PROFESSIONAL TRAINING YEAR (WORK - STUDY 50/50) - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module supports students' development of personal and professional attitudes and abilities appropriate to a Professional Training placement. It supports and facilitates self-reflection and transfer of learning from a student's Professional Training placement experiences to their final year of study and their future employment. The PTY module is concerned with Personal and Professional Development towards holistic academic and non-academic learning, and is a process that involves self-reflection, documented via the creation of a personal record, planning and monitoring progress towards the achievement of personal objectives. Development and learning may occur before and during the placement, and this is reflected in the assessment model as a progressive process. However, the graded assessment takes place primarily towards the end of the placement. Additionally, the module aims to enable students to evidence and evaluate their placement experiences and transfer that learning to other situations through written skills.

In the year prior to the Professional Training Year (FHEQ 5) some seminars will be provided to students by alumni about their experiences working in industry. These seminars will help students prepare for their Professional Training year by helping set expectations about working in the environment and sustainability jobs and the wider sector.

Module provider

Sustainability, Civil & Env Engineering

Module Leader

DRUCKMAN Angela (CES)

Number of Credits: 120

ECTS Credits: 60

Framework: Professional Training Year

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

The module focuses on achieving the learning outcomes by offering via the placement experience the opportunity for students to nurture the employability skills that graduate employers look for and to develop the professional identity, competencies and attributes that support the future employability outcomes for students. This development takes place across a wide range of professional environments with great variety in the work and study undertaken. Nevertheless, all of these offer the same opportunity to achieve the learning outcomes.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the learning outcomes regarding the successful acquisition of a Professional Training placement, and the acquisition of the employability skills and competencies that support students' graduate employability outcomes.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Placement Report

Completed at the end of the placement this report reviews the student's placement, analyses their professional practices and work environment and provides a critical reflection on their personal and professional development. The 4,000 word Placement Report contains two elements: (a) a subject specific or technical section (word count 3,000 words); and (b) a section about the student's reflection on their personal and professional development from the Professional Training placement (word count 1,000 words). This second section should include reflections on the challenges of interdisciplinary working in a professional context.

• Study exchange

Students must secure the agreed number of credits at the partner institution in order to successfully meet the requirements of the Professional Training year. This recognises the balance of the 50/50 nature of the placement year and accommodates study exchange alongside the work placement.

Formative assessment and feedback:

Students will receive ongoing feedback as they develop their own Professional Development Review (PDR) which they undertake several times across the duration of the placement experience. This feeds directly into the development of the Reflective element of the Placement Report.

The requirements of the partner institution are applied to any aspect of formative assessment and feedback for the study exchange element of the placement.

Module aims

• Enable students to acquire and develop knowledge as it occurs in professional practice.
• Apply academic knowledge to work activities and processes in practice, and in the context of the learning experience at a partner institution (generally at an overseas location)
• Enable students to mature through the evaluation of their placement experiences.
• Support students to develop and apply new skills appropriate to their professional setting in which they are working and appropriate to the academic setting in which they are studying.
• Enable students to develop the employability skills and attitudes/approach that graduate employers look for and are required of a person working in a professional capacity.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

• The learning and teaching methods are predicated on experiential learning through the placement experience itself. The study elements of the placement will comply with the requirements of the institutional partner.


• The mentoring, coaching and assessment role of both the Workplace Supervisor and the University's Professional Training Tutor (PT Tutor) are focused on ensuring that students achieve the learning outcomes for the module; these relate to (1) personal and professional development, (2) evaluation of placement learning and (3) transfer of placement learning.


• The learning and teaching is supported by placement meetings with the students on work placement by a PT Tutor to support students¿ critical self-reflection and learning and regular mentoring support via phone, email, teleconference or video conference. In addition Return Days, Industry Days and regular support and review of the Professional Development Review and student development plans (as part of the PDR) provide additional experiential learning.


• The assessment of students¿ performance by their respective placement provider is another key aspect of the experiential learning process for the placement student.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENGP016

Other information

The Centre for Environment and Sustainability is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience, in line with the Surrey Curriculum Framework. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

Employability: Studying abroad builds a student's interpersonal and professional skills as they learn to function in a very different environment to that of the University of Surrey. Working in industry effectively develops a student's employability by giving them practical experience of the work environment. Employers want to recruit graduates with practical knowledge and experience which students can gain while on placement and while studying abroad.

Global and cultural capabilities: Studying abroad and working in industry allows students to develop intercultural awareness and informed views on global, social and ethical issues. Students will develop competencies to engage effectively with people from different backgrounds encountered abroad and in the workplace. Students will develop competencies to engage effectively with people from different backgrounds as they continuously interact with their lecturers, other students and members of the public while studying at a foreign university, or when working professionally in a company or organisation.

Digital capabilities: A semester studying abroad allows students to develop effective digital communication skills as they make use of a variety of digital communication tools to maintain contact with University of Surrey staff, friends and family back home.

Sustainability: Sustainability is a global challenge which is being tackled in different ways around the world due to the different economic, social and environmental challenges faced in each location. Studying abroad allows students to appreciate how other societies are tackling the challenge of sustainable development. Applying theories, concepts and skills relating to sustainability development in the workplace develops a student's understanding of sustainability and its application to real world problems.

Resourcefulness and resilience: Studying abroad and working in industry will develop a student's ability to respond effectively to opportunities, challenges, difficulties and setbacks. Living in a foreign country requires students to adapt to different ways of living, thinking and acting. Professional work experience also develops a student's resourcefulness and resilience as they adapt to the needs and expectations of their employer. Students are supported by their placement tutor as they face these challenges.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.