Placement Preparation: Taking a long term view

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Placement Preparation Taking a long term view

• Maria McCabe
• Leeds University Business School

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Background

• I run an optional one year placement scheme at
  Leeds, and am based in the Business School
• Numbers on placement currently 60-70 per year
• The biggest single impact in increasing numbers
  has been the development of a second year
  elective module, From Study to Work (impacting
  200 students)

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Context

• Russell Group university, with high calibre ,
  high potential students
• Challenge of exposing them to the harsh reality
  of the job market
• Students are responsible for finding their own
  placements, we simply provide support.

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Pragmatic decisions

• From the university
• I couldnt book a room so I created a module
• It was easier to give the same advice to 100
  students in one go than to 100 students one by
  one.
• From the students
• Its on my timetable, so I should turn up.
• Id better do the reflective assignment because
  its assessed.
• From the employers
• Its a guaranteed audience.

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The impact

• Students first task is to set personal goals
• Knowledge can be applied immediately
• Employers become approachable
• Exposure to corporate cultures
• Inspiration, information and encouragement

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The module

• The assessment is an online log (40) and a
  reflective statement (60)
• The content includes three initial lectures
  (Introduction, the Job Search, the Assessment
  Criteria) followed by interactive 2 hour seminars
  on Applications, Psychometric Tests, Interviews,
  Assessment Centres, Ethics and a Business Game
• Students are also expected to identify, attend
  and reflect on at least 3 additional sessions
  e.g. Employer Events, Fairs, Skills Sessions,
  Talks etc

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Delivery is done by

• Employers this adds value for the students and
  for the employers
• Careers Advisers, who also mark the module. This
  raises awareness of the on campus support
  provided by the Careers Centre
• ICAEW this raises awareness of professional
  bodies and allows participation from a variety of
  accounting firms.
• Ethics specialists - gives students the chance to
  be taught by academic staff from a CETL.

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Feedback

• Completion of the online log has given us
  detailed feedback on the student experience.
• Students valued Relevance
• Although I found this session stressful and
  demanding, it was a very useful and revealing
  workshop as I learned many things about myself,
  particularly when under time pressure. Again, the
  workshop was extremely relevant to my placement
  search as it was delivered by accountancy related
  firms.
• The Experience was Encouraging
• For me the most encouraging thing about hearing
  from an employer who actually runs assessment
  centres was how friendly she was and how she
  explained that the employers help you through the
  day and are not there to simply analyse you.

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Feedback

• The most controversial session was on Business
  Ethics, but only after the case study was made
  more relevant.
• Before attending this session I thought that I
  was quite an ethically minded person. However,
  this workshop made me realise that I do not
  transfer the morals I have in my personal life to
  my views on careers and job opportunities.
• This session was of particular relevance to me as
  the case study we were analysing was almost
  identical to the situation I found myself in at
  this time.
• Another important piece of learning from this
  session is that businesses can make profits and
  be ethical. Before this session I wasnt aware it
  was possible to behave ethically in a business
  and still perform well.
• It was interesting to hear the range of views
  across the room and how loose some people's
  morals were.

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Long term vs Last Minute

• Placement preparation sessions can be a bit like
  cramming for an exam. Too little, too late.
• The most important questions what do you hope
  to get out of this, how should you behave, what
  will it lead to, should already have been
  answered long ago.
• The most important questions may take months of
  reflection, they cant be answered in a couple of
  hours.
• A module can provide an environment in which
  those questions can be answered.

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Timing within the module

• The module
• Covers all key aspects of finding work in
  Semester 1 when enthusiasm is greatest
• Finishes 2 weeks before the end of term in
  Semester 1 to allow time for coursework deadlines
• Has some sessions in Semester 2 to maintain
  momentum
• Has sessions on the Assessment at relevant times

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So what happens in the briefing?

• I still have a pre-placement briefing. In it, I
  cover
• Academic requirements
• Admin Matters including Health Safety
• Students meet their placement tutor
• Students meet all the other outgoing students
• Identifying more detailed objectives with tutors

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Timing of the Briefing

• The Pre-placement Briefing is held
• At the latest time when students are likely to be
  around i.e. the Monday after exams
• After exams, so students can focus solely on
  their placement
• As late as possible to maximise the numbers
  attending
• Students who find placements later get
  individual briefings. In future this may be done
  via an Articulate Presentation.

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Highlights of the module

• Student ambassadors
• Lecture shouts
• Returning alumni
• Returning placement students
• Detailed feedback
• Retrospective evaluation by students
• Ethics Seminar

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Summary of Findings

• All the influence is at the beginning
• - you cant start too early
• Dont do anything that someone else can do better
• - the more variety you have in terms of
  presenters, the more value you add
• Timing is everything
• - it affects attendance and relevance
• Cumulative value of a module
• - students from the first cohort become
  student mentors, then first class graduates, then
  graduate recruiters