Slides and Discussion Group Notes
Presentation 1 slides: The work experience system isn't working - Dr Elnaz Kashef
Presentation 2: Work experience in Higher Education a. Parallel Lives: Exploring the experiences of students who work - Dr Eileen Cunningham
Presentation 2: Work experience in Higher Education b. Exploring the influences that affect students successfully securing industrial placements: Has this impacted the emerging trend of a reduction in the number of students engaging in the placement process? - Fran Rimmer
Presentation 3: Work experience in employment/Using work experience to connect workless adults with employment - Jane Mansour
Discussion group notes - Schools, Work Experience in Employment
Overview
This session explored what research is telling us about best practice in the planning, delivery and follow up of work experience at different life stages. It reviewed lessons relating to:
- work experience as part of career education in mainstream education
- work experience within higher education
- work experience as part of employment.
The network meeting was a chance to consider and discuss:
- What are the common threads of good practice in work experience?
- What are some of the challenges that need to be addressed?
- How can we build a better sense of coherent development for individuals as they plan and undertake work experience at different stages in their career journey?
Programme
| 2.00 | Welcome and Introduction |
| 2.15 | Presentation 1: Work experience in schools The work experience system isn't working Dr Elnaz Kashefpakdel - Director of Policy, Research and Impact at Speakers for Schools This session focussed on the work experience system within secondary education, offering an overview of the current policy landscape and practical considerations for improving access and enquiry. Attendees gained insights into how work experience is integrated into secondary education and the challenges and opportunities it presents. We discussed strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of work experience programs and explore ways to ensure that students have meaningful and equitable access to these critical career development opportunities. |
| 2.40 | Presentation 2: Work experience in Higher Education |
| a. Parallel Lives: Exploring the experiences of students who work Dr Eileen Cunningham - Senior Lecturer in Business Psychology. Manchester This presentation looked at work experience from the perspective of university students based on research with working students. Findings suggest that work experience can confer surprising benefits beyond ‘CV building’ and money, for example, building significant mentoring relationships, confidence and a more nuanced understanding of ‘how work works’. However, work experience was also often stressful, discriminatory and forced them to compromise priorities. Implications for careers and HE professionals include the need to openly acknowledge inequalities in the labour market and the language of ‘career capitals’ as well as building capability and knowledge to defend their working rights. | |
| b. Exploring the influences that affect students successfully securing industrial placements: Has this impacted the emerging trend of a reduction in the number of students engaging in the placement process? Fran Rimmer - Placement Unit Manager at Huddersfield Industry placements are widely recognised as offering graduates a ‘head start’ into their career (Wilton, 2012), yet, despite the benefits, data suggests a worrying decline in students undertaking placements (Jones et al, 2015). As universities strive to improve graduate outcomes, positive placement data grows in value as a driver to meet strategic KPIs. This research set out to understand why STEM students had steadily disengaged in pre-placement activity at a post ’92 university in the north of England. Findings from the thematic review indicated several barriers, including location, family, and industry knowledge, adversely impacted student decision-making. Recommendations for practitioners to explore are suggested, to help address the decline. (Fran’s research was Highly Commended in the Bill Law Awards for 2023.) | |
| 3.10 | --Break-- |
| 3.20 | Presentation 3: Work experience in employment Using work experience to connect workless adults with employment Jane Mansour - Programme Director for ReAct, Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Employment Studies This presentation provided an overview of the use of work experience to support workless adults to transition back to work. It considered examples of short work experience interventions (often with a guaranteed interview at the end) that sit within longer employment support programmes, such as the Work Programme or Restart, as well as longer periods of work experience which have time for job search support designed in. It also presented ways in which work experience is used to broaden the scope of an individual’s job search, which may be due to career change, or to meet labour market need. Findings from research by the ReAct Partnership suggest that for Restart programme, participants over 50 (unemployed for at least nine months), identifying transferable skills and potential new sectors is most effective when done early, and that taster days and work experience can be a fundamental part of a mindset shift to consider new jobs and careers. |
| 3.40 | Small group discussions for Schools, HE and Employment Hosted by Fellows Prompt questions:- - What struck you afresh from the presentations? - What do you see as some of the major challenges in establishing a creative and progressive approach to work experience? - What scope is there to build a more continuous and evolving use of work experience placements as part of an individual’s career journey? |
| 4.10 | Feedback and discussion with the speakers |
| 4.30 | --Close-- |
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