Student Practicums
l
Practicum Student Placements
Practicum students are a big deal to us here at PLEA—we know how important practical experience is to success in the social services sector, and we are so excited that you might be considering doing your practicum here!
As a practicum student, you would gain valuable experience working with vulnerable populations with an accredited and reputable agency and receive skill development opportunities tailored to a career in the social services.
If the following sounds like you, we encourage you to check out our open placement opportunities:
- You have an intrinsic desire to do meaningful work in your community.
- You are eager to learn from a supportive and experienced group of professionals, dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable clients.
- You are seeking a career in the social services field.
- You are enrolled in a relevant educational program with a practicum requirement.
Open Placements:
We currently have a number of practicum opportunities available. We encourage you to check out the opportunities below for more information—if one interests you, please read through the Becoming a Practicum Student at PLEA section for next steps!
Fall Semester
Youth Support in Foster Homes (Surrey) – OPEN
If you’re interested in gaining experience supporting vulnerable youth, including those requiring emergency and short-term care, consider a practicum with our U-Turn MCFD program! This type of placement is offered in Surrey, BC. Fourth-year students in a social/human services program tend to report feeling the most equipped for this type of practicum.
Youth Care in a Staffed Home (Maple Ridge) – OPEN
If you’re currently enrolled in your second year of a diploma program related to human/social services and want experience in a staffed resource home for youth, our Lighthouse program in Maple Ridge may be the right choice for you.
Clinical Counselling (Port Coquitlam) – FILLED
Calling clinical counselling students! We offer practicum placement opportunities for Master’s-level students in Counselling Psychology or Social Work who are seeking meaningful experience working with youth ages 13–18 and their families. Our practicum placements typically run from September to May/June (300–600 hours), and we begin accepting applications each February for the upcoming fall intake. A minimum of one year of youth-related experience is preferred.
Winter Semester
Youth Support in Foster Homes (Port Coquitlam) – FILLED
If you’re interested in gaining experience supporting vulnerable youth, including those requiring emergency and short-term care, consider a practicum with our U-Turn NWT (youth) and Transitions (young adults) programs! This type of placement is offered in Port Coquitlam, BC. Fourth-year students in a social/human services program tend to report feeling the most equipped for this type of practicum.
Youth Addiction Services (Surrey) – OPEN
If you are a third- or fourth-year student seeking experience working with youth who are facing addictions, we encourage you to check out our Waypoint program. This placement is recommended for students in a criminology, psychology or social work program!
Winter or Fall Semester
Adult Services (Abbotsford) – FILLED
If you’re currently enrolled in a Social Work or Therapeutic Recreation degree program and want to learn more about working with vulnerable adults, we encourage you to consider a placement with our Adult Services program!
Youth Outreach Services (Tri-Cities or Ridge Meadows) – FILLED
Calling all fourth-year students in a Child and Youth Care or Criminology program! We have a placement opportunity that will allow you to gain experience working with youth 13-18 who may need support achieving their life goals. They may or may not have a youth agreement. This practicum is based between Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Maple Ridge.
Summer or Fall Semester
Finance (Vancouver) – OPEN
If you have finished your first year of a business, accounting, office administration or a related post-secondary program and are seeking a practicum placement for three months or longer, we encourage you to check out our Finance department! These placements ideally start between June and November.
Speech Language Pathology or Research Students (Maple Ridge) – OPEN
Are you in your Master’s degree program for Speech Language Pathology? We offer a clinical externship for students, where you will get the opportunity to learn/apply clinical skills with individuals living with FASD and other neurodevelopmental conditions, under the supervision of a qualified Speech-Language Pathologist. Our Asante program also offers a placement available for Masters-level research students in psychology, criminology or social work.
Becoming a Practicum Student at PLEA
If you are interested in completing a practicum placement with PLEA, there are just three steps to get started:
1. Let your practicum coordinator know that you’re interested in completing a practicum at PLEA (and which one)!
2. Ask that your practicum coordinator reach out to [email protected] with the following information (subject line: “Practicum Student Request”):
a. The program you are interested in being placed with (see the Open Placements section above!);
b. Your resume;
c. Your practicum term and number of required hours;
d. Confirmation whether you completed a Criminal Records Review Program (CRRP) check as part of your program and were cleared to work with children or vulnerable adults—if not, this would need to be completed before a placement could commence;
e. Your educational program; and
f. A copy of your practicum learning manual (with the learning objectives included).
3. If there is a potential match between you and a placement here at PLEA, you will be invited to an interview! This will be an opportunity for the Program Manager to learn more about you, and what you are looking to gain from your placement experience.
Note to Practicum Coordinators: In order for a practicum placement to occur, there needs to be an educational affiliation agreement in place between PLEA and the educational institution. If you are seeking to partner with PLEA for practicum placements and there is no agreement in place, please reach out to [email protected] with more details on the educational programs and how they relate to the work PLEA does!
We can’t wait to hear from you!
