Once a student accepts my offer of a placement can I be sure that this student will present at my Training Establishment when the placement starts or might they end up going to another Training Establishment without my knowledge?

When a student accepts an offer of placement, that student cannot receive another placement offer through the APPEL matching system. Since Training Establishments can only be matched to students within the APPEL system you can be certain the student cannot receive or accept another offer once they have accepted your placement.

If, due to unforeseen circumstances, the student cannot proceed with the placement on term (e.g. failure of exams or personal circumstances) you will be notified as soon as is practicable by the APPEL team.

The matching process has ended and I have not been matched with a student. Why should I engage with APPEL again?

As there are more placements than students available for each matching process, not all placement providers will be matched to students. However, APPEL provides placements to 2nd, 4th and 5th-year students throughout the year and would be delighted if providers would continue to make their placements available for subsequent placement processes. The geographical spread of students varies considerably from year to year and so locations with low demand in one year can have considerable interest the following year.

What happens if my placement is not matched to a student at the end of phase 2?

If there are students who have not yet been matched in your area, APPEL may contact you about assigning them to your Training Establishment, with your consent.

However, it is also possible that there were no students suitable for your placement, due to students’ geographical locations, during this matching process.

With three placements running every year, it will not be long until the matching process for our next round of placements so please do continue to engage with the matching system!

I am offering two placements in our organisation, one in our quality department and one in our regulatory affairs department. My two highest ranked students are both listed against the quality department. Can I offer my two placements to these two students? or I am offering two placements in two community pharmacies, both within 3 miles of each other. My two highest ranked students are both listed against one of the pharmacies. Can I offer my two placements to these two students?

Unfortunately, this is not possible. Each placement is considered in isolation within the APPEL system. Placements are allocated based on students’ expressed preferences and the competition for those preferences.

If you are offering two placements within one department/community pharmacy, you can move students between placements as outlined in the Placement Provider guide to the matching process.

How many CVs and cover letters will I get to review for each placement?

You will be provided with a maximum of fifteen CVs for each placement you are offering. As placements are allocated based on students’ expressed preferences, it is possible that you may be allocated fewer CVs or no CVs at all. If you are offering more than one placement, you may find that several CVs are allocated to one placement and less to another.