THE EMPLOYMENT of Student workers at a selected Tertiary Institution in Manchester, Jamaica – Natalee Knight

Introduction –Background to the Problem In Europe, according to the Eurostudent Survey, at least 40% of university students were regularly employed during term-time. That is, while they study. 2008 - 2011 Of 19.7 million undergraduate college students in the United States, 72% worked while studying. 20% of the students on the main campus of a selected tertiary institution in Jamaica were employed in their work-study programme. 2011 In the United Kingdom, 25% of the students registered in universities had taken on part-time jobs during term-time 2012

Introduction –Background to the Problem Term-time working is now a common place aspect of students' university experience (Moreau & Leatherwood, 2006). In fact, student labour forms a very important part of overall university operations (Robotham, 2012). Work-study programmes have assisted many students in financing their tertiary education and have helped them to develop strong work ethics. However, such programmes can be at times challenged by undesirable working conditions like low pay, high turnover rates, and sub-standard production.

Introduction –The Problem As one of its academic objectives, the tertiary institution selected for the study has promised students “to balance academic and practical experience through its work-study programme….” This work-study programme has assisted many students in financing their education and has helped them to develop strong work ethics. However, there are several challenges faced by student workers and supervisors in the programme that hinders its maximal effectiveness. Such challenges include, among others, unsatisfactory pay for student workers, and frequent sub-standard production due to student workers’ lack of formal training and first priority given to academics and not to the job. Both the student workers and the institution benefit from the work- study programme, but there are ways in which the programme can be enhanced to be more beneficial, as student labour forms a very important part of overall university operation (Robotham, 2012).

Introduction - Purpose of the Study to elucidate the challenges faced by both student workers and supervisors on the main campus of the selected tertiary institution in Manchester, Jamaica. to collate strategies and best practices pertinent to local circumstances that can be used to address common challenges present in work-study programmes.

Literature Review According to the literature, the main reason for students working part- time, while studying is: financial difficulties (Barron & Anastasiadou, 2009; Curtis & Lucas, 2001; Curtis & Williams, 2002; De La Rosa, 2012).

Literature Review Other reasons for working while studying include: to maintain a desired standard of living, to avoid borrowing money, to gain experience, to develop practical and personal skills, and to develop career contacts (Barron & Anastasiadou, 2009; Robotham, 2012).

Literature Review For employers, the main reason for employing students is to make use of cheap and flexible labour (Curtis & Lucas, 2001).

Literature Review The benefits of working while studying for students were found to include: introduction to the world of work and enhanced employability, improvement in academic knowledge, improved interpersonal skills, and increased organising skills (Barron & Anastasiadou, 2009; Curtis & Lucas, 2001; Lucas & Lammont, 1998).

Literature Review Employers were found to benefit from the cheap and flexible labour as well as the youthful workforce (Curtis & Lucas, 2001).

Literature Review The main consequence found for students who work during term- time was that They often find it challenging to balance their academics and work life. They are sometimes stressed, and are left with very little leisure time. Also found was that student workers hardly benefit from part- time work that is unrelated to their field of study (Carney, McNeish & McColl, 2005; Curtis & Lucas, 2001; Jogaratnam & Buchanan, 2004; Robotham, 2009; Salamonson & Andrew, 2006).

Literature Review For employers, the main drawback of student employment is high turnover rates (Lucas & Ralston, 1996).

Literature Review Finally, the literature shows some of the most difficult working conditions faced by students to be: low wages and reduced entitlements to benefits and employment rights, working overtime or doing additional duties with no extra pay, and not being respected or appreciated for the work they contribute (Curtis & Lucas, 2001; Robbins, 2010).

Literature Review However, despite such challenges, it was found that work-study programmes can be improved in various ways to benefit both student workers and the institution. Such include, among other strategies: improving student workers’ wages and benefits, adapting the delivery of educational services to address the needs of working students, and structuring employment to maximise student learning (Pern, 2010).

Methodology Data Analysis Data Collection The mixed-methods approach was used. Questionnaires were used to gather quantitative data from student workers and supervisors, which were physically distributed by the researcher and trained students, and re-collected as soon as they were completed to improve response rate. Structured interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data from selected supervisors. These were conducted as face-to-face interviews at the work-area of selected supervisors for their convenience. Sample 130 student workers on the main campus , representing 20% of the population of student workers 36 supervisors, representing 50% of the population of supervisors Quota sampling was used to select both student workers and supervisors, as a convenient way to ensure that all six sectors of the institution were proportionally represented. Data Analysis SPSS software was used to analyse the quantitative data Hand-coding used to analyse the qualitative data.

Summary of Research Findings Demographics of Participants Rationale for Student Employment Benefits of Student Employment Consequences of Student Employment Working Conditions of Student Workers Effectiveness of the Work-study Programme How the Work-study Programme can be Improved Recommendations

Demographics of Participants Age of Participants

Work Hours of Student Workers Demographics of Participants Work Hours of Student Workers

Sectors That Employ Student Workers Demographics of Participants Sectors That Employ Student Workers

Demographics of Participants

Rationale for Student Employment

Rationale for Student Employment

Benefits of Student Employment

Benefits of Student Employment Benefits of Employing Student Workers 90.3% of supervisors said they benefit from less expensive labour costs 58.1% benefit from flexible working hours.

Consequences of Student Employment Insignificant relationship between the number of hours worked and academic performance. R2 was .003.

Consequences of Student Employment

Working Conditions of Student Workers Student workers were found to experience several difficult working conditions as it relates to training, feedback, extra hours and additional duties, and pay. The most challenging was that of pay. Only 1.6% of participants indicated that they strongly agree that they were satisfied with the pay they receive for the work they do, and 15.1% indicated that they agree. However, although supervisors are not totally responsible for student workers' rate of pay, 37.1% of participants strongly agreed that they ensure that their student workers are paid for extra hours worked or additional duties done and 28.6% agreed.

Working Conditions of Student Workers

Working Conditions of Student Workers

Effectiveness of the Work-Study Programme 28.6% of student workers strongly agreed and 54.3% of supervisors that the work-study programme is effective in providing financial assistance to students. It was strongly agreed by 36.5% of student workers and 54.3% of supervisors that the work-study programme is effective in developing strong work ethics among students. Almost all participants and interviewees thought the work- study programme should continue; 71.4% of student workers and 71.4% of supervisors strongly agreed.

How the Work-Study Programme Can be Improved 94.6% of student workers indicated that the work-study programme can be improved by increasing student worker pay and providing benefits. 91.4% of supervisors on the other hand think it is more important to recognize student workers more often for the work they contribute.

How the Work-Study Programme Can be Improved

Recommendations The researcher recommends that the selected institution Improve pay for student workers, since unsatisfactory pay was the most commonly indicated undesirable working condition faced by students in the work-study programme. Structure the work-study programme to maximize student learning. Engage student workers in formal or informal training, collaboration and teamwork, and problem solving.

Recommendations To help maximize student learning, the researcher recommends that students be placed to work in areas relating to their programmes of study, as much as possible, as suggested by McKechnie et al., as doing so makes them more likely to benefit from future career and skills development, in addition to earning money. The institution stands to benefit as well from the specialized knowledge students would have gained in their academics.

Recommendations As it relates to student worker training, the institution should collate best practices from all departments that regularly engage student workers in formalized training. It should then be ensured that these best practices are regularly applied throughout the institution. General areas of training like customer service and professionalism could be administered to the entire student workforce by the administrators of the work-study programme, while specific areas of training could be administered at the departmental level by supervisors. Adequately training student workers for their assigned tasks should lessen the occurrence of sub-standard production, wastage of resources, and lack of experience and professionalism that were indicated as drawbacks to employing students.