HORT30070

Students are required to undertake a 16 (minimum) to 20 week placement in an area related to Horticulture in Spring trimester of Stage 3. Students may gain their PWE in state, semi-state or private organisations, e.g. landscape management/construction companies, laboratories, food production or supply businesses, garden centres or nurseries, golf course or other sports turf facilities, or other approved locations. Students are encouraged to develop their interpersonal skills (including report writing skills) through their contribution to planning and management tasks within the host organisation. Students can have more than one host location during PWE, with a maximum of three work placements.

Students must complete and submit through Brightspace a monthly diary and reflective learning journal of their activities. Where a student has undertaken more than one placement in a single calendar month, the student must submit a final report for the first placement and an initial report for the second placement in the same month; thus, the student will submit two reports for that particular month.

Each submission MUST include a reflective piece of writing on what was learnt in terms of horticultural and management skills, and especially what the student learnt about themselves during the placement, e.g. leadership skills, conflict resolution, interpersonal skills development etc. Additional or alternative assessment requirements may be requested where needed.

Students may undertake up to three placements and travel abroad is strongly encouraged. There are opportunities to participate in exchange programmes to work in Europe and the United States. In all cases students must seek approval for their PWE choice from the PWE Module Coordinator, before commencing the PWE placement.

Students CANNOT go on PWE until they have passed RDEV20140 Health, Welfare & Safety in Agriculture module.

Students must abide by the relevant UCD codes of practice for PWE and current contractual requirements. Successful completion of this module is required for degree graduation. Students must familiarise themselves with and abide by the regulations for PWE as set out by the Agricultural Sciences Programme Board. For each placement, a host contract must be completed, signed by the host, and received and approved by UCD, before the placement will be deemed by UCD to have commenced. Any days on placements completed in the absence of an appropriately completed host contract will not be included.

NB IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Students must familiarise themselves with and abide by the PWE regulations as set out by the Agricultural Sciences Programme Board. Host contract completion is a mandatory requirement of the PWE programme. Therefore, each placement must have a finalised host contract in place (which has been signed by the host and received by UCD) before the placement is deemed to have commenced by UCD. Any placements (or parts thereof) completed in the absence of an appropriately completed host contract will not be accepted and are deemed null and void. Only in the most exceptional circumstances will any deviation from this requirement be permitted and this must have the agreement, in writing, of the PWE Coordinator.