Are placement students better prepared for life and work? An international comparison study Fiona Purdie Research Assistant

The Team Professor Nigel KingLisa WardDr Tina McAdie Human & Health Sciences TALI ManagerHuman & Health Sciences International Partners: University of Waterloo, Canada (Lead) University of Central Florida, USA University West, Sweden Liverpool John Moores University

The Background Graduate employment challenges The cultivation of higher order employment skills in students is a matter of growing concern Record numbers of graduates in the UK Increasing difficulty in securing employment post-secondary education Higher expectations as a result of imminent tuition fee reforms. Result: A challenge to design programs and courses better equipped to enable students acquire the skills, knowledge, competence, and experience that increase employability and lead to more satisfying careers. A possible solution? Work integrated learning, i.e. placements, sandwich education, professional training and internships Provides a plausible mechanism to develop crucial skills > advantage in the labour market.

The Background The impact of work integrated learning Better careers, salaries and degree outcomes Skills in collaboration Improved decision making Interpersonal and self management skills The application of theoretical knowledge in workplace environments, Professional networking skills Leadership skills BUT The psychological and vocational outcomes of work integrated learning are not yet fully established or understood

The Project Our aims: To examine the relationship between WIL and the psychological variables believed to play an important role for graduate employment. To determine if there are differences between students WIL and more traditional degree programme in the following psychological factors: Self-concept Self-efficacy Hope Procrastination, Study skills/work ethic This research will also be shared with international partners in Europe, Canada and the USA as part of an international comparison study

The Survey We need as many students as possible to fill in an online questionnaire at Target response: 1000 students It takes approximately minutes to fill in. This gives them the opportunity to win £50 in love to shop vouchers. Launched by today, deadline: 19 th June

The Survey Tool

The Recruitment Process Where you come in… Our ideas Posters Flyers Plasma Screens (please!) Screensavers Article in the Student Newspaper Article in the careers service E-newsletter Your ideas….

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME Questions and comments???