! I then told her that as course leader it was her fault as she should have made sure all this was in place for her students before the easter break, knowing they would all be going straight into it. She said it wasn't her job. I told her DD would be starting at her chosen yard on Monday, as I wasn't going to let them down or be prepared to change my work schedule etc over the next 2 weeks to take DD to a placement miles away (no public transport... we are very rural) To which she said she will fail that part of her course as it's not a valid placement! AIBU to think the college have mucked up big time here, and it is the course leaders responsibility to make sure all students had their placements sorted and verified? And AIBU to still send DD to her chosen placement? And AIBU to want to make a complaint to the college about this, and make sure DD does not fail this part of her course. The college had since January to do all the checks...

The college actually said “we haven’t done the checks”?

Op she can’t just turn up

there is no insurance in place

the yard would rightfully refuse

In your place I would find that outrageous. It’s unreasonable by the college on so many levels!

b. I told her DD would be starting at her chosen yard on Monday, as I wasn't going to let them down o

the yard won’t allow it op. They aren’t insured.

its disappointing but you can’t just bull doze your daughter into this

What a shit show, but yes she can't just turn up..

The college have mucked up
not just for your daughter for majority of others too
it will be sorted but may take time

It sounds as if the yard is insured, it’s this department in the college that hasn’t got hold of the certificate for their own records:

the yard DD was going to have full insurance and I can get them to send the docs on Tuesday when yard manager returns to work. No. It had to be in place before DD starts. The yard is a registered charity, in which one of DD's course lecturers is a trustee, as well as the charity's head instructor. She could verify all is in order. No. Still wont be done in time. The yard also run major show jumping and dressage competitions at the college equestrian centre. They would have the insurance copy? No! The events team is a different dept and we cant possibly 'cross departments'!!!

Turn up as planned.
Get the paperwork done on Tuesday.
Count it officially from Wednesday.
If necessary do an extra day or 2 on the end to make up the time.

No

this is putting the yard in a very vulnerable position

dont just turn up op

Not necessarily; if the yard is insured through themselves then they may be happy for her to continue. Then it’s just getting the college to agree that what she’s doing can count as her work experience.

I’ve had work experience students with me under my own employer’s insurance without their school or college having to provide insurance. I think it would be easier to continue with this placement than trying to sort a new one that may fail anyway and then she’s let the original place down plus also fails this bit of the course!

The OP says the yard has full insurance.
You can do work experience without going via a college anyway.

Yep. They said we apologise but due to an oversight we have not completed the necessary checks.
Thing is... They already had a student from another course do their placement!

If the yard has confirmed they have insurance why would it not be in place?

The whole work experience thing needs a complete overhaul. The ballache they put employers through just means many organization's no longer allow work experience kids to come in. The schools and colleges mandate the kids

Maybe they should do interactive AI work placements using VR headsets for role play instead.

There is insurance in place. The yard is fully insured. The college just have not got a copy, which has infact now been emailed over. Although apparently still not good enough as the college need to do a physical check of the yard! Despite one of the college instructors being one of the yard instructors too!!

Possibly
depends on the scope of their EL policy

but ultimately as frustrating as this is, the college has been clear on its position.

At my work we recently had someones child for a week doing work experience, the mum asked about it and was told to check with the head office who look after the insurance and they said it was fine as the normal policy covered it, no special arrangments needed. That's probably pretty normal

The yard IS insured!

So she can turn up and not let the stables down if they have insurance

but the college has been clear on its position op and I don’t think standing your feet is going to change it

This is so poor, so unprofessional of the college. College is negligent.

This really annoys me and I totally agree and sympathise with the OP.

I worked at a college about 10 years ago and they insisted that all placements had to be vetted asking for documents which all would have in place and then be visited by the H & S person. It was a nightmare - went to visit one placement who said quite rightly that the H & S person had visited and question them and "advised" on something ,can't remember exactly what but I remember at the time thinking that if I was the business owner I wouldn't be taking any placements in the future.

Then the additional issue of DBS was brought up - another minefield. Work places don't need DBS checking unless they are ones that are designated so ie Schools etc.

Whilst saying all this I sadly think that the College will be difficult - which is appalling and that it will be pointless undertaking the placement. The College could give way as that will not be anything to do with the awarding body but if the College are going to be difficult they will be.

But they've said they have insurance, surely they know what their policy says?

DD could go and do what is planned so the yard isn’t let down, separate to the work experience.

Any chance of delaying the work experience until the college agree that they have everything in place? Extenuating circumstances due to their poor organisation.

Apparently more than one poster here seems to knows they aren't, bizarre!

this is not just bog standard work experience

this is actually going towards a student’s assessment

whilst the college have messed up, they have a policy in place because this comprises part of their course and whether the student passes or fails an aspect of it.

the op can’t change that