St Michael's College

• Studying in Cardiff University
• Practical Training
• Academic Courses
• Postgraduate Study
• College Life & Worship
• The Ministerial Formation Portfolio
• Arranging a Visit
• Why Choose St Michael's?
• Who's Who

Practical Training

There are two key components to the practical training at St Michael's:

Placements

There are four main forms of placement through which to gain invaluable practical experience during your time at St Michael's:

• Weekly Sunday placements

  These provide an opportunity to gain experience in preaching, leading worship and a variety of other aspects of ministry during the course of the year. These take place over 15 Sundays each year, complemented by 7 half days spent in the parish during the first term at times arranged with the supervisor.

• Summer placements

  Taking place during one (or both) summer vacations, these four-week placements offer a 'total immersion' Church or parish placement. Placements may sometimes be overseas; but Wales itself offers a wide variety of church cultures, styles and initiatives. A varied range of placements is also available each year in England for English or Welsh candidates alike.

• Collaborative ministry projects

  These place a small group of students in an intensive week working on a particular project. These projects can range from celebrating Holy Week in a Parish to building a barn on a farm – and anything in between! One such project is undertaken in each year of training.

• Schools placements

  These placements, usually in a Church School, are for 7 half days during the Spring term. They provide an opportunity to deepen understanding of the Church's mission in education, and particularly of the valuable role that Christian ministry can play in this context.

• Secular placements

  As well as a wide range of Church and Parish placements opportunities are provided for placement or project work in places such as hospices, hospitals, drug dependency and homeless projects, youth agencies, bereavement and AIDS support groups, or in other places of work.

Core Skills for Ministry

This two-year programme stands in between the academic course and the practical experience of placement and seeks to help students get the most out of their placement experience by focussing on different aspects of ministry. It consists of six modules, one per term over two years, usually on a Wednesday afternoon when there are no University lectures. The following subjects are covered:

• Engaging diversity
• Worship and Preaching
• Mission
• Leadership
• Building Community
• Pastoral Care