Work Related Learning- Report on HEA funded Scoping Study Jane Weir, Director, Careers Service

Background Commitment to enhancing student employability SFC’s ‘Learning to Work’ report Work of the QAA Enhancement Theme on Employability WRL emerging as a huge challenge Application to SFC for Strategic Change Grant funding Contact with HEA for support

Three phases with associated activities: Feasibility: to provide evidence base for phases 2 & 3, ongoing research in WRL throughout project Implementation and best practice:Development of placements/internships and related opportunities, pilot projects in 6 non-vocational subject disciplines Establishing models for sustainability:Embedding of WRL activity within curricula and production of staff development materials Outline of three-year project

Relevance of Scoping Study To provide a baseline of knowledge for a more focused feasibility study in Phase 1 of project Scoping study will identify the primary sources for investigating the best sector-wide strategic and operational approaches to embracing WRL Will help clarify what we mean by WRL

To identify and categorise the range of UK- wide strategic institutional and operational WRL activity To examine methods that have been effective in promoting, disseminating and sustaining strategic and operational WRL activities To disseminate outputs to stakeholders across the UK and feed into other work by HEA To conduct study between March and July 2006 Project Objectives

Preliminary findings Term ‘work related learning’ used in HE as a generic term to mean broadly development of work-relevant skills and awareness of work- different terms used interchangeably by practitioners Depending on definition used, scope of activities which come under heading will vary Moreland’s definition considered to be clearest: ‘Involving students learning about themselves and the world of work and their wider lives’

Preliminary findings Considerable amount of WRL activity underway within HEIs However, wide range of activities in non- vocational subjects, involving diversity of approaches Much of this activity not been identified under WRL but more as ‘enhancing employability of undergraduate students’

Different categories Enhancing employability:new employability modules, mentoring programmes, enterprise workshops, voluntary work, clubs & societies- often add-ons Development of work related skills:FDs, HNDs, WBL (in the form of whole degree programmes) Support for WRL:reporting of WRL in PDP, Staff Development

Identified Gaps Very little evaluative evidence in existence- area populated by descriptive case studies- little or no research undertaken on the effectiveness of different approaches Research that does exist tends to focus on specific activities (e.g. work placements) is usually descriptive more than evaluative

Issues No consensus on what should be included in WRL Key problems -about assessments in the workplace and giving support to workplace learning Evidence that some student groups less likely to take up work placement opportunities Challenges of sustaining employability projects beyond the development phase Need better evaluative evidence (I.e. indicators of successful WRL outcomes)

Issues (continued) Lack of inter-connectedness of various WRL activities within HEIs Despite the level of progress that has been made to enhance employability, it is still a challenge to give WRL opportunities for all students in HE- especially in research-led HEIs