| Unit name | Accounting / Finance Professional Placement Year |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ACFI20002 |
| Credit points | 120 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Ms. Cottrell |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Must achieve 60% first year average |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Accounting and Finance - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This unit is important because it enables you to bring your studies to life and develop your understanding of a typical accounting and finance workplace – how is that theory applied in reality, what do accountants actually do all day, what exactly is an auditor? It also enables you to practise your employability skills in a safe environment enabling you to mature and develop as the year progresses.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This unit enables you to apply theory and practice to the workplace. It also then brings that practical experience back to the final year of study which will enhance the level of understanding and skills you can demonstrate in final year units. This is particularly true for optional units. It also gives you the opportunity to test drive a career – maybe the chosen career will not be the one you decide to go on to pursue, but it will still not have been a wasted year. It will have helped you develop your knowledge, all of the skills are transferable and you will at least know what you do not want to do.
An overview of content
The unit comprises a year spent in a professional placement, involving work with an organisation which is an authorised training employer with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) or equivalent. Typical roles might be in accounting, IT, insolvency, tax or audit either in practice or in industry.
The aim of this unit is to provide you with additional knowledge, understanding and skills derived from spending a period in a financial environment within a commercial, governmental or not-for-profit organisation.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
This unit gives you the opportunity to test drive a career or industry sector and decide whether it is what you might like to do after graduation. Love or loathe the job you chose, you will be a different person at the end of the year. You will have gained valuable employability skills and matured. You will also have grown in confidence and self-awareness. You may even have an offer of employment for after graduation.
Learning Outcomes
There is no university-delivered teaching on this unit. However, during the placement year you will learn through your work how the knowledge from your earlier studies is used in the workplace as well as develop your skills profile. You may also, depending on the employer, attend structured and unstructured training courses over the year. This may include completing some of the exams of a professional institute such as ICAEW.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan
Any reassessment required will be a like for like assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ACFI20002).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
