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Summer Engineering Placements – an Opportunity?. Martin Borthwick School of Marine Science & Engineering. HEA Seminar Enhancing employability through contact with practice 24 April 2014. Acknowledgments:. Plymouth University Placements Office Student pilot group Employers RAEng.
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Summer Engineering Placements – an Opportunity? Martin Borthwick School of Marine Science & Engineering • HEA Seminar • Enhancing employability through contact with practice 24 April 2014
Acknowledgments: • Plymouth University Placements Office • Student pilot group • Employers • RAEng
Presentation overview • Context • Objectives • Methodology • Findings • Conclusions • The way ahead….discussion and questions
Context in engineering… • Benefits of industrial placements are well known1 • Uptake of conventional 1-year placements had been declining2 Main reasons3: • To finish quickly • Lack of available placements4 • The commercial future (is here) • KIS • NSS • Accreditation 1RAEng. (2010) 2Walker, F. & Ferguson, M. (2009) 3Borthwick & Rees (2011) 4Dales, R., Lamb, F. & Hurdle, E. (2010)
Rationale for this study • Need to improve employability • Shorter placements… • Students finish quickly but gain important experience • Less risk for employers • Already happening! • Easier to “sell” to students?
Project Objectives • Scope the opportunities for short-term placements with engineering employers • Identify the skills that can be developed • Assess the development of skills • Develop resources
Methodology • Initial survey • Test “Skills tracker” • Extended survey - employer interviews • Evaluation and development of web resources • Undertaken June 2011- April 2012
Pilot Survey • 50 engineering employers selected • Email questionnaire to assess the potential: • scope of existing practice • participants for the follow up interviews • 1/3 responded • 1/5 showed interest
Extended Survey – who? • Existing placement hosts • Staff contacts • Internal & external databases • Professional Bodies • Placement & careers fairs How? • Email – phone - interview
Extended Survey The numbers….
How many? • 112 companies contacted • 42 (38%) interested • 30 agreed to host summer placement in 2012 • 37 took part in follow up interviews • but 27 would not host short placements…
Interview findings: • Perception: • 73% (27) positive • Preference: • 65% (24) happy with either 1-year sandwich or summer (8 prefer summer) • Experience: • 68% (25) have hosted both 1-year and short placements
Interview findings: The discussion….
Employer commitment: • Type of experience: • General 16 (43%) • Project specific 12 (32%) • Both 5 (14%) • Mentoring: • Supervisor – 20 (54%) • Link to graduate programme – 13 (35%)
Skills Tracker • Didn’t re-invent the wheel: • Engineering Council • ICE and IMechE • PU sandwich placement guidance • Guiding principles: • Low overhead • Plan, evidence, evaluate
Skills Tracker – employer views: • Overall fit for purpose • Most important target skill - personal effectiveness • communication • teamwork • Self management • Least important target skill – commercial awareness
Student feedback: • Positive all-round experience • Skills Tracker easy to use • Prioritised technical and work-specific targets rather than “professional” skills • Not all completed the voluntary report • Strongly recommend to peers
Summary: • Placements confirmed as beneficial! • Engineering employers support short-term placements • There is capacity • Skills Tracker endorsed • Students perceive technical know-how more important than “professional” skills…
Summary: • However employers are also looking for: • Communication • Technical knowledge • IT competence • Enthusiasm and motivation • Commercial awareness is a positive “side effect”
Our recent experience: • Enhanced contact with the employers has led to: • increased year-long placement opportunities • Increasing contact from employers seeking summer placements • Value of first year CV exercise • Issues: • Resource constraints for supporting summer placements • Ongoing year long vs summer placement debate • Mentoring support (Employer/University)
Looking ahead: • Build on employer links • Regular placements • mentoring • projects • Embed in programmes • Raise the stakes with students • Issue of credit rating and availability • Look at graduate placements…
Resources: • Engineering placement web pages www.plymouth.ac.uk/placements Follow “Engineering Summer Placements” link • Skills Tracker • Case Study www.hestem.ac.uk/sites/default/files/developing_professional_skills.pdf