Professional Training and Education
The University of Surrey’s educational distinctiveness is founded on an undergraduate curriculum that encourages and facilitates the development of knowledge, skills, qualities and dispositions that are relevant to being an effective professional, through real world professional work experiences.
There are two models for professional training and education at Surrey. In health and social care programmes students undertake placements throughout a 3 year programme: theory and practice are combined and integrated throughout the programme. About 20% of undergraduates utilise this work integrated learning approach. All other programmes in all disciplines are required to provide opportunities for learners to develop their professional capabilities through year long work placements that will lead to outcomes that are relevant to learners’ programmes. We use the term Professional Training to describe these programmes and about 50% of undergraduates utilise this approach.
The remaining 30% students study on three year programmes which do not involve professional training work placements or work integrated learning. Some of these students however gain valuable work experience and personal development through internships or part-time work. SCEPTrE’s Learning through Work Certificate enables students to gain recognition for learning gained through work experiences that lie outside the professional training or work integrated learning credit-bearing framework.
These approaches, which combine and integrate work experience and classroom-based education, have proved to be very successful in enabling Surrey graduates to secure employment on completion of their degree. Surrey is consistently at, or near the top, of the league tables for graduate employability.
Professional Training is overseen and monitored by the Professional Training and Careers Committee (PTCC) however there are many groups which work alongside each other to provide the best possible opportunities to students. The Careers Service, International Relations Office and Surrey Centre for Excellence in Professional Training and Education (SCEPTrE) all contribute to the success of Professional Training at the University of Surrey.
For more information visit: www.surrey.ac.uk/professionaltraining
