Students - Teachers

GENERAL APPROACH

Business Placements (PE) (Prácticas Externas) is the name of a subject that is common to the curricula of a large number of ETSIME degrees. It consists of the realization of a tutored stay in a business, organization, or other professional entity, external to the School.

This subject is located in the second semester of the 4th year (although it can also be done earlier, though this is not advised, if necessary). The duration of the stay must be at least 3 months, full-time (minimum of 35 hours per week), or its part-time equivalent. However, the School considers it desirable - and this is explained to companies and collaborating entities - that stays have a longer duration, for better cross-over with the Bachelor’s Thesis (TFG) (Trabajo fin de Grado), and to better fulfil the intended training and integration objectives in the world of work.

As of February 2015, the official period for the PE, is following the completion of the academic activities of the 1st quarter (allowing the PE to continue into the summer).

The PE should ideally be the last subject the student completes at the School, excluding the TFG. It is therefore appropriate to delay its realization as much as possible, in order to enhance its training value and promoting its effect on creating possible job opportunities. In any case, before starting the PE, it is best to have completed all the subjects of the curriculum (having either passed or at least sat each of the relevant exams).

APPLICATION FOR THE BUSINESS PLACEMENT AND ASSIGNMENT OF AVAILABLE PLACES

The first option to perform the PE is to ask the School to search for a place. This does not exclude the student from also searching for a placement as well, in fact this is highly recommended. To register as an applicant with the ‘Oficina de Prácticas Externas’, the following must be considered:

The Application period is limited to the month of October (until the 31st): This period is not extendable, and it is understood that students who do not apply during this period will be searching for their own practices.
Academic conditions that the student should meet when applying for placements: Students should have completed all of the other subjects on the curriculum (excluding the TFG). Generally, PEs must be carried out during the last academic year at the School.
NO enrollment is required of the PE subject.

To register as a PE applicant, you must start by sending an email to the following address: Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo. stating the following: full name and qualification, and by attaching a CV with photograph (in http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/ in www.quierounbuentrabajo.com or in www.universia.es you can find guidance on how to prepare the CV, along with examples; the coordinating tutor can also advise on this on request).

In a short time, the student will receive the specific forms to complete the registration.

Forms that the student will receive via e-mail after registration:

Student Details (form Pr1). This form is used to collect personal data and to find out the availability and preferences of the student in relation to the PE i.e. sector, subject, place, duration, dates, etc. These preferences will be taken into account, but are not binding on the School. It is also the authorization for the coordinating tutor of the PE subject to send the CV and the student's personal and academic data to the collaborating entities, to obtain placements.
SA FORM. This form, different for each degree, serves to set out the academic situation of the student, in terms of progress in the Degree.

Search for and receipt of placements

Placements/Internships are regularly requested from the PE Office. Information about available offers, together with their characteristics, are communicated via email to all students registered for the program, as company responses are received (gradually, not on a fixed date). Students may then decide which offer or offers to apply for.

In order to apply for the offers, the student must draw up a model letter, which they can subsequently adapt to each of the offers to which they wish to apply. This letter should be sent together with their CV to the contact indicated, always copying in the PE coordinating professor.

Allocation of places offered

It is the companies and collaborating entities that make the selection of the student, or students, who will carry out the placements. However, the School recommends that they follow the following criteria:

the student has as few subjects as possible pending (proximity to completion of studies).
qualification and itinerary (adequacy to what the company demanded).
student availability in terms of working day, duration, and dates (appropriate to what is offered by the company).
specific competencies, skills, or knowledge, if any, required for the position offered (whether or not included in the curriculum, such as language proficiency, computer applications, etc.).
availability to travel and reside outside Madrid (if appropriate).
other circumstances of particular value (e.g. originating in an area or region).

SEARCHING FOR AND AGREEING OF AN INTERNSHIP BY THE STUDENT THEMSELF

In parallel with the application for internships via the School, it is recommended that each student should also try to seek placements on their own initiative (it also serves as good training for looking for a job following graduation). The PE Office provides all the required support to students who take the initiative to find their internships.

If the student obtains an adequate offer, the student must send, by email, a description of the placement to the coordinating professor, using the Pr2 form (which can be filled out and sent by the student, or the company). It is essential to have the placement approved at least 1 week prior to the proposed start date of the internship (the month of August is not counted for these purposes). If this deadline is not met, the start of the placement may have to be delayed until all the formalities are completed.

The internship projects presented by students must be consistent with the PE subject. In any case, it is for the coordinating professor of this subject to decide on the validity of a proposed internship. The criteria that are applied in relation to suitability of an internship are: duration of stay (respect for the minimum duration established in the curriculum), activity of the company/organism/work center (reasonable crossover with the degree syllabus), content of placement (difficulty level, training potential, relationship to degree).

Once the proposed placement has been approved, the rest of the documents that the student must e-mail are the same as those cited in the previous section (CV with photo, PR-1 form and SA form), if these documents are not already in the possession of the PE Office.

ENROLMENT IN THE PE SUBJECT

Once an internship has been definitively assigned (and not before) the student will enroll (in person, in the Secretariat) on the PE. This is done to prevent a student from enrolling on the course and then not being able to take part in that academic year, causing them to pay a second enrollment fee the following academic year.

CARRYING OUT AND MONITORING THE PE

Once an internship is assigned, each student receives personal attention in the form of tutoring, prior to the start of the placement. This is designed to guide, and explain in detail, the monitoring and evaluation protocols for the placement and the subject as a whole.

TUTORING HOURS AND PERSONAL ATTENTION FOR STUDENTS WANTING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For further help and guidance related to this subject, students should visit the ‘Oficina de Prácticas Externas’ in the first instance (Building M-1, first floor):

For administrative matters contact: Malena González Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.

Hours of Availability: 09:00 to 14:00, Monday to Friday.

Tutoring with the coordinating professor of the PE is by appointment, arranged by e-mail: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:00 to 13:00 (office 220 of the M3 building:

Dr. Javier García Delgado Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.

Any questions can also be sent to the above e-mail or by phone to +34 91 336 70 21.