Dr John Dunning, associate head of Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University, explores new ways of thinking about student work experience
What is work experience? Various terms are used to denote a period of time when students, and other relevant stakeholders, are away from the university, and engaging with real-life experiences. These can include: placement, work experience, internship, sandwich year, traineeship, apprenticeship, and so on.
Whatever words are used, the important outcome is for students to gain hands-on experience of work, as part of their studies or course.
The placement/internship model
Placements is a common term used by universities and other education institutions, and the classic model is 24 to 48 weeks' work, between or after different levels of study. For example, many undergraduate students go out on placement after their level 5 (equivalent to two years of a Bachelors degree). Students who have successfully completed a placement have the advantage of being able to apply what they have learnt during their time working for an employer to their level 6 studies.
Whatever term is used to refer to work experiences for students, what is important is that they have opportunities to engage with the world of work.
New ways of thinking
There are, however, increasing numbers of opportunities to provide a mix of work experiences for our students. These can include consultancy projects, where they work on employer briefs, often with the aim of providing feedback and suggestions to the business managers/leaders. This provides a great opportunity to develop investigative skills in a real-life context, and facilitates direct interaction with employers, which supports career development.
Other examples of opportunities for work experience may take place during a semester, rather than between academic years. The challenge here is, what about the module teaching and assessment that the students will miss while out on placement? One model that I have previously been involved in is Learning in the Workplace, where the students work on a 60-credit module while out on placement in semester 2 of their level 5 studies.
A key component when setting up this scheme is having an agreement with the employer(s) that the students have, in addition to their days off, a study day. This provides protected time for the students to engage in their studies, as well as for the tutor on the Learning in the Workplace module to deliver any teaching and learning content.
The Learning in the Workplace module assessment requires the students to work on real-life business projects, connected with their work experience, so as to apply academic theory to their suggested actions and activities in their project report and feedback, for the employer to use to help improve their work practices.
Such integrated projects provide the students with excellent opportunities to:
- work with employers
- link theory and practice
- develop working relationships with employers and other stakeholders
- strengthen the opportunities for succession planning into the organisation
- enhance future employability.
There are also potential confidence benefits of working, being paid, and completing 60 credits of study, all during a semester. The students can also still go on to a placement after their level 5, thus further enhancing their work experience.
So, whatever term is used to refer to work experiences for students, what is important is that they have opportunities to engage with the world of work, which enhances their career opportunities, and contributes positively to employability.
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