Practical Training Information Pack

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

PRACTICAL TRAINING

Information Pack

FBM Practical Training Information Pack of 17

1. INTRODUCTION

This document sets out the guidelines and requirements for students, staff and companies who are involved in the Practicum or Industrial Training module in the programmes of the Faculty of Business and Management. The module is taken in the final semester of the programmes, of at least three months duration. It is an important part of the study programmes as it provides the student with experiential learning in an actual work setting and complements the class-based learning that has already been acquired on the programme. This document aims to ensure that all parties involved understand their own and each other’s role in the placement, with benefits all round.

2. PRACTICAL TRAINING

2.1 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the practical training are to create opportunities for the student to:

a. Understand the structures, methods and processes of work in a real-world setting.b. Develop and enhance the requisite skills for effective interpersonal and group work

and relationships.c. Put into practice what has been learnt and reflect on the dynamic interrelationship

between theoretical and practical knowledge.d. Be familiar with and acquire a professional outlook and behaviour at work.e. Gain self-awareness, personal growth, maturity and independence in due course.

2.2 BENEFITS

2.2.1 The benefits of the practical training to the student are to:

a. Provide a meaningful, study related work experience.b. Discover their personal skills, strengths and challenges.c. Explore and identify areas for further personal development and learning.d. Explore career options and if desired, areas for further formal learning.e. Provide an opportunity to prove themselves as potential future employees.

2.2.2 The benefits available to employers are as a means of providing:

a. Alternative and cost-effective recruitment.b. Access to knowledge specific to the student’s programme of learning.c. Additional staff required for specific periods and/or projects.d. Additional insights from undergraduate students’ perspectives.

2.3 COMMENCEMENT DATES AND DURATION

Practical training commences in the final semester of the student’s programme. This may be at the eighth or ninth semester, as applicable. The duration of the work placement is equivalent to one semester of at least 14 weeks (about 3 months). The student may be offered the opportunity to extend their placement with the company but this is optional for both parties and the extension does not come under the purview of the guidelines stated in this document.


3. THE PRACTICAL TRAINING PROCESS

3.1 ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for practical training, the student must:

a. Obtain a CGPA of at least 2.00; andb. Have completed all the required subjects prior to the final semester.

3.2 APPLICATION-CONFIRMATION PROCEDURE

The flowchart on the application procedure for practical training is shown in Appendix 1.

On being eligible, the student should begin to follow the procedure for application and subsequent confirmation, in the semester preceding the final semester in which the industrial training is to take place.

3.2.1 Applying for practical training vacancies

a. Students’ own applications

Students are encouraged to identify practical training vacancies with companies and submit them to the Heads of School of their respective programmes, to vet for suitability. The Faculty will also assist by establishing contact with suitable companies on an on-going basis, for this purpose (see (b) below).

Students who are applying to companies on their own should submit to the companies concerned:

The Cover Letter which they can obtain from their Heads of School; and Their curriculum vitae (CV).

In sourcing for vacancies with companies, students should where possible, consider the following:

The organisation – its reputation; area of business expertise. Location of the company –accessibility; amenities; security. Allowance – this is at the discretion of the company and if provided,

should be stated in the offer letter. The match between the student’s programme specialisation and the

nature of the practical training.

b. Students applying with assistance from Faculty

Students who wish to apply through the Faculty must provide the Faculty with an electronic copy of their curriculum vitae early in the semester preceding the semester of their training. The application process usually proceeds in either of two ways:


i. Some companies prefer to be given a set of curriculum vitae based on their stated requirements and make their own selection of students for interviewing.

ii. Other companies may provide brief details of the job descriptions and receive curriculum vitae that have been matched by the Faculty, to shortlist for interviewing.

It is usual practice that once a student is offered a training position, they are expected to accept it.

3.3.3 Confirmation of practical training attachment

Students must confirm the acceptance of their practical training. This is done by submitting to Faculty, the following documents:

1. The Offer letter from the company at least one month before the training commences.

2. The Student Practical Training Contact Form at least two weeks after commencing the training (Appendix 2).

3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 THE STUDENT

Students’ roles and responsibilities are as follows:

3.1.1 While on training, the student is an employee of the company and is expected to adhere to all the rules and regulations of the company.

3.1.2 The student is expected to perform all assigned duties and responsibilities as in the normal course of employment.

3.1.3 The student must behave professionally and ethically with regards to the confidentiality and security of the company’s information and intellectual property.

3.1.4 Students should use their initiative to gain the widest possible experience of the working environment and display an eagerness and interest in learning all they can about the company’s structures, processes, staff, customers and areas of service.

3.1.5 Students should bear in mind that their training company can be a valuable source for personal reference for their future employers (which could be the placement company itself) and should therefore, make every effort to perform well during their placement.

3.1.6 Students should also remember that they are representing their university college and programme and should do their best to promote these to the company, as a potential future employer and continuing provider of practical training to students.


3.1.7 Any request for leave must be made directly to the company and in compliance with its policies, rules and regulations. A copy of the approved leave must then be sent to the relevant Head of School at Faculty.

3.1.8 Students are not allowed to change their company without prior notification to and approval from the relevant Head of School at Faculty.

3.1.9 Students are required to submit the required assessment documentation applicable to their training (see ASSESSMENTS below).

3.2 THE FACULTY

The Faculty will:

3.2.1 Assist students by establishing links with potential companies and allocating students for training.

3.2.2 Assign an Academic Supervisor to oversee students during their period of training.

3.2.3 Assign the staff (who may also be the Academic Supervisor), to assess the student’s practical training module.

3.2.4 Co-ordinate and review the overall practical training procedures and provide the necessary information to all parties involved.

3.3 THE COMPANY

The company is able to maximise the benefits of students’ practical training by:

a. Defining the job clearly and relating it closely to the student’s programme of study.

b. Providing the student with an Industrial Supervisor for the training period who will:

work closely with the student and liaise with the Academic Supervisor; verify the student’s Log Book when submitted by the student (see 5.2

below); complete a brief questionnaire appraising the student’s work at the end of

the training period, which will contribute to the overall assessment of the student’s practical training module.

c. Although discretionary, an allowance may be paid to the student trainee which can help them cover expenses such as meals and transportation.

4. COMPLETION OF TRAINING

At the end of the practical training period, the student must obtain from the company, a letter stating that he or she has completed the training.


5. ASSESSMENT

The components that make up the practical training assessment are as follows:

No. Component Marks

1 Industrial Supervisor’s Practical Training Appraisal (Appendix 3) 100

2 Academic Supervisor’s Assessment (Appendix 4) 25

3 Student’s Written Report (Guidelines in Appendix 6) 75

TOTAL 200

4.1 Students must submit all the above documents for assessment by one week after completion of the training.

4.2 The Practical Training Log Book

Students are required to keep a diary of logs showing the activities they are performing during their training. Students are advised to:

a. Keep the diary up to date (It is advisable to do this on a weekly basis).b. Maintain a concise description of the tasks performed.c. Clarify the context of each task.d. Have the log authenticated by the Industrial Supervisor on a regular basis, such

as weekly or fortnightly.

A sample weekly log book and entry are found in Appendices 5a and 5b respectively.

4.3 The Practical Training Report

This is a professional document giving an account of the student’s training work and experiences. The aim of the report is assess the student’s ability to set out and communicate their understanding of their engagement with the areas of work they have been involved in, during that time.

Guidelines for the content of the report is found in Appendix 6.

4.4 The Log Book and Report are required to be submitted together.

4.5 To pass the practical training module, the student must obtain at least 40% of the total marks.

4.6 A student who fails the module will be required to repeat it at a later date to be agreed with Faculty.


APPENDIX 1

APPLICATION – CONFIRMATION PROCEDURE (Student’s Own Application)


Students who qualify for Practical Training will start calling companies to

enquire about their need for trainees. This is done prior to the semester for

undergoing the training.

Student submits formal application that includes: the student’s curriculum vitae

(CV) and Cover Letter from the student’s Faculty.

Yes

No

Student contacts companies for status of applications approximately 1 month from the date the applications were

made.

Student submits the completed Student Practical Training Contact Form and Offer Letter from the

company to Faculty.

Accepted

Rejected

Faculty confirms and records the student’s placement for training with the company and

assigns the Academic Supervisor and Assessor.

Student commences training in selected company on the date stated in the offer letter

Company needs trainee during the

stated period?

APPENDIX 2

STUDENT PRACTICAL TRAINING CONTACT FORM

Academic Programme:Faculty of BusinessKuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College

Student Details

Name Muhammad Afiq Bin Daud

CorrespondenceAddress

NO. 94 BLOK F FELDA PALONG 15

73470 GEMAS

N.S.D.K

Home Address:

NO. 94 BLOK F FELDA PALONG 15

73470 GEMAS

N.S.D.K

TelephoneHome Mobile Work

- 013-6368063 0361776169

eMail Work [email protected]

1.1 Practical Training Company

Name Boost

Address:

Telephone 0361776169


1.2 Industrial Supervisor

Name

Position

Telephone Work Mobile

eMail

Practical Training Start Date

Expected End Date

Confirmation by Industrial Supervisor: I confirm that this student commenced his / her placement for training on the above date:

Signed Supervisor Date Student Date

Please return a signed copy as soon as possible after commencing placement, to the Faculty of Business KLMU.

APPENDIX 3


INDUSTRIAL SUPERVISOR’S STUDENT WORK PLACEMENT APPRAISAL FORM Academic Programme:

Faculty of BusinessKuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College

Student’s Name

Practical Training Company

Industrial Supervisor

Telephone

e mail

Practical Training Start Date

End Date

Appraisal

No AttributesUnacceptable

-Weak

1Acceptable

2Good

3Excellent

4

1 Punctuality

2 Attendance

3 Office Attire

4 Time Management

5 Communication Skill

6 Productivity

7 Willingness to Learn

8 Ability to Learn

9 Willingness to Help

10 Initiative

11 Attention to Detail

12 Creativity

13 Teamwork Attributes

14 Adaptability

15 Accuracy

16 Dependability

17 Professionalism

18 Attitude towards work

Others : (Please specify) - - - -

19 1.

20 2.

TOTAL

Final total / 80


Rating:On a scale of 1 (lowest) – 10 (highest), how do you rate the trainee’s performance compared to other previous or existing student trainees in your organisation?

Score: X 2 = /20

Recommendation:Will you recommend the trainee to work in your own organisation? Yes / No (Please circle the appropriate answer)

Overall Comments on Student Trainee:

Suggestions / Feedback (if any):

Confirmation by Industrial Supervisor

Signed : ____________________________________________________

Date : ____________________________________________________

Company’s Stamp :


APPENDIX 4

ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR’S ASSESSMENT FORM Academic Programme:

Faculty of BusinessKuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College

Student’s Name

Academic Supervisor

Practical Training Company


Report ComponentMarks Obtained Total Marks

Presentation: structure, appropriateness of information, writing style – clarity, ability to impart information

5

Format: report format; extent of coverage of contents 5

Language: accuracy, structure of language 5

Quality of Appendices: relevance of appendices 5

Introduction: overview of the purpose and content of the report 5

Background & Objectives: understanding of company; how the practical training fitted into organisation; objectives of the practical training.

15

Training Experience: description of work undertaken; links to course work, material and practical

15

Critical Analysis: usefulness /effectiveness of contribution to organisation; experience and skills gained; effect on career plans, ambitions and prospects

10

Log Book – Timely delivery; appropriateness of information; confirmation of accuracy by Industrial Supervisor

10

Sub-total 75

Practical Training Assessment Component

Marks Obtained Total Marks

Industrial Supervisor’s

Appraisal

Appraisal of listed attributes on supervisor’s questionnaire 100

Academic Supervisor’s

Appraisal

Appraisal of behaviour/performance

25

Sub-total 125

Total Marks 200

Total Score (100%) 100


Overall Practical Training Result

Signatures Date

Head of School

Academic Supervisor



APPENDIX 5a

KUALA LUMPUR METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

PRACTICAL TRAINING

LOG BOOK

Name of Student : _____________________________________

Programme:

Student ID No. : _____________________________________

Semester : _____________________________________

Name and Address of Organization : _____________________________________

_____________________________________

Name of Industrial Supervisor : _____________________________________

Designation : _____________________________________

Telephone: _____________________________________

Email : _____________________________________

Training Duration : _____________________________________

Commencing Date: _____________________________________


WEEK :

DATE DAILY DUTIES NOTES / REVIEW

Write down detailed work done. If you need more space, you may redesign this table for a page per day.

Issues Arising :

Issues Resolved :

Assistance Required :

Assistance Obtained :

Supervisor’s Verification (Employer) :


APPENDIX 5b

Sample Weekly log

Monday (dd/mm/yy):

Started creating scripts to test the ‘receive & accept’ functionality of the Procurement application. This is the part of the application used by a person in the role Goods Receiver to receive and accept or reject goods that have been delivered from some supplier.

Running a script carries out the recorded actions along with the checks, and the results of the test (whether the checks passed) are displayed afterwards. These test can then be run any time in the future to check this part of the application is working correctly.

Tuesday (dd/mm/yy):

Same as Monday. Uploaded the benchmark applet onto Perforce. Perforce is the shared central repository of

all of X’x code.

Wednesday (dd/mm/yy):

Public holiday

Etc…

Issues Arising: I need root access to the test server in order to install the root testing kit. Without this I cannot continue root testing. Request made to server manager. Awaiting response

Issues Resolved: The previous issue of needing a smart card to gain access to server room has been resolved.

Assistance Required: I have never developed software using Ruby before, I need one of the development team members to explain its use to me.

Assistance Obtained: Michael from the MIS development team explained MySQL configuration to me. I can now continue with my own testing in this area


APPENDIX 6

Guidelines - Content of the Body of Report

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Training date1.2 Company 1.3 Supervisors1.4 Responsibilities and tasks1.5 Lessons learned1.6 Arrangement of report

Chapter 2: Background of Company

2.1 Department/company’s setup2.2 Ownership2.3 Shareholders2.4 Administration System2.5 Organization Chart2.6 Customers2.7 Main competitors2.8 Products2.9 Etc.

Chapter 3: Training Experience

3.1 Responsibilities3.1.1 Daily work

3.1.1.1 Description of tasks3.1.1.2 Problems encountered3.1.1.3 Ways to overcome problems3.1.1.4 Ways to improve tasks

3.1.2 Special assignments/projects3.1.2.1 Planning – Time frame, objectives, etc. 3.1.2.2 Organizing – Methods and tools used, etc. 3.1.2.3 Leading – Responsible people, etc. 3.1.2.4 Controlling – Problems encountered, ways to solve problems, evaluate success of projects, etc.

3.2 Lessons Learned3.2.1 Skills Developed – technical, communication, human, etc.3.2.2 Knowledge Gained

Chapter 4: Training Assessment and Evaluation

4.1 Training Assessment

4.2 Assessment of Organization

4.3 Critical Analysis

Chapter 5: Conclusion

Appendix – (log book etc.)

References


Practical Training Information Pack

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