Gerontological placements in nursing education have traditionally been reserved for early‑year foundational practice, which signals that the care of older people is low‑value and low‑complexity; shaping students’ perceptions before graduation. The Clinical Placements with Older People (CPOP) program was implemented across four universities to increase the quantity and quality of nursing placements where older people are the primary care recipients. The CPOP program is part of the Aged Care Nursing Clinical Placements Program, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. A convergent mixed methods design evaluated phase one (June 2023 – June 2025) of CPOP understanding program reach, student learning and attitudes, and factors influencing implementation, feasibility and sustainability. Quantitative data described placement volume, distribution, and participant characteristics. Qualitative data from program reports (n=9), student reflective workbooks (n=456), and surveys with students (n=29), Clinical Facilitators (n=8) and placement partners (n=9) were analysed thematically. 1200 pre‑registration nursing students completed gerontological placements across 142 sites within 56 organisations, including hospital (45.7%), residential aged care (45.6%), and community settings (8.8%). The program resulted in a 940% increase in later‑year residential aged care placements. Students’ perceptions of gerontological nursing positively shifted when registered nurse‑level practice was made visible through gerontologically-prepared Clinical Facilitators, registered nurse buddying, and structured reflection. Key implementation influences included multi‑layered university-industry communication, site readiness, and workforce stability, particularly in residential aged care. CPOP demonstrates how gerontologising nursing placements contributes to the ageing revolution by challenging deficit narratives of ageing and supports a more prepared, confident workforce to realise the complexity and opportunities of working with older people.