About ASET

ASET the Work Based and Placement Learning Association

ASET was established to advance the prevalence, effectiveness and quality of work based and placement learning in Higher Education and by promoting and publishing research into that system of education.

Our aims are to:

• Provide strategic leadership and a national voice as a central agency;
• Champion the concept of work based and placement learning;
• Advise on best practice, providing training and staff development opportunities for the dissemination of good practice across the sector;
• Offer informed and authoritative representation, advice and support to all professionals working in the field;
• Provide a forum for groups and individuals to discuss and formulate policies;
• Prepare, develop and publish information and research relating to work based and placement learning.

In practice we do this through running workshops and conferences, publishing good practice guides and viewpoints, promoting and supporting research, facilitating discussion through online forums and dissemination through e-bulletins, and through working with other bodies to advocate on behalf of our members. We represent over 100 Higher Education Providers in the UK, and our communications reach nearly 2000 individual practitioners.

Who We Represent

Many ASET members are UK based Higher Education providers, and unlike many other subscription organisations our Institutional Membership covers every single member of staff in the organisation. We also have organisations with Corporate Membership who are typically employers, or placement support agencies. You can see our membership policy here.

Colleagues who engage with ASET typically support placement and work-based learning, or employability development; from a central team or an academic-related or academic role. Although UK based, ASET extends a warm welcome to other European and International colleagues.

So if you are in any way involved with work experience – in all its forms – including company visits, co-op, insight days, internships, vacation placements, practice placements, practikum, sandwich placements, semester placements, semester or year abroad, stage de convention, work shadowing, work based awards, work based projects in your professional life, then ASET should be of interest to you.

We are a charity, with our Board of Trustees drawn from practitioners in UK Higher Education Institutions. Trustees are elected by the membership and give their time on a voluntary basis. We run from our office in Sheffield, based at the Burton Street Foundation, and operate on a not-for-profit basis.