THE RELEVANCE OF WORK EXPERIENCE

1. THE RELEVANCE OF WORK EXPERIENCE LIZ RHODES, MBE DIRECTOR NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR WORK EXPERIENCE

2. TOPICS TO BE COVERED • Some of the things NCWE is doing • Where do we go from here? • Questions and Discussion

3. THE ROLE OF NCWE • To disseminate information and good practice • via our website www:work-experience.org • To encourage the development of standards • for all forms of work experience • To encourage more employers to come • forward with more placement opportunities

4. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS • Much going on in universities and colleges about • ‘employability skills’ • Government emphasis is on work-based learning • Emphasis also on skills and workforce • development

5. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS • BUT: • Employers continue to complain that young people • leaving any level of education have little • understanding of the world of work

6. EMERGING THEMES AND TRENDS • More and more major employers are • recruiting their fresh intake of graduates • from their internship/placement programmes • Second National Work Placement Fair held last • week in London - another to be held in • Birmingham in November • Growing call for more internships

7. DEFINITION FOR STUDENT EMPLOYBILITY “ A set of achievements, understandings and personal attributes that make individuals more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations.”

8. “…. Many of the employability skills that employers are seeking can only be learned in ‘real life’ situations, even on a temporary basis such as work placements of two or three weeks ….. There is a limit to the extent to which educational establishments can ‘teach’ the necessary skills and attributes, even where extensive efforts are made to simulate the work situation.”

9. “ ….. (the role of work experience) is an issue on which there is almost complete unanimity between employers and young people. Almost without exception, employers felt that young people who had undergone a period of work experience were better equipped than others for the world of work.”

10. “Work experience was universally regarded as an important way of developing employability skills and business awareness ….. However concerns were expressed about the variability in the quality of work experience and the value of more mundane work, with some suggesting a need for some form of accreditation

11. HOW DO WE GET OTHERS TO TAKE IT MORE SERIOUSLY? • A Campaigning Issue • Promote a positive message • Make the link to skills, career and • Professional Development • Need to work with employers

12. SOME OF THE THINGS NCWE IS DOING • Setting standards: development of a • Quality Mark • Awards Programme • Diploma in Work Placement • Management • Products/Materials

13. QUALITY MARK PROJECT GSK wanted to: Raise student awareness of the opportunities and realities of working in GSK Chemistry, in particular, and the pharmaceutical sector in general, and increase their understanding of the skills required to be successful in the sector

14. QUALITY MARK PROJECT GSK Chemistry also wanted to demonstrate to Chemistry undergraduates the range of employment opportunities available so that more graduates from a wider variety of backgrounds could be recruited.

15. QUALITY MARK PROJECT GSK wanted to see a set of criteria developed for a structured approach to work experience A framework for what constitutes a good, quality placement was jointly drawn up Materials were then produced specific to the requirements of GSK’s work experience programme

16. QUALITY MARK PROJECT These included provision of learning and support frameworks Tools to optimise the learning from a period of work experience Company information on Health & Safety issues, etc.

17. QUALITY MARK PROJECT They also had to demonstrate that: Students are well prepared for the placement Continuing support for the students and placement provider is given during the period of the placement There is a formal evaluation and debrief at the end enabling students to articulate what they have derived from the placement

18. QUALITY MARK PROJECT FOR GSK Chemistry: First recipient of the Quality Mark which recognises they offer high quality placement opportunities Helps them to promote their placement activities and address recruitment and retention issues

19. NCWE AWARDS Established 3 years ago to recognise and highlight good practice by employers Enables us to talk to employers Provides us with a range of case studies to help promote the issues

20. DIPLOMA IN WORK PLACEMENT MANAGEMENT Being developed in conjunction with AGCAS and NASES Contribution to Professional Development of staff involved in placement activity To start in Spring 2007

21. PRODUCTS/MATERIALS ‘Red Hot Talent’ - a Guide to help SMEs manage students on work placements more effectively Tutor’s Resource Pack - a set of materials to help prepare students get the most out their work experience/placement

22. RESEARCH FOR SKILLSMART Looking into the barriers to work placements in the retail sector Skillsmart want to see more placements being offered as a way of attracting graduates into the sector Results before the end of the year

23. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? My Vision: All students should do some form of work experience as part of their course

24. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? This would mean that: Government and Policy Makers need to take it more seriously Academia needs to acknowledge that the transition from ‘Learning to Earning’ is an important part of the student experience.

25. “Until you try, you don’t know what you can’t do” Henry James