Key details

Frequently asked questions

The GIPE platform is the application used to publish company placement offers and to process the corresponding documentation (agreement and training plan).

Students can update the information visible to companies (education, languages, work experience, etc.) and upload documents such as their CV. If a student wishes to change their personal details (telephone number, email address or ID details), they must first ask the Secretary’s Office to update this information and then ask the Careers Service to update the data in the GIPE platform.

New placement offers are published daily in the GIPE platform and each offer remains active for one month. Once a student has been selected (either through GIPE or outside the application), the company must request that the placement be managed through GIPE.

GAEF is the application used to supervise and evaluate both curricular and extracurricular placements. Students log in using their UB credentials.

Company tutors access the system using their own credentials, which can be generated or retrieved by clicking on the appropriate button on the home page.

Once a placement has been processed and marked as “active” in the GIPE platform, an evaluation form is generated in the GAEF application and the student, academic tutor and company tutor receive an email notification.

Documents setting out the deadlines for completing supervision forms, submitting the final report, details of the report format, etc. can be found on the GAEF home page.

It is essential to bear in mind the deadlines for processing each type of placement: extracurricular placements, curricular placements with enrolment extension, and curricular placements with enrolment adjustment, depending on the semester.

External placement calendar. Enrolment 2024-2025

Placements will not be processed outside these deadlines.

Please note that one week before each deadline, the Careers Service must have all the preliminary documentation needed to begin processing the placement programme. This includes: an active agreement with the company, a valid placement offer or request from the company within the GIPE platform, correct preliminary documentation from the student, the student’s social security number entered in the GIPE application, etc.

  • Students must have active enrolment for the current academic year in a programme at the UB Faculty: their enrolment must not have been cancelled automatically due to non-payment or any other issue, the student’s academic record must not have been closed, and the student must not have applied for a degree to be issued. Please note that once a student’s academic record has been closed or they have requested the issue of their degree, it is no longer possible to undertake placements associated with the relevant programme​​​​​.
  • Bachelor’s degree students: Placements can be undertaken when a student’s academic record shows that they have completed at least 120 credits.
  • Master’s or postgraduate students: Placements can be undertaken when authorized by the programme coordinator.
  • Doctoral students: In accordance with the Doctoral Regulations, doctoral students are not permitted to undertake placements.

Curricular placements are optional subjects (or compulsory in the case of certain official master’s degrees) that are included in the curriculum of a programme and therefore carry credits. Curricular placements are intended to enable students to acquire knowledge that complements that acquired during their academic training, so it is important that the tasks performed are related to the programme of study.

It is important to bear in mind the calendar of deadlines for the processing of each type of placement.
 
ENROLMENT:

Enrolment for placements does not take place on the same day as regular enrolment for other subjects. Instead, it is completed once the corresponding placement programme has been processed, within 15 days of the date on which the training plan is marked as active in the GIPE platform.
 
EVALUATION:

Curricular placements must be evaluated via the GAEF application.

During a curricular placement, the company tutor and the academic tutor must hold a series of tutorials and meetings and complete a number of evaluations within certain time frames:

  • Students: Students must complete two questionnaires and submit a final report:

    • One during the first two weeks of the placement.

    • Another during the last two weeks of the placement.

    • The final report must be submitted to the academic tutor on the day the placement ends and must be prepared in accordance with the instructions provided in the GAEF application.

  • Company tutors: During the final week of the placement, company tutors must complete the evaluation form (40% of the student’s final grade).

  • Academic tutors: Academic tutors must hold a minimum of two tutorials with the student and complete two questionnaires:

    • Supervision (20% of the final grade) over the entire period of the placement.
      Evaluation of the final report (40% of the final grade) within 15 calendar days of the date on which the placement is completed.

Extracurricular placements are academic activities that are not included in the curriculum of a programme. They are intended to support students’ professional development and integration into the labour market. These placements can be included in a student’s European Diploma Supplement (EDS) if they meet the requirements set out in the relevant regulations. For this reason, extracurricular placements are also subject to academic supervision and final evaluation.

It is important to bear in mind the calendar of deadlines for the processing of each type of placement.
 
EVALUATION:

Extracurricular placements must be evaluated via the GAEF application.

During an extracurricular placement, the student, the company tutor and the academic tutor must hold a series of tutorials and meetings and complete a number of evaluations within certain time frames:

  • Students: Students must complete a questionnaire during the first month of the placement and submit the final report to their academic tutor
  • Company tutors: During the final week of the placement, company tutors must complete the evaluation form
  • Academic tutors: Academic tutors must hold at least two tutorials with the student and complete an evaluation questionnaire during the final weeks of the placement

An educational cooperation agreement for external academic placements is a document signed by the Faculty and the organization hosting the students involved. Agreements are signed once per academic year and individual placement programmes for a number of different students may be attached to the same agreement.

A placement programme is an agreement between the student, the Faculty and the host organization that stipulates the individual terms of a placement. Training plans are linked to the educational cooperation agreement previously signed by the Faculty and the host organization. It is important to note that this agreement is not an employment contract and is subject to specific regulations governing academic placements.

A student cannot start a placement until their placement programme has been signed by all parties and marked as active in the GIPE platform​​​​​​​.

Once a placement programme has been processed and is active in the GIPE platform, it cannot be modified or terminated before the specified end date. Only modifications or terminations due to force majeure — illness, a change of tutor, etc. — will be considered and any such changes must be duly justified. Changes to the start or end date, total hours, schedule, to include holiday time, etc. are not permitted. It is therefore essential to read the content carefully before signing the document.

The organization can publish placement offers, which remain active for one month. Interested students can apply, and the organization carries out the selection process.

Steps the organization must follow to publish an offer​​​​​​​:

  • Log in to the GIPE platform using the registered administrator credentials.

  • Navigate to the section for the Faculty of Economics and Business.

  • Select the relevant call for applications: bachelor’s or master’s degree profile.

  • Submit a new offer, completing all fields with as much detail as possible.

Once a candidate has been selected for the placement, access their application and click on “Request a placement” to initiate processing of the placement programme.

  1. Organizations must request student placements through the GIPE platform.
    • If the student has been selected through an offer previously published in the GIPE platform, access the offer in GIPE. Navigate to the “Applications” section, open the selected student’s profile, and request a placement.
    • If the student has been selected outside the GIPE platform, log in to the platform and select the relevant bachelor’s or master’s call. Submit a new offer and indicate in step 4 that a pre-selected student has been chosen. (Provide their full name and UB identification number.)

      The company must also verify that it has an active agreement in the GIPE platform (a prior agreement between the company and the Faculty). If no active agreement exists, the company must request one via the platform in the “Agreements” section​​​​​​​.
  2. At the same time, the student must send the required documentation, following the instructions for signing with an electronic certificate.
  3. Once the offer and the student’s documentation have been received, a placement programme is generated, an academic tutor is assigned, and the signing process begins.
  4. To sign the placement programme, each party (company, student and Faculty) receives an email with instructions to sign via the GIPE platform.
  5. Once all three parties have signed the placement programme, it will appear in the GIPE platform with an active status.
    • The student cannot begin the placement until it is marked as active in the GIPE platform​​​​​​​.
  6. At this point, the corresponding evaluation form is generated through the GAEF application, and an email with instructions is sent to the student, the company tutor and the academic tutor.
For the organization, the designated person signs via the GIPE platform:

In the organization’s GIPE profile, a user must be created with signing permissions. Fill in all mandatory fields, including ID card details, and set up a password. It is important that the organization marks “yes” in the signature permission section. Once the contact details have been saved, specify which user with signing permissions will act as the legal representative in the “Legal representative” section. (Note: This is a drop-down menu, so no manual input is required.) The agreement must be signed by this user.
  • To sign the agreement, the legal representative must follow the instructions sent via email when the Faculty generates the agreement or directly access the GIPE platform with their user credentials and navigate to the “Signatures” section in the top menu bar.
  • Any user designated by the organization with signature permissions can sign the placement programme via the GIPE platform.
The student must log in to “My placements” to sign the placement programme. 
  • The placement agreement carries no cost, but companies and institutions must pay a fee of €250 plus VAT for each student and placement programme, regardless of duration, to cover the management and formalization of the placement programme​​​​​​​.
  • The placement agreement allows for the possibility of the company or organization providing financial support to the student in the form of a study allowance, which will be specified in the placement programme in the €/hour field. The student allowance must be at least €3/hour, although the current average is approximately €5-€6/hour.
  • Regulations in force at the time of the placement regarding social security, income tax and other relevant matters must be followed.
  • Students may work a maximum of six hours per day, at times that do not conflict with their scheduled classes for enrolled subjects.
  • Master’s students may exceed six hours per day with the explicit authorization of the relevant academic coordinator.
  • Placements must end no later than 14 September. For master’s, postgraduate and doctoral students, this end date may be earlier depending on the student’s insurance cover.
  • Students may complete a maximum of 1,500 placement hours with the same organization or business group, regardless of the academic year in which the placements are undertaken.
 

Bachelor's degree students: 

  • Curricular placements (training plans must be between 300 and 375 hours):

    • Business Administration and Management (ADE): maximum of three curricular placement programmes

    • Economics (old curriculum): maximum of one curricular placement programme

    • Economics (new 2022 curriculum): maximum of two curricular placement programmes

    • International Business: maximum of four curricular placement programmes

    • Statistics: maximum of two curricular placement programmes

    • o    Sociology: maximum of two curricular training plans

  • Extracurricular placements: a maximum of 1,500 hours, distributed across placement programmes of no more than 375 hours each.

 Double bachelor’s degree students: maximum permitted placements:

  • Curricular placements (each placement programme must be between 300 and 375 hours). Students must check with their head of studies to find out how many curricular placements they can undertake.

  • Extracurricular placements: a maximum of 1,500 hours, distributed across placement programmes of no more than 375 hours each.

 
Official master’s degree students: maximum permitted placements:

  • Curricular placements: One placement programme, provided that the curriculum allows for this possibility and the master’s degree coordinator grants authorization. Each master’s programme sets its own limit for curricular placement hours.

  • Extracurricular placements: The total number of hours of extracurricular placements depends on the number of ECTS credits required for the master’s degree. For example: for 60-credit master’s degrees, a maximum of 500 hours, distributed across placement programmes of no more than 375 hours each; for 90-credit master’s degrees, a maximum of 500 hours, distributed across placement programmes of no more than 750 hours each; for 120-credit master’s degrees, a maximum of 1,000 hours, distributed across placement programmes of no more than 375 hours each.

 
Master's or postgraduate students: maximum permitted placements:

  • Extracurriculars: the total number of hours for extracurricular internships depends on the program credits. For example, in 30 ECTS programs, a maximum of 250 hours, distributed in training projects of up to 375 hours each; in 60 ECTS programs, a maximum of 500 hours, distributed in training projects of up to 375 hours each; in 90 ECTS programs, a maximum of 750 hours, distributed in training projects of up to 375 hours each.

 
Doctoral students: Placements are not permitted.

In order to undertake a placement, it is essential to take out a student insurance policy that provides medical, accident, civil liability and repatriation cover. Students on official courses who are under the age of 28 take out compulsory insurance when they enrol for each academic year. This insurance provides the necessary cover. Students over the age of 28 and those on Faculty-specific (non-official) courses must take out voluntary insurance at the time of enrolment or at a later date by following this link.

All bachelor’s, master’s and postgraduate students are eligible to undertake international placements provided their enrolment is active for the current academic year (i.e. it has not been cancelled due to non-payment of fees and they have not applied for their degree to be issued). Such placements must be undertaken during a period when there is no academic activity (e.g. during the summer break after the end of the examination period).

International placements can be curricular or extracurricular, depending on the programme, and are processed and evaluated in the same way as domestic placements.

In order to carry out an international placement, students must first take out a specific insurance policy. Information on policies can be found at this link.

As in the case of domestic placements, host organizations must apply for international placements via the GIPE platform.

When specifying the start date, it is important to take into account the student placement process: students cannot start a placement until its status is “active” in the GIPE platform, i.e. until the placement programme has been signed by all parties. If necessary, the start date will be adjusted so that the process can be completed in time.

Erasmus+ traineeships are another type of international placement. For this programme, information on bursaries, opportunities and time frames can be obtained from the Faculty's International Relations Office.

Through the web application SignaSuite UB, students can sign documents in PDF and XML formats by selecting a specific file with a maximum total size of 7 MB. This process complies with all the legal and technical guarantees required by the current regulations adopted by Catalan authorities.

Students from other universities in Spain or from abroad who are studying at the Faculty can undertake placements (curricular or extracurricular) under the same conditions as other students, but only during the teaching period (i.e. not during the examination period) of their exchange (first semester, second semester or full academic year). These students must have access to the ​​​​​​​GIPE. platform to arrange placements.