THE REALITY OF BEING A STUDENT ON PLACEMENT

Education goes hand in hand with experience. Most degrees offer students some form of placement or work experience for them to graduate with the relevant qualifications. Recently, some of these placements have come under scrutiny for not only financially crippling students but also taking a major toll on their physical and mental health. Nursing student, Ashleigh Borchert is in her final year of nursing and says her experience with placements “has been very financially, emotionally and mentally taxing.”

 She was on track to graduate in September, though that is now not the case after clerical errors made by her university did not allow her to complete her final hours of placement. Today she still has no answers on her future and the processes she would need to take to get to the end of her degree.

With the pressures of schooling, placements and general life Ashleigh says she has “no time for socialising causing a deterioration on mental health.” Similarly, sports science and psychology student, Jacob Philippou started his internship at “a well-established elite sports club” and found himself “exploited and [his] efforts underappreciated.”

 “I was led to believe my contribution was of benefit to my own personal development, to gain invaluable skills and experience, when in reality these roles provide limited personal progression.”

In May this year, The Commonwealth Prac Payment came into effect allowing students undertaking mandatory placement to access $319.50 a week. However, that doesn’t begin until July 2025. It also wouldn’t include students like Jacob as it’s only available to students in nursing, social work, midwifery and teaching. Students in degrees like medicine, psychology, radiography and occupational therapy have been neglected in the plan.

Both Ashleigh and Jacob did not receive any government-assisted payments this year and Ashleigh says, “students have no income over the 4 weeks they are on placement as the University and hospitals have said we aren’t allowed to work.” Jacob also has felt the financial burden as “the time and cost associated with travelling to and from the internship on a weekly basis was quite significant.”

Whilst the government’s scheme to pay those on placements is a step in the right direction, if a student averages 40 hours a week of placement the pay is only totalled to $7.9 an hour. In addition to soaring HECS debts and the strain from the rising cost of living Ashleigh says placement “puts a financial strain on [students] commitments such as bills, rent or board.”

This year a term has been spread around the media and universities known as “placement poverty”, which led to the Federal Government-commissioned review of the Australian tertiary education system. Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese stated in his joint media release with both the Minister for Education and Minister for Skills and Training that they’re “funding support for placement so our future nurses, teachers and social workers can gain the experience they need.”

Minister for Education, Jason Clare is aware of the term and said, “placement poverty is a real thing. I have met students who told me they can afford to go to uni but they can’t afford to do the prac.”

Thus while there have been significant improvements for those undertaking university degrees in Australia, there is still more to be done to give students the best possible opportunities.