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Purpose – In this study, the authors explore students' and industry’s perceptions about the challenges and opportunities of participating in a large-scale, non-compulsory, individual, in-person and unpaid business placement programme at an Australian university. The placement programme aims to support students' workplace transition by emphasising the development of key employability skills through reflective learning and linking theory to practice. Design/methodology/approach – Utilising a case study methodology and integrating survey questionnaires, the authors collected both quantitative and qualitative data with large sample sizes. Findings – The results highlight curriculum areas for improvement, emphasising tailored feedback to manage placement expectations and addressing employability skill strengths and weaknesses. Practical implications – Recommendations include co-partnering with students to develop short, tailored and hot tip videos along with online learning modules, including the presentation of evidence-based statistics to inform students about post-programme employment prospects. Originality/value – The study contributes to benchmarking good practices in non-compulsory, individual, in-person and unpaid placement pedagogy within the business education context.

In our information age, written communication has become increasingly important in many professions. As a result, university faculty and administrators need to develop specific curricula and pedagogies that will facilitate the process of equipping students with the required writing knowledge and skills to meet the demands of their workplace environments. In this article, we argue that Writing Across the Professions (WAP) as a curricular model meets that requirement, particularly in Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) contexts, which we believe are conducive to fostering writing transfer in university students. WAP foregrounds the importance of writing in workplace contexts and aims to facilitate the transfer of students’ knowledge and practices by focusing on rhetorical genre theory and analysis, discourse community theory and analysis, providing engaged feedback on students’ writing, and inviting students to critically reflect on their previous and current writing knowledge and practices. In this article, we propose four conceptual foundations that university faculty and administrators can utilize to implement WAP programs at their institutions. The first concept is that professional (writing) knowledge and practices are contextual and require lifelong learning; WIL faculty and students thus need to be informed about what is involved in learning to write across professions. Secondly, as the transfer of professional (writing) knowledge and practices goes beyond disciplinary boundaries, both faculty and students need to build contextual awareness. Thirdly, as problem-solving is an integral part of writing in the professions, faculty and students need to engage in critical reflection. Finally, professional (writing) knowledge and practices impact identities and therefore require mentoring. In outlining these shared concepts from WIL and writing transfer research, this article offers examples of how they can inform curricular approaches and pedagogical practices in WAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a collaborative reflection undertaken by the authors in their capacity as academic staff delivering employability-focused modules to undergraduate criminology students in a post-92 higher education institution (HEI) in the United Kingdom (UK). First, the broad context of higher education (HE) policy and the criminal justice sector (CJS) is explored. The setting of the reflection is outlined, including the format of the modules which form the basis of the reflection and the underpinning methodological approach taken by the authors. The modules include employer-led projects, placements, and simulation. The authors’ reflection followed Schon’s three stages of reflection, namely in action, on action and for action, and was thematically analysed. Three key thematic areas emerged from the reflexive process: external engagement and relationship development, student readiness, and the role of academic staff. Each theme will be analysed in the context of extant literature. Finally, the authors make recommendations for stakeholders. These include resource requirements, reciprocity, articulation of parameters, and support for students. A model for embedding employability activity will be provided, aimed at an interdisciplinary audience, which considers student readiness alongside external capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-integrated learning (WIL) or university placements are valuable opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in an authentic work setting and help support their transition from university to employment. However, as our study evidenced, students with disability face significant and unique barriers to securing and completing WIL placements. In this study, we surveyed students with disability at an Australian university (n = 132) to explore their experiences and perceptions of WIL placements. Our findings indicate that while many students are motivated to participate in placements, they have concerns about how their disability, medical or mental health condition(s) will be accepted by the organisations and whether their requests for accommodations will be facilitated without judgement from supervisors. The findings from our study are relevant to the fields of disability/inclusion and employability, as the results showcase that current policies and practices do not adequately support diverse students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students from diverse backgrounds report that time pressures, financial responsibilities, caring commitments, and geographic location are barriers to their uptake of work integrated learning (WIL). Through interviews with 32 students and 15 educators who participated in online WIL, we investigated whether online WIL might be one way of overcoming these barriers. Benefits of online WIL for students included employability skills, meaningful work, affordability, and flexibility when coping with health issues. Challenges for students included missing out on workplace interactions, digital access, and finding a private space in which to work. Students from diverse backgrounds were viewed by educators as bringing positive contributions to the workplace. Educators found challenges in giving feedback and not being able to replicate some aspects of in-person workplaces. We conclude with recommendations on how online WIL might be enhanced to better meet the needs of students facing equity issues. Implications for practice and policy:. • All participants in online WIL should be encouraged to intentionally view diversity as a strength. • Educators need to create explicit opportunities for formal and informal interaction and network building during online WIL. • Educators should provide engaging and purposeful work during online WIL. • Students may need additional financial or material support to undertake online WIL, for example to enable digital access and access to a private workspace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Placements are often an extra‐curricular activity of a science degree. This study reports on the outcomes of a final‐year credit‐bearing 6‐week placement module that was specifically designed to develop and enhance students’ employability skills. A key element of this module was that the student placements were not only evaluated from a science perspective, but also evaluated with an emphasis on meaningful reflection and evaluation of employability skills development. Students recorded their levels of confidence in skills before, during and after the placement via an Online Reflective Log, as part of a module’s summative assessment. The results showed that taking part in the placement and conducting their own independent research helped students to make connections between their scientific knowledge, otherwise constrained within the walls of the undergraduate science laboratory, and the wider impact of their research on society. Another theme that emerged concerned career choices and aspirations, and the placement experiences either confirmed prior choices or opened new horizons. The Online Reflective Log helped students to feel supported by their university supervisor who were at a distance. Feedback on their tasks prompted students to reflect on the scientific and personal skills while being engaged in scientific activities during placement. Students agreed that they had further developed their employability skills during the placement and acknowledged that it was challenging to acquire evidence of skill development. However, students appreciated the usefulness of this reflection in relation to their future career development.

Employability of youth in India has emerged as a major concern in recent years. Generally, it is as for uneducated or unskilled, but the situation is quite alarming even for educated youth as the skills provided by the institutions may not be at par with the industry's requirement. With this background, the study discusses the outcome of the preliminary research into the employability skills that private engineering institutions try to instill during their graduate course and the employability skills that software/IT companies consider when they undertake fresh recruitment. This paper aims to find the gap between industry's expectation and the availability which results in partial placements of engineering graduates and to ascertain the relationship between the employability skills and placement of engineering graduates. In particular, the set of employability skills considered for the study was derived from the literature review and pilot study. The data are derived from a survey carried out of 98 private engineering institutions in Delhi NCR and 20 IT/software companies, and the data were analysed using regression analysis and ANOVA. Both institutions and employers were found to focus on employability skills for the best returns. However, there is mismatch in consideration of the employability skills. There are certain skills on which companies lay more attention than the engineering institutions. The findings will be helpful for the engineering institutions and the regulatory bodies in revamping the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Placements are often an extra‐curricular activity of a science degree. This study reports on the outcomes of a final‐year credit‐bearing 6‐week placement module that was specifically designed to develop and enhance students' employability skills. A key element of this module was that the student placements were not only evaluated from a science perspective, but also evaluated with an emphasis on meaningful reflection and evaluation of employability skills development. Students recorded their levels of confidence in skills before, during and after the placement via an Online Reflective Log, as part of a module's summative assessment. The results showed that taking part in the placement and conducting their own independent research helped students to make connections between their scientific knowledge, otherwise constrained within the walls of the undergraduate science laboratory, and the wider impact of their research on society. Another theme that emerged concerned career choices and aspirations, and the placement experiences either confirmed prior choices or opened new horizons. The Online Reflective Log helped students to feel supported by their university supervisor who were at a distance. Feedback on their tasks prompted students to reflect on the scientific and personal skills while being engaged in scientific activities during placement. Students agreed that they had further developed their employability skills during the placement and acknowledged that it was challenging to acquire evidence of skill development. However, students appreciated the usefulness of this reflection in relation to their future career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Success of any educational institute largely depends upon how the students excel after they complete their studies. This may be in terms of obtaining dream placement, admission to higher studies in reputed institutes or even starting a venture of their choice. Desired results can be achieved if the aspirations are understood at an early stage and students are groomed properly for achieving their dreams. The objective of this study is to understand the aspirations of engineering students in their first year itself and develop a model for nurturing these aspirations. This paper also identifies factors influencing changes in aspirations and the contribution of these factors. In the present study, the aspirations of undergraduate engineering students were collected immediately after their admission. This activity was carried out consecutively for three academic years: 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. Aspirations of 2043 students were collected during this period by using IT tools. The study indicated that maximum students during their first year engineering were inclined towards obtaining placements in multinational firms followed by seeking admission to higher education in reputed institutes, entrepreneurship and joining the civil services. The institute under consideration has developed a five stage model to help the students in fulfilling their aspirations. This includes establishment of a Career Development Cell, Entrepreneurship Development Cell, International Facilitation Centre, Higher Study Cell and Novel Master Student Program. Aspirations were collected again during the final year in order to understand the deviations when students moved from first to final year. Results indicate that there was a substantial shift in the student aspirations. By the time the students reached the final year, there was an increase of 47.90% in the number of students who opted for placements while the number of students planning for higher studies decreased by 30.51%. Brainstorming session was conducted to identify the factors that prompted the students to change their minds during their course curriculum. The data presented here will give an insight to the academicians and institutes in understanding student ambitions and developing a model for fulfilling them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated several benefits of work placements, including improved academic attainment and employability prospects. However, it may be important to recognise that there is a self-selection of placement students. There may be characteristics which make students more likely to choose to take a placement, and also make students more likely to gain higher grades and employment. The current study explored the characteristics and attributes of students who consider taking a placement year, focussing on personality and autonomy. One hundred and fifty-nine psychology students completed measures of personality and autonomy, and answered questions regarding their intentions about taking a placement year. The study revealed that students who consider taking a placement are more conscientious and more autonomous than students who do not consider taking a placement. These findings have important implications for research examining the benefits of placements, and also for practices for advertising and promoting placement years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the perceptions of degree students at two UK universities regarding their work placement and part-time working activities, to assess if the two activities converge. The research comprises three stages: interviews for preliminary exploration of students' perceptions towards work placement and part-time work; interviews to examine how placement opportunities link with career aspirations; a survey of students who had completed a placement, and those currently on placement. Students acknowledged part-time working helped their placement activity, providing transferable skills beneficial to both study and career aspirations. A significant finding was with respect to time: the closer to the placement activity the data was collected, the stronger the impact of appreciating the value of placement. The paper therefore highlights the value of timing in the assessment of work placement. It also offers value for universities' by providing insight into students' perceptions regarding embedded external work activities that can enhance graduate employability and career prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining work experience with degree-level study is seen as a key differentiator for securing employment upon graduation in a competitive employment market. The positive benefits of sandwich courses, where up to 12 months is spent working in industry, are widely acknowledged in academic literature though data analysis tends to focus on cohorts in single subject areas with course-based factors possibly influencing outcomes. This paper explores the benefits of work placements on a cross-cohort basis with an institutional level study empirically analysing over three academic years the outcomes for placement students in comparison to non-placement students. The study found that completing a sandwich work placement is associated with improved academic performance in the final year of study. Placement students are also more likely to secure appropriate graduate-level work and higher starting salaries upon completion of their degree in comparison to non-placement students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employability is an organising narrative within the global, neoliberal economic discourse, with relevance across different educational contexts. Most attention is paid to attaining the knowledge and skills relevant to gain employment and competitive advantage. This is particularly concerning in university programmes that develop professionals who work with children. Placements are a common approach to embedding employability within university curricula. This article explores student placements in primary school settings in the north of England. Analysis considers students’ engagement with their own learning and with the children who are essential to that learning, who may be marginalised as a feature of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper outlines a doctoral internship programme introduced for students researching Mechanistic Biology in the Department of Biology, University of York, UK. The programme forms part of the White Rose Doctoral Training Programme (DTP), a collaboration between the three “White Rose” Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York in the North of England. It provides an analysis of the UK context in which the new biotechnology doctoral internships initiative sits and describes the pilot phase of the Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) programme and the introduction of the full doctoral PIPS internship programme. The purpose of this paper is to examine best practice in the planning and management of internships with particular interest in doctoral programmes, with a discussion on the challenges presented by cognate and non-cognate internships. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses as a case study, the introduction of PIPS for the DTP in Mechanistic Biology, hosted by the White Rose Consortium of Universities (York, Sheffield and Leeds) and funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). It also considers good practice from around the world, and relates these to the work-based learning literature. Findings – The paper outlines the processes and resources used to secure PIPS internships, and evaluates their success against BBSRC’s objective to help early career researchers to understand the context of their research and expose them to the range of opportunities available after graduation. The authors describe an initial pilot study, challenges and opportunities provided by the internships and feedback from students in the programme. Research limitations/implications – Though the number of students in the pilot study was very limited, all students had a greater awareness particularly of their leadership, project management, organisational and team working capabilities following the three-month internship and were more receptive to the consideration of careers outside of academia. Originality/value – The authors offer recommendations from their own experiences of initiating these doctoral internships which may be useful to others implementing non-cognate internship programmes at their own institutions, whilst being mindful that programmes in other countries may face different challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Work-based learning (WBL) is increasingly viewed as important in students' higher education (HE) experiences. Drawing from the process of revalidating a Joint Honours in Education (JHE) programme, the purpose of this paper is to highlight challenges involved in ensuring a meaningful placement experience for students that is fully embedded within their course. Primary challenges included the disparate number of subject strand combinations and concomitant career aspirations, wider university requisites on developing Graduate Attributes and student expectations of their placement opportunities. In broadening the scope and number of placement opportunities, the authors simultaneously increased the partnership links with employers to attract increased student buy-in to the opportunities available to them. Design/methodology/approach - This case study utilizes staff reflections, stakeholder contributions and student evaluations to illuminate the process involved in revalidating a JHE programme to incorporate increased placement opportunities. A particular focus is placed on consideration of the tensions inherent within WBL opportunities and the ways in which such experiences can be successfully embedded within a HE degree programme. Whilst the authors are able to report on successful integration of placement opportunities in Year 1, the authors utilize student perspectives to gain understanding of the importance, or otherwise, they place on placements through the duration of their degree. Findings - Whilst placements are widely accepted as a positive feature of HE, inherent tensions emerged from some students who questioned the value and purpose of placements and time away from university. Conversely, employers saw placement and particularly the assessment of students whilst on placement as critical in students' development into professional workers. The inclusion of placements in HE is therefore problematic, particularly in light of increased tuition fees. This case study, however, suggests that meaningful and disparate placement opportunities can be successfully embedded within each year of an HE degree programme and can be viewed as enhancing the student academic experience. Research limitations/implications - The paper is located within a body of research that focuses positively on placement/WBL opportunities for undergraduate students, but does raise some emerging tensions linked to the marketization of HE and resulting student perspectives on "value". Although generic themes can be applied to curriculum design elsewhere, outcomes may be different and linked to differing institutional habituses that influence practice. In addition, this paper reports solely on a single case that has developed a degree course to support the unique needs of its students within a particular context. Practical implications - The WBL model presented here facilitates student empowerment in tailoring their degree to their interests and career aspirations. It requires effective internal and external partnerships to inform curriculum design and the organization of placements. This paper will therefore be of interest to HE practitioners who are faced with the challenges of providing a broad range of placement opportunities for large and diverse groups of students with differing career aspirations. In addition, it will also be attractive to employers that have strong links with universities and are in the position to influence curriculum design. Social implications - The focus on employability and the development of key generic skills is interconnected with structures influencing social mobility. The range of students entering HE and the concomitant expectations on their degree to have "value" in the employment "market" on graduation is becoming increasingly important - particularly for students categorized as widening participation. Offering increased opportunities for placements and linking assessment to work-based competencies can therefore be viewed as an integral part of HE's responsibilities to students. Originality/value - This case study highlights the versatility of WBL that on one hand, requires the academy to embrace alternatives ways of learning, but on the other hand, creates new and innovative ways of engaging students. In addition and critically, it illuminates an approach to embedding WBL into an overarching degree structure that enables students to tailor their degree to their interests and career aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between work placements and employability, through an analysis of the impact of a work placement on students' self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach - The basis of this paper is a large-scale work-based learning module at the University of Birmingham, the "Professional Development Module". Students completed questionnaires both before and after they undertaken their placements and the results from the questionnaires were compared. These results were then combined with the results of semi-structured interviews undertaken with students. Findings - The paper's findings support the view that a work placement has a positive impact on students' self-efficacy, especially in relation to their confidence in making applications and/or attending interviews, and in articulating their skills and strengths. Research limitations/implications - While the relatively small sample size means that the paper's conclusions must remain provisional, it highlights the need for careers practitioners to encourage students to engage in critical self-reflection. The paper suggests that it is important for careers practitioners and researchers to engage in more collaborative projects in order for a fully rounded picture of the relationship between placements and employability to emerge. The paper shows that more research is needed into the relative impact of short- and long-term placements. Originality/value - The paper demonstrates the value of assessing students' views both before and after their work placements so that these views can be compared directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the work-based learning about employability reported by 26 undergraduate Geography and Environmental Management students on part-time, unpaid work placements. The students' “reflective essays” emphasized their learning more in terms of emotional challenges than in terms of skills, as being pushed out of their “comfort zone” forced them to be more proactive, tackle unfamiliar activities and develop emotionally. This conceptualizes employability as more than skills and as integrative, reflective and adaptable. This also emphasizes that higher education institutions must support employability and work-based learning outside the academic zone and better integrate off-campus work-based learning with on-campus reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Placements have the potential to contribute more effectively to the quality of higher education. The aim of this article is to discuss how placements can be made more worthwhile for individual students, while also contributing to the overall quality of teaching and learning at HEIs as well as to the development of workplace cultures that are conducive to learning. Work experience opportunities help students to build substantive relationships and apply what they are learning. Students’ overall view of their learning experience becomes more positive, their identification with their intended profession strengthens and academic performance improves, as do graduate employment rates. Introducing placements in the curriculum does not, however, guarantee these positive effects. Learning is likely to be greater if the experience is ‘intentional and recognised’ and tightly knit into the curriculum. Using evidence from research on workplace learning is one way to improve the quality of placements, as exemplified by a scholarly approach to the development of placements for pharmacy students at Uppsala University. HEIs’ interaction with employers through placements enriches both parties. Academics gain insights into practice which may inspire teaching on campus, e.g. by generating real life examples that trigger students’ motivation and by informing curriculum design. Practitioners supervising students on placements are often excellent educational development partners. Placements may also contribute to organisational development. Developing a reflective, deliberate approach to learning in the workplace may be as useful for the employees as for the students. Also, students may carry out projects of value to the employer, while also keeping the university informed of current practice. An increased engagement in students' work experience opportunities may improve the student experience, and contribute to bridging the academy-practice divide in a way that is as much about influencing the rest of society as being influenced by it. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper demonstrates that integrating research into the curriculum can help to enhance the overall student learning experience. The Bourne Stream Partnership is a local community-based project which has provided environmental & geographical science students with the opportunity to work on live projects within a variety of contexts including work placements, research projects and assignment work. This work has helped to develop a range of student skills (including those in demand by employers) and has at the same time provided useful information for the partnership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]