Castelldefels School of Telecommunications and Aerospace Engineering

Placements

 

Please, remember that we will not validate or sign placement agreements from July 5th to September 1st, and from December 10th to January 10th.

 

 

Versión ESP - Versió CAT

 

Academic placement are temporary periods that students can spend in a company or a laboratory, to complement their studies and gain practical experience related to their degree. For this reason, the tasks to be carried out in the company must be directly related to the student's degree.

The placement is an academic activity -and its validity as part the student's record must be agreed with the company, the university and the student-. As such, it is necessary to sign an agreement before starting. When placement are finished, they are assessed and graded.

See the UPC regulations (in Catalan), the specific EETAC regulations (in Catalan), and the video of the academic internships. Further details are given during the information session (in Catalan)-  at the beginning of each semester.

 

TYPES OF PLACEMENTS

Curricular placements are defined as a specific course that forms part of the curriculum. You must enrol for them so that they are recognised.

  • They are compulsory in the bachelor's degree in Network Engineering and the bachelor's degree in Telecommunications Systems Engineering (12 ECTS credits)

  • They are optional in the bachelor's degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering (12 ECTS credits)

You must sign up for the total number of hours in a single agreement (not through various small agreements). To enrol for curricular placements, you must first have passed a minimum number of credits that varies according to each degree. See the placement rules table..

Curricular placements must be carried out before extracurricular placements (except for master's degrees in which curricular placements are not defined).

Professional experience can count as a curricular placement as long as:

  • You have worked on tasks related to the degree

  • At least 3,200 hours of work have been accumulated (in the same company or in more than one, if you have worked at least 800 hours in each company).

  • One (or more) employment contracts have been signed with the company (or companies).

Extracurricular placements are voluntary and are not part of the curriculum. To sign the agreement, you must have passed a minimum number of credits.

To carry out these placemens, you must have:

  • Enrolled for and finished curricular placements (if defined in the curriculum).
  • Ongoing enrolment for a minimum of 15 ECTS credits.
  • Passed at least half of the courses that you enrolled for in the previous semester.

In this case, the objective of the placedment is to work on tasks related the final thesis. The student’s goal is to defend the final thesis.

  • The number of hours in this agreement depends on the number of final thesis credits in each degree (see the placement rules table).
  • In this case, the placement agreement must include tasks related to the final thesis. For more information you can consult this document.

 

 

Extracurricular placements will not be recognised as curricular placements. You must decide among them (curricular or extracurricular) when you request placement and before you sign the agreement. It is compulsory to complete curricular placements before extracurricular placements. 

 

WHERE YOU CAN UNDERTAKE A PLACEMENT

Placements can be undetrtaken in:

  • Private companies and institutions.
  • Public companies and institutions such as city councils, provincial councils and others
  • Professionals offices and professional associations.
  • The University itself, in laboratories and research groups (administrative support and teaching support tasks cannot be considered a valid placement)
  • In a Spanish company or through a mobility programme in a foreign company.

 

PROCEDURES

 

REPORT

At the end of the placement period, at the time of the assessment, the student must deliver a written report on the placement period.

The maximum length of the report two pages. It must include at least:

  1. The student's personal information.
  2. The name of the entity where the placement was carried out.
  3. A specific detailed description of the tasks and the departments in which the student was involved.
  4. Assessment of the tasks carried out with the knowledge and skills acquired in relation to university studies 
  5. A list of the problems that emerged and the procedure used to solve them.
  6. Identification of the learning gained throughout the placement.
  7. Assessment of the placement period and suggestions for improvement.

If the report does not comply with the regulations, your EETAC tutor will ask you for a new version that must be entered in the system again.

 

ECONOMIC COMPENSATION, STUDENT INSURANCE AND ASSISTANCE

Financial compensation

Students must receive payment for the placements. The UPC has set a minimum amount, depending on the academic level:

  • The minimum is 8 €/hour for bachelor's degree students
  • The minimum is 10 €/hour for master's degree students

You cannot sign agreements for lower amounts unless they are previously agreed with the company and the School. In the case of a placement to carry out a final thesis in a company, this minimum may not be paid.

Please, note that EU citizens will have a tax retention of approximately 2%. Non-EU citizens may have a much higher retention (20-25%). 

Student insurance

Student insurance is required in the case of an accident, and civil liability is compulsory.

Students must be up to date with the payment of student insurance while the agreement is in force. The insurance covers Spanish students under the age of 28 in one-yearperiods from 16 September to 15 September of the following year.

Students over 28 must take out private insurance. To this end, the UPC has signed an  agreement with CONFIDE Insurance broker.

It is very important that the placement does not start before the agreement is signed, since the student would not be covered by the insurance. 

For more information on insurance, see the UPC Occupational Health and Safety Service website. The entity where you undertake the placement is responsible for providing you with more specific information on its own rules.

Scholarships

You can find more information on scholarships placements here.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Placements offered by companies to EETAC students are available through our online platform. This selection has already been processed by the School and meets the established requirements on content and remuneration. Students can also find placements on their own, considering the requirements summarised on this page.

Bachelor's degree students, must have passed half the credits in the curriculum. For more information see the Placement rules table.

Only in the case of curricular placements, as they are considered a regular course in the curricu8lum. Curricular placedments must be enrolled for once the placement agreement has been accepted by all the parties. You will receive more detailed information on how to proceed when you collect the signed agreement.

Yes. During the mid-semester and end-of-semester break, you can take a day off if you have an exam. You can also take hours off if you need to meet your professor, submit academic work, take part in the University's governing and representative bodies or go to the doctor. However, you must inform the company in advance and submit the corresponding supporting documents.

Yes. All students under 28 are covered by the student insurance, which is paid every time you enrol for a course at the beginning of an academic year. Students over 28 must purchase complementary insurance.

No. You are not entitled to vacation leave during the placement period since it is not an employment contract. It is an academic relationship with the company, as specified in the agreement, and it does not involve an employment relationship. The placement agreement specifies the rights and duties of all the parties.

No, because this is an academic activity, not an employment relationship. Review the signed placement agreement where the rights and duties of all the parties are detailed.

Yes. We need the assessment from the three parties: the company, the student and the EETAC supervisor. The vice-dean for External Relations will validate these assessments. We need the assessment to get feedback from the company on the student's knowledge, and to get information on the company from the student's perspective. The student's report also needs to be uploaded. In the case of curricular placements, the final assessment will be recorded in the student's academic curriculum, according to the established criteria.

No. Until you have the new placement agreement signed and delivered, no legal relationship has been established between the company and the student Therefore, you cannot go to their premises. The commitments taken on by each party and summarised in the placement agreement come into force when the agreement is signed, not before.

Yes. The company has to specify the work plan to be carried out by the student (it may be similar to the previous one or different) and the vice-dean for External Relations has to approve the new conditions.

No. You need to be a UPC student to hold a placement agreement, as it is an academic activity. As soon as you complete your studies at the UPC, your placement agreement ends. Once you obtain your degree, you need to enter the company as an employee, not as a placement student.

The insurance is only valid for the premises that are detailed in the placement agreement. Any change must be specified in the agreement before the trip takes place.

In the case of a trip within Spain, you must add this change to the work plan. If the trip is abroad, you will need to take out travel insurance and specify the duration of the trip and its location in the insurance policy..

The company pays 15.70% to the UPC in terms of management expenses. This percentage is calculated over the total amount paid to the student by the company. In addition, the corresponding VAT is applied.