tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/work-experience-10878/articlesWork experience – The Conversation2023-09-14T20:05:08Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2131512023-09-14T20:05:08Z2023-09-14T20:05:08Z‘It is impossible for me to be unpaid’: 3 ways to fix student work placements<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547986/original/file-20230913-15-g6m0t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C20%2C6709%2C4446&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-doctor-taking-notes-7659868/">Thirdman/Pexels</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A major plank of the federal goverment’s bid to overhaul Australian universities is ensuring more students from diverse backgrounds finish university. </p>
<p>So far, the Universities Accord’s <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/australian-universities-accord/resources/accord-interim-report">interim report</a> has identified compulsory, unpaid work placements as a significant barrier. </p>
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<p>Students often must take time out of paid work for these placements which can take place over multi-week blocks away from home.</p>
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<p>We <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02615479.2022.2161507">previously found</a> compulsory unpaid placements lead to financial stress for students and are unsustainable. Our new survey research provides three ways to address “placement poverty”.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/these-5-equity-ideas-should-be-at-the-heart-of-the-universities-accord-203418">These 5 equity ideas should be at the heart of the Universities Accord</a>
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<h2>What are work placements?</h2>
<p>Many professional courses, such as nursing, teaching, social work, psychology and the allied health professions, have significant work placement requirements. </p>
<p>For example, social work students need to complete <a href="https://aasw-prod.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ASWEAS-March-2020-V2.1-updated-November-2021.pdf">1,000 hours</a> (nearly half a year) of full-time, unpaid work experience to graduate. </p>
<p>These placements are hugely important for student learning, but the time commitment means students often have to give up paid work. There can also be extra travel and clothing costs. </p>
<p>Our 2022 research has shown how the resulting <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02615479.2022.2161507">financial hardship</a> and stress can stop students completing their degrees. It can also prevent people even considering university study, especially those from <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0312407X.2017.1377741?journalCode=rasw20">socially disadvantaged backgrounds</a>. </p>
<p>The Australian Council of Heads of Social Work Education recently commissioned research to identify solutions. This 2023 study involved a nationwide survey of almost 1,200 participants: 701 social work students, 196 educators and 294 practitioners. </p>
<p>It highlighted several potential ways to fix this situation. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-can-no-longer-justify-unpaid-labour-why-uni-students-need-to-be-paid-for-work-placements-203421">'We can no longer justify unpaid labour': why uni students need to be paid for work placements</a>
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<h2>1. Change the Fair Work Act</h2>
<p>Students in our survey reported they are regularly used as free labour to fill staff shortages in organisations that are not adequately resourced. </p>
<p>While placements should provide opportunities for learning (to develop new skills under supervision and within a supported environment), more than half the educators surveyed reported service providers won’t take students if they don’t already have the skills to perform the required work. </p>
<p>A further 43% of educators said organisations refused to host a student if they didn’t perform well during a pre-placement interview. This means organisations are routinely screening students to ensure they can perform unpaid work while on placement.</p>
<p>As one student told us: </p>
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<p>While I understand we are students, we are still being expected to work, manage clients and assist in support roles (many of which are emotionally taxing and complex) so I believe being unpaid for this is unethical.</p>
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<p>To fix this, we recommend the federal parliament changes the Fair Work Act, so vocational placements must be paid. At the moment it is legal for them to be unpaid. </p>
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<img alt="A young women listens." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547989/original/file-20230913-21-l8rcuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547989/original/file-20230913-21-l8rcuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547989/original/file-20230913-21-l8rcuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547989/original/file-20230913-21-l8rcuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547989/original/file-20230913-21-l8rcuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547989/original/file-20230913-21-l8rcuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547989/original/file-20230913-21-l8rcuu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The demands of work placements often mean students have to give up paid employment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photo-of-smiling-social-worker-9870136/">Ron Lach/Pexels</a></span>
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<h2>2. Pay students a minimum wage</h2>
<p>Students in our research also talked about the importance of being paid from a cost-of-living perspective. </p>
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<p>As a mature age student with two young children, it is impossible for me to be unpaid and undertake placement.</p>
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<p>The Universities Accord interim report has suggested changes to the Higher Education Loans Program (HELP) (such as reduced fees), but this won’t help students with the upfront costs of daily living while doing placements. </p>
<p>The United Kingdom <a href="https://www.gov.uk/social-work-bursaries">offers a bursary</a> through the National Health Service to cover students’ expenses while on placement.</p>
<p>Despite the importance of paying students at least a minimum wage, it is clear the organisations they work for cannot pay. These mostly non-profit organisations are already <a href="https://www.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ACSS-Full-2021-Report-v6.pdf">underfunded</a>. Existing placement shortages will only worsen if organisations are expected to pay. </p>
<p>Universities cannot pay either. There is no country in the world where universities pay students to do placements. And while there’s a perception some universities are flush with cash, <a href="https://theconversation.com/international-students-are-returning-to-australia-but-they-are-mostly-going-to-more-prestigious-universities-193391">the spoils are not spread evenly</a>. Smaller, regional institutions would be most disadvantaged. </p>
<p>Higher education funding has also <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-needs-a-knowledge-economy-fuelled-by-scientists-and-arts-graduates-heres-why-212366">been shrinking for decades</a>, so universities are forced to operate like businesses. Within this context, any costs they incur for placements would likely be passed onto students. Some universities may simply ditch professional courses if they become too expensive to run. </p>
<p>This means the Australian government will have to pay, as an investment into vital professions, especially if we are to address workforce shortages. </p>
<p>Calculated at the minimum wage rate (before the recent <a href="https://business.gov.au/news/changes-for-businesses-coming-on-1-july-2023#:%7E:text=National%20Minimum%20Wage%20increase,or%20after%201%20July%202023.">minimum wage increase</a>), Unions NSW <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/social-work-and-teaching-students-left-21000-worse-off-due-to-university-placement-requirements/news-story/5c75df4860e95fd6c8a9454460591f90">estimated</a> students should earn around A$21,000 for a placement. </p>
<p>This would mean the price tag for government would be in the millions (not billions) of dollars. It would also meet multiple goals of the Universities Accord. Along with improving equity, it also seeks to meet future skills needs. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fair-work-commission-gives-a-5-2-40-a-week-increase-in-the-minimum-wage-185119">Fair Work Commission gives a 5.2% – $40 a week – increase in the minimum wage</a>
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<h2>3. Change how learning is measured</h2>
<p>An additional solution is for professional regulatory bodies to emphasise demonstrated learning outcomes, instead of an arbitrary “placement hours” approach.</p>
<p>During COVID, innovative strategies were trialled when many students could not complete regular face-to-face placements. As one educator told us: </p>
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<p>[These] showed that students could achieve success in their placement and learning with less time and more flexibility.</p>
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<p>The most popular strategies to help reduce student poverty, as ranked by our respondents, were reducing placement hours by up to 20%, increasing recognition of prior learning, and allowing students to do a placement in an existing workplace.</p>
<p>Currently, social work students cannot do a placement <a href="https://aasw-prod.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ASWEAS-March-2020-V2.1-updated-November-2021.pdf">in their pre-existing role</a>, even if the work is directly relevant. </p>
<p>Developing a “capability framework” (that measures acquired learning, instead of hours served) also had overwhelming support. One practitioner said: </p>
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<p>More focus on demonstrating learning as opposed to just ‘ticking off hours’ could lead to shorter placements with a higher focus on the quality of learning.</p>
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<h2>What about learning?</h2>
<p>Learning and working go hand in hand on placement. While current standards are often presumed to produce <a href="https://aasw-prod.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ASWEAS-March-2020-V2.1-updated-November-2021.pdf">competent and ethical practitioners</a>, our research shows students are being financially stretched and stressed. </p>
<p>We all need our professionals to be well prepared for the workplace. We also know poverty and stress do not help students concentrate or learn. Reflecting on their student experience, one practitioner told us: </p>
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<p>For me it became just getting the hours done, rather than learning.</p>
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<p>Students should be reasonably compensated for the work they are doing. In addition to payment, research shows that reducing hours, and introducing more flexible work-based placements and ways to measure learning, would help.</p>
<p>The final Universities Accord report is due in December. There is a genuine opportunity here to end placement poverty.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213151/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christine Morley received partial funding from the Australian Council of Heads of Social Work Education (ACHSWE) to undertake this study.
Vanessa Ryan (QUT) assisted with quantitative data analysis. Professor Linda Briskman (WSU), Dr Maree Higgins, and Associate Professor Lisa Hodge (CDU) were also part of the original research team and are ongoing members of the Workforce and Placement Poverty Advocacy working group of the ACHSWE.
</span></em></p>Courses such as nursing, teaching and social work require students to complete full-time, unpaid work experience to graduate. This often means they have to give up paid work.Christine Morley, Professor of Social Work, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2080252023-07-03T02:12:18Z2023-07-03T02:12:18ZIt’s time we stopped exploiting interns and paid them for the hours worked<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534532/original/file-20230628-17-pfwlca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=321%2C137%2C4790%2C2720&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many people, at some stage in their search for a career, have worked for free in return for some much valued experience. But it’s surprisingly hard to find exact numbers.</p>
<p>A 2016 <a href="https://www.dewr.gov.au/workplace-relations-australia/resources/unpaid-work-experience-australia-report-december-2016">national survey</a> of 3,800 Australians found more than half (58%) of respondents aged 18 to 29 and more than a quarter (26%) aged 30 to 64 had done unpaid work at least once in the previous five years.</p>
<p>There is <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/242371">also data</a> suggesting more than a third (37.4%) of Australia’s university students are doing courses which involve real work as part of their tertiary studies. In 2017 that amounted to 451,263 work-related learning experiences.</p>
<p>This is not uniquely Australian. In 2013 an <a href="https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/1091">EU survey</a> of 12,921 people found 46% aged from 18 to 35 had done at least one internship, with more than half of those being unpaid.</p>
<h2>Why people are prepared to work for free</h2>
<p>So why are so many people around the world signing up to do unpaid jobs, in the guise of traineeships, internships or work experience.</p>
<p>One reason must be the strong promotion of internships as a step from education to employment. Employers have frequently identified <a href="https://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/2019/graduate_market/GMReport19.pdf">practical experience</a> as an important factor in deciding who to hire.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/during-naidoc-week-many-indigenous-women-are-assigned-unpaid-work-new-research-shows-how-prevalent-this-is-in-the-workplace-208454">During NAIDOC Week, many Indigenous women are assigned unpaid work. New research shows how prevalent this is in the workplace</a>
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<p>Internships have also been enthusiastically endorsed by many <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joec.12010">universities</a> plus <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_LEGislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r6584">industry and government</a> as a way to help students develop relevant skills to move into the graduate labour market.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535183/original/file-20230703-215865-skd86y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Female employer explaining something to a junior worker" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535183/original/file-20230703-215865-skd86y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535183/original/file-20230703-215865-skd86y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535183/original/file-20230703-215865-skd86y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535183/original/file-20230703-215865-skd86y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535183/original/file-20230703-215865-skd86y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535183/original/file-20230703-215865-skd86y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535183/original/file-20230703-215865-skd86y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Many Australian students do unpaid work in the hope of securing work in their preferred career.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/search/traineeship">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>With these groups backing internships, is it any wonder so many students and graduates believe an internship is essential to securing graduate employment?</p>
<p>But there’s a downside to internships stakeholders are reluctant to discuss.</p>
<h2>Not everyone can get an internship</h2>
<p>When internships are either a prerequisite for professional accreditation or pseudo mandatory - you can’t get a job without one - then only those who have completed a placement can enter the profession.</p>
<p>Those who <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01425692.2021.1886051">can’t afford to do unpaid work</a> or lack the connections to secure a placement, may be left behind. This can be a tragedy for the individual, whose dreams of work in a particular industry might be dashed.</p>
<p>As well, the proliferation of unpaid (or low-paid) internships has the potential to have a much broader impact. It risks <a href="https://www.ippr.org/publications/the-inbetweeners">entrenching existing disadvantage</a> and limiting diversity in professions.</p>
<p>It may also displace paid employment and undermine labour standards, as employers replace paid workers with a revolving door of interns who are treated as “<a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/precariat-9781849664561/">cheap dead-end labour</a>”.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535189/original/file-20230703-213178-ev7v7p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Older employer shows young male trainee how a piece of electrical equipment works." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535189/original/file-20230703-213178-ev7v7p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535189/original/file-20230703-213178-ev7v7p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535189/original/file-20230703-213178-ev7v7p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535189/original/file-20230703-213178-ev7v7p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535189/original/file-20230703-213178-ev7v7p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535189/original/file-20230703-213178-ev7v7p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535189/original/file-20230703-213178-ev7v7p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Unlike in the EU, trainees in Australia have very few entitlements.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/search/traineeship">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>This is not a theoretical concern, there is <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/WIL-in-universities-final-report-April-2019.pdf">evidence</a> some of Australia’s tertiary students face obstacles which limit their capacity to secure or complete internships.</p>
<p>This <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20230311092257909">includes</a> disadvantaged students, including those from low socio-economic backgrounds, rural areas, those who are Indigenous and others who cannot do work placements required to get professional accreditation.</p>
<p>These poor outcomes are driving calls for reform. The European parliament <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230609IPR96206/meps-call-for-new-rules-to-avoid-the-exploitation-of-trainees-across-the-eu">recently endorsed</a> a proposal to amend the 2014 Quality Framework for Traineeships requiring all trainees in EU countries be fairly remunerated.</p>
<h2>What is being done to regulate internships</h2>
<p>On top of this, a growing number of countries have increasingly tough regulations regarding internships. For example, France banned open market internships in 2014, and now only allows regulated internships which are completed by a university student as part of their studies.</p>
<p>The French regulation sets out stringent supervision requirements from both workplace host and university and obligations for payment when the internship exceeds a set period. Belgium, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal and Slovenia have also implemented specific laws requiring <a href="https://www.anpal.gov.it/documents/552016/587134/KE-EX-22-001-EN-N.pdf/1fb291b4-e0e7-0109-0748-64d0add4d29c?t=1645018016882">payment</a> for open market traineeships.</p>
<p>The EU’s response to concerns about unpaid internships highlights the need for Australia to consider its position.</p>
<p>Currently, <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/agispt.20181206004600">Australian regulations</a> fail to regulate internships in any comprehensive way.</p>
<p>Instead, there are piecemeal rules dealing with isolated issues such as protecting interns against discrimination or harassment or ensuring universities’ internship courses meet set standards.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/graduates-beware-dont-fall-for-that-unpaid-job-advert-122622">Graduates beware, don't fall for that unpaid job advert</a>
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<p>While these issues are important, dealing with them in isolation does not resolve the broad and complex issues internships raise.</p>
<h2>The future of unpaid work</h2>
<p>Most stakeholders value internships so they are likely to continue. Therefore, we need to consider how they can be regulated to reduce negative outcomes and maximise the benefits. This will require a national debate to answer a range of difficult questions, including:</p>
<p>• what do we think the value of work is, and what is the impact of allowing unpaid work on individuals and society? Are we prepared to accept this impact?</p>
<p>• who should pay for training and skills development: individuals, employers, or society?</p>
<p>• who in our workplaces should be protected by labour laws and who should be excluded?</p>
<p>Once we have these answers, we can decide what the role of internships in Australia should be, and craft a regulatory regime to achieve that. Perhaps our conclusion should be, as articulated by the EU parliament, that it’s time we stopped exploiting interns and paid them a fair day’s pay.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208025/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anne Hewitt has received funding to conduct research on the regulation of internships (2016 Australian Research Council Discovery Project Grant ‘Regulating Post-secondary Work Experience: Labour Law at the Boundary of Work and Education’ DP150104516 with Professor Rosemary Owens, Professor Andrew Stewart and Dr Joanna Howe) and the risks of payments made to student interns (2020 Australian Collaborative Education Network Research Grant 'Risks associated with studentships' with Dr Craig Cameron, Griffith).</span></em></p>Australia is behind the EU when it comes to properly remunerating interns despite employers valuing on-the-job experience.Anne Hewitt, Associate Professor, Law, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1261942020-01-16T19:03:00Z2020-01-16T19:03:00Z‘What subjects do I choose for my last years of school?’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310116/original/file-20200115-151829-1q4twbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=765%2C72%2C4421%2C3935&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Locking yourself into one career path too early may be risky.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>We are being asked to do work experience this year, in a field we might like to work in. We are being asked to think about choosing electives that are directing us towards our career choices.</p>
<p>I have no idea what I want to do! I haven’t yet found anything I am particularly good at. I feel like I am being left behind. That others are making choices about their lives that I am not prepared for yet. Is this normal?</p>
<p>Lachlan, year 10</p>
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<h2>Key points</h2>
<ul>
<li>Many young people feel this way – it is normal!</li>
<li>locking yourself into one career path too early can be risky</li>
<li>it’s important to be flexible and learn transferable skills</li>
<li>ask lots of questions from people around you.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/i-need-to-know-66587"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290837/original/file-20190904-175686-polw3q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=90&fit=crop&dpr=2" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>Hi Lachlan, many young people feel undecided about their career pathway. One <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/file_uploads/EEJSC_58-04_Text_WEB_RwD0HN5C.pdf">study found</a> around one in five teenagers were uncertain about a clear career goal.</p>
<p>The questions you ask are about more than just which subjects to choose in the last years of school. They point towards the bigger decision about what sort of person you want to become. And that is a big decision to make all at once.</p>
<p>Careers advisors, teachers and parents often talk about <a href="https://www.ncver.edu.au/__data/assets/file/0021/9516/factors-affecting-aspirations-2711.pdf">career choice</a> as a matter of logical decision-making and planning, but it <a href="https://www.ncver.edu.au/__data/assets/file/0021/9516/factors-affecting-aspirations-2711.pdf">also involves</a> feelings, imagination and knowledge about yourself and the world.</p>
<p>These are constantly evolving so it isn’t surprising you feel confused.</p>
<h2>It’s important to be flexible</h2>
<p>You say some of your friends already have clear ideas about their futures. But being too rigid can be just as risky as not having a decision. If you set your career sights too narrow, or too early, on just one type of career you might not have a back-up plan. </p>
<p>What happens if it doesn’t work out? Does that mean you will feel like a failure before you even start? You might miss out on possibilities that don’t fit that narrow vision but that might suit you perfectly.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yoEezZD71sc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Watch Tim Minchin explain to students at his old university why “You don’t have to have a dream.”</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some <a href="https://mccrindle.com.au/insights/blog/job-mobility-australia/">research suggests</a> today’s graduates will average five separate careers and around 17 different employers in their working life. This means an important skill these days is the ability to adapt. </p>
<p>The careers you have in the future might be quite different from each other, drawing on new skills and interests developed over time. Changes might happen because a workplace closes, or a new career becomes possible, or you want to move or develop a new interest.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/choosing-a-career-these-jobs-wont-go-out-of-style-111425">Choosing a career? These jobs won't go out of style</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>So while having a good idea about you want to do will give you a goal to work towards, it is important to be flexible too. Think of plans as provisional. Be ready to adjust your thinking and recalibrate them as you get more experience. </p>
<ul>
<li>Develop short-term, medium and long-term goals. You’ll find great resources to help with this at <a href="https://headspace.org.au/young-people/how-to-make-a-career-plan-template/">Headspace</a>. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Learning your interests takes time</h2>
<p>You say you don’t know what you’re good at yet. That’s OK too. Learning to recognise your skills, interests and values takes time. Talking to other people can help including friends, family, people you know through sport or other communities you are part of. </p>
<p>School subjects don’t test some of the important skills for a successful working life, such as the ability to get along with different people or flexible thinking, so you may not know you have them yet.</p>
<p>It is helpful to think about <a href="https://www.fya.org.au/report/the-new-work-mindset-report/">clusters</a> of jobs that draw on similar sets of skills. Particular skills (such as attention to detail) or interests (such as working outdoors or caring for others) can translate from one area into another. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/lack-of-workers-with-soft-skills-demands-a-shift-in-teaching-73433">Lack of workers with 'soft skills' demands a shift in teaching</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Work experience in customer service or retail sales will develop your skills in communicating with other people, being organised and understanding record-keeping. These are building blocks for success in many other careers. </p>
<p>Learning skills in one context that you can carry to a different one means you are adaptable – one of most important qualities for success. The more you can learn on the job, no matter which job it is, the better off you will be. </p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/jobs-and-careers">Youth Central’s Career Profiles</a> give lots of detail about how interests turn into careers, and the pathways people took to get there.</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kRJW-Sg4hjM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Watch Eddie Woo explaining why “the advice to follow your passion is a terrible idea…”</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>There are many pathways</h2>
<p>Many young people may choose to pursue a career they already know. Perhaps a friend or family member already does this sort of work. That’s a great start but it can also be <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315736921">limiting</a>. </p>
<p>Many careers have changed in recent years. Some are disappearing while <a href="https://www.ceda.com.au/CEDA/media/ResearchCatalogueDocuments/Research%20and%20Policy/PDF/26792-Futureworkforce_June2015.pdf">new careers</a> are always on the horizon, so going with something a parent does may not be suitable anymore. Some of the fastest <a href="https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/browse/high-growth">growing</a> career areas include the personal care (such as aged care), health and technology sectors. </p>
<p>Take every opportunity your school offers to explore the world of work. There might be industry tasters, VET immersion days, career expos or fairs, presentations, mentoring programs, workplace and university visits, or school-university partnership programs.</p>
<p>When it comes to subject selection, you might decide to combine vocational training with mainstream academic subjects that will help you work towards a university course. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-stress-your-atar-isnt-the-final-call-there-are-many-ways-to-get-into-university-125429">Don't stress, your ATAR isn't the final call. There are many ways to get into university</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There are also pathway courses and alternative entry programs into univesities if you don’t quite get into what you want. There is no decision now that will lock you in to only one possibility for your future. Do stay at school though as that will set you up well for whatever comes in the future. Keep your options open.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://myfuture.edu.au">My Future</a> has fantastic resources including quizzes that will help learn more about what might suit you. You can also match up school subjects with career pathways.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Work experience is a good way to develop skills</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/jobs-and-careers/volunteering-and-work-experience">work experience</a> you do at school need not match exactly what you will end up doing in the future, but it gives a great taste of full-time work. </p>
<p>Most young people find it is the most useful career related activity they do at school because it is <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/eejsc/Career_Advice_Activities/EEJSC_58-04_Text_WEB.pdf">hands on</a> and puts them in direct contact with employers.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/unpaid-work-experience-is-widespread-but-some-are-missing-out-new-study-70737">Unpaid work experience is widespread but some are missing out: new study</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Try for something that draws on some of your current interests and skills, but remember this is an opportunity to try things out. A good report from an employer about your willingness to learn might be really helpful in lots of ways, including helping you get part-time work so you can continue to increase your experiences and responsibilities.</p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126194/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susanne Gannon works for Western Sydney University. She receives funding from ARC. </span></em></p>Today’s graduates may average five separate careers and around 17 different employers in their working life. This means an important skill these days is flexibility and the ability to adapt.Susanne Gannon, Associate Professor, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1121972019-04-02T11:03:50Z2019-04-02T11:03:50ZPaid work experience and ‘sandwich degrees’ help boost social mobility – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266789/original/file-20190401-177193-1pe3rxk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's not a level playing field.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/business-competition-concept-flat-style-334893695">Sira Anamwong / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The upper echelons of British society are filled with graduates <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/oct/20/oxford-cambridge-race-class-and-oxbridge-stranglehold-on-british-society">from elite universities</a>. These universities are, in turn, disproportionately full of students from wealthier backgrounds, many of whom <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-britains-private-schools-are-such-a-social-problem-111369">went to private school</a>. For these graduates, their top education and superior knowledge of the “rules of the game” regarding how institutions work gains them entry-level graduate jobs in elite professional firms. </p>
<p>It may seem that Britain has progressed little in the 130 years since Lord Fermor <a href="https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/113/the-picture-of-dorian-gray/1939/chapter-3/">reflected</a> in The Picture of Dorian Gray that “if a man is a gentleman, he knows quite enough, and if he is not a gentleman, whatever he knows is bad for him”. Indeed, if you’re from a working class background the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-britains-class-system-will-have-to-change-58188">odds are stacked against you</a> if you want to make it into an elite profession. Going to university on its own does not guarantee a top professional job at the end of it. </p>
<p>This is a complex problem and there is considerable debate over how to improve social mobility. Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1476482">new research paper</a> shows the importance of work experience. Specifically, year-long placements in industry as part of a degree programme can effectively help working class students secure entry to top professional firms. This is significant considering the fact that social mobility into high-quality, high-status and high-reward professions like accountancy and financial services <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61090/IR_FairAccess_acc2.pdf">has slowed down in recent decades</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/14346/">Research shows</a> that upper-middle-class students are more likely to take internships at university due to family social connections and greater financial resources. By looking at year-long paid internships, the so-called “sandwich placements” in some student degree programmes, we wanted to see how level the playing field really was for working class students. </p>
<p>We found that working class students were actually judged purely on their academic merits. In a victory for meritocracy, the sandwich placements overwhelmingly went to the brightest students from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds. There was also evidence that these kinds of placements, which are also well-paid, can facilitate the social mobility of academically driven students who aspire to work for these kinds of companies. </p>
<h2>Foot in the door</h2>
<p>This is significant because these were sandwich placements in accountancy, a top profession which has suffered the greatest decline in social mobility <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/78f85720-ddaa-11e7-8f9f-de1c2175f5ce">over the past 30 years</a>. Social exclusion in elite accountancy and investment banking firms <a href="http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/13614/">is</a> <a href="https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/AAAJ-10-2012-1133?fullSc=1">evident</a> in the recruitment process for professionals at graduate entry level. </p>
<p>A 2017 <a href="https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/AAAJ-10-2012-1133?fullSc=1">study</a> by Angus Duff, a professor at the University of the West of Scotland, revealed that unpaid work experience in accounting firms is used to maintain the status quo. Internships are often given to children of senior partners and important clients. As Duff notes, this is a recruitment process that is clearly “removed from notions of inclusivity and social equality”. This gives young people from privileged backgrounds an important foot in the door, which can often lead to jobs in the future.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267069/original/file-20190402-177171-1eol06d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267069/original/file-20190402-177171-1eol06d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267069/original/file-20190402-177171-1eol06d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267069/original/file-20190402-177171-1eol06d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267069/original/file-20190402-177171-1eol06d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267069/original/file-20190402-177171-1eol06d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267069/original/file-20190402-177171-1eol06d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children of partners and clients often have an unfair advantage at getting work experience.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/father-son-businessmen-wearing-eyeglasses-reading-1085240033">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The students in our study all attended the same, well-regarded university. Offering lessons for social mobility, this shows the importance of working class students applying to good universities if they wish to improve their chances to work for, and succeed in, elite professions. This is, of course, an initial important barrier to overcome. </p>
<p>Once at university, it’s then important for working class students to get top grades, as elite professions offered their yearlong paid placements to the best performers. This may involve a degree of self-awareness, identifying what they are best at and strategically choosing modules and courses to improve their averages or grades. </p>
<p>Finally, working class students must actively participate in the placement application process and improve their interview skills to succeed. It takes a long time to write professional CVs, fill in the application forms and conduct mock interviews with recruiters from elite professional firms. </p>
<p>Universities usually have dedicated staff to help students through the whole process but working class students must actively seek out and engage with this help as it can pay high dividends. The flip side to this is that working class students are often more shy and less likely to seek help from advisers and the university in general, compared with their upper-middle-class counterparts. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, our study shows that while the barriers to social mobility in elite professions have become greater in recent years, they are not insurmountable. The year-long paid placement is one way that working class young people can breach the barricades against social mobility.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112197/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In a victory for meritocracy, sandwich placements overwhelmingly go to the brightest students, irrespective of their background.Ian Crawford, Senior Teaching Fellow, School of Management, University of BathZhiqi Wang, Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance. School of Society, Enterprise and Environment, Bath Spa UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1125412019-03-19T14:42:58Z2019-03-19T14:42:58ZStudents, this is how you can stand out from the crowd in a very competitive job market<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263594/original/file-20190313-123545-1iatssd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The employment market is saturated with graduates who have good degrees and the right qualifications. So the question on many recruiters’ minds is: what else can this candidate offer? </p>
<p>Employers have been reporting a “skills gap” in graduates for a few decades now and there is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13583883.2015.1114139">research</a> to support its existence. Many employers feel there isn’t enough overlap between the contents of degree programmes and the skills that transform recent graduates into successful employees. </p>
<p>So with the number of graduates steadily <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/graduatesintheuklabourmarket/2017">rising</a> – and competition getting tougher – it’s more important than ever that students know how to improve their employability skills. </p>
<p>There is <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-75166-5_2">evidence</a> that work-based learning can help to remove employers’ concerns and make graduates more employable. So the savvy student should be undertaking a number of opportunities to build up their CV through work experience. But of course, not all opportunities are created equal, so it’s important students seek out the right sort of experience that recruiters will look favourably upon. </p>
<h2>What employees look for</h2>
<p>When it comes to employability, universities are keen to support student development beyond the classroom – <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2016.1139555?scroll=top&needAccess=true">and research</a> shows that a number of strategies can help to achieve this. These range from careers advice, networking and mentor support, as well as internships, extracurricular, off-campus work or co-curricular activities (these tend to be on-campus work associated with degree programmes). Then there is also paid work. But which is a best option for a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ijmr.12153">busy student</a> to pursue? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263595/original/file-20190313-123525-tpuf8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263595/original/file-20190313-123525-tpuf8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263595/original/file-20190313-123525-tpuf8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263595/original/file-20190313-123525-tpuf8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263595/original/file-20190313-123525-tpuf8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263595/original/file-20190313-123525-tpuf8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263595/original/file-20190313-123525-tpuf8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gain experience, but make sure it’s the right sort of experience.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>CVs are the main form of employability assessment used by recruiters and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2007.00288.x">employers</a>. And <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2007.00288.x">research</a> suggests that academic qualifications and work experience are both important. </p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-015-9903-9">Existing research</a>, for example, shows that internships can help students gain important insights into the workplace – including how to communicate effectively – but they can be highly competitive. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00071005.2010.527666">Volunteering</a> roles on the other hand are generally less competitive and can also help students to develop different skills – such as resilience and moral engagement. While extracurricular activities can provide additional skills and experience which can be closely related with an area of study or interest. </p>
<p>Certainly good academic performance combined with extracurricular activities has been shown to predict a high level of perceived <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001879117300052">employability</a>. However, there is a lack of research directly comparing how different types of work experience might be evaluated. </p>
<h2>What the research says</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-019-00369-5?wt_mc=Internal.Event.1.SEM.ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst&utm_source=ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst&utm_medium=email&utm_content=AA_en_06082018&ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst_20190302">new research study</a> investigated academic, employer and student assessment of a series of fictional CV excerpts. Each excerpt was based on a social science student with a 2:1 degree classification but varying work experience. </p>
<p>The CV excerpts allowed us to manipulate three key aspects of work experience: duration (six months versus two years), type (internship versus volunteering) and location (extracurricular versus co-curricular). Although previous <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2016.1139555">research</a> suggests that opinions of student employability can differ, our results found that students, academics and employers were similar in their assessments. </p>
<p>We found that extracurricular activities were viewed more positively than co-curricular activities overall. Internships were viewed more positively for graduate level positions compared with volunteer experience. And duration did not have an impact on employability evaluations. </p>
<h2>What this mean for students</h2>
<p>When it comes to making yourself employable, you can’t be expected to do everything, so you need to be selective in your work experience. Based on our results, it seems extracurricular activities that take place off campus are to be recommended above co-curricular activities. So it might be better to work as a project assistant for a charity than spend time as a class rep. Internships may also prove more useful than volunteering, though it should be noted that internships are generally more difficult to get hold of than volunteer positions. </p>
<p>It’s also worth considering that a long term placement is not necessarily going to be better for your CV than a series of short term placements – so worry less about how long the role will last, and more about what the role involves. </p>
<p>Ultimately though, as our study shows, employers view all work experience as important. So if in doubt, some work experience (of any type) is always going to be better than no work experience at all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112541/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Irwin received funding from ESRC/SGSSS for a collaborative PhD studentship (student: Gabi Lipan) with Skills Development Scotland</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gabi Lipan receives funding from ESRC/SGSSS and Skills Development Scotland. </span></em></p>When a degree is not enough, how can students make themselves more employable?Dr Amy Irwin, Lecturer in Psychology, University of AberdeenGabi Lipan, PhD Candidate in the School of Psychology, University of AberdeenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/707372017-01-17T19:07:59Z2017-01-17T19:07:59ZUnpaid work experience is widespread but some are missing out: new study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152976/original/image-20170117-9021-f66unl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds may find it harder to get unpaid work experience.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Masa Israel Journey/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Most young Australians undertake unpaid work experience as part of their education or training, to maintain entitlements to social security, or simply to improve their job prospects. But those from more disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to have those opportunities and those on placements associated with government benefits enjoy their experiences less.</p>
<p>These are some of the key findings from our <a href="https://www.employment.gov.au/news/unpaid-work-experience-australia-report-december-2016">new report</a>, funded by the Commonwealth Department of Employment.</p>
<p>We also found that unpaid internships or placements may involve significant costs for those who undertake them.</p>
<p>The research, the first of its kind in this country, surveyed 3800 people aged 18-64 about work experience. It specifically excluded volunteering, such as at a church, charity or club.</p>
<h2>Who does unpaid work experience</h2>
<p>In our study, more than half of participants aged 18-29 had recently participated in unpaid work experience. A quarter of those aged over 30 also had at least one placement.</p>
<p>However our results show there are some who have trouble accessing unpaid work experience. We found that young Australians (18-29 years old) from lower socio-economic backgrounds (as defined by parents’ highest level of education) were less likely to have participated. </p>
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<p>The results also show that people living in a capital city were more likely to have undertaken internships or placements than those living elsewhere. Participation rates were also higher for men compared to women.</p>
<p>Unpaid work experience extends beyond traditional <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=hX-TCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA302&lpg=PA302&dq=Kramer,+M+%26+Usher,+A+(2011).+Work-integrated+learning+and+career-ready+students:+Examining+the+evidence.+Toronto:+Higher+Education+Strategy+Associates&source=bl&ots=Cn3FJEAUEv&sig=D6QeO65T4fmVlloc2Cm-TLfYdPM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj7scqjrazPAhUGNJQKHTQjDsYQ6AEIJDAB#v=onepage&q=Kramer%2C%20M%20%26%20Usher%2C%20A%20(2011).%20Work-integrated%20learning%20and%20career-ready%20students%3A%20Examining%20the%20evidence.%20Toronto%3A%20Higher%20Education%20Strategy%20Associates&f=false">student</a> placements in medicine, <a href="https://www.hwa.gov.au/sites/uploads/Clinical-Training-2012.pdf">nursing</a> and teaching, and internships in professional fields such as <a href="http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/70008/1/70008.pdf">creative industries</a>, law and finance. Our research revealed work experience in a wide range of professional, intermediate and entry-level roles across many industries. </p>
<p>Of those undertaking unpaid work experience, 36% reported that their most recent period of unpaid work experience lasted over one month. A similar proportion (37%) had undertaken a single placement, while 26% had two such experiences. One in five participants had undertaken five or more episodes in the past five years.</p>
<h2>Reasons for participating in unpaid work experience</h2>
<p>Around half of all unpaid work experience occurred in connection with a formal course of tertiary or VET study or secondary schooling. This is unsurprising, given the emphasis that education providers and employers now place on <a href="https://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/publications/all-publications/work-based-learning-and-work-integrated-learning-fostering-engagement-with-employers">work-integrated learning</a>. However, this means half of all arrangements occur outside of education or training curricula. </p>
<p>In our survey, people also completed unpaid work experience because: they were required to do so to maintain Youth Allowance or Newstart payments, they were part of an unpaid trial during a recruitment process, it was unpaid training following an offer or employment, or for some other reason. </p>
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<p>The fact that so many young people did this sort of work experience for some other reason indicates that many placements are being self-organised by students or job-seekers outside formal course requirements, or that organisations are establishing internships and recruiting participants for their own purposes. </p>
<p>This is significant because unpaid internships or placements like this <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-unpaid-internships-unlawful-60197">may breach minimum wage laws</a>, unless they are connected to an authorised course of education or training, or do not involve productive work.</p>
<h2>Benefits and costs of participating in unpaid work experience</h2>
<p>Consistent with previous <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joec.12010/abstract">studies</a> that highlight the benefits of increased workplace <a href="http://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=mark_facpub">exposure</a>, participants in our study were highly satisfied with their unpaid work placements.</p>
<p>They reported developing skills and knowledge, improving employment and career prospects, and improving their networks. Unpaid work experience also helped them decide whether that field of work was suitable.</p>
<p>The people who were most satisfied with unpaid work experience were those who did it as part of study. Those who were least satisfied did their unpaid work experience as a requirement of Youth Allowance or Newstart or for “other reasons”. </p>
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<p>Our study showed 27% were offered paid employment by the host organisation following the period of unpaid work experience. Those who were in unpaid trials or training, or arrangements associated with Youth Allowance or Newstart, were the most likely to receive an employment offer. </p>
<p>However, our data doesn’t tell us whether these jobs were sustained or short-lived. Nor does it give any clear indication as to whether participating in work experience actually improves the chances of finding a job.</p>
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<p>Our research revealed a variety of costs associated with unpaid work experience. For example, over a quarter of respondents reduced their hours of paid employment in order to participate in unpaid work and 20% organised and paid for their own insurance. These costs may mean some can afford to access this work experience while others can’t. </p>
<p>More than one in ten respondents paid money to a broker, agent or directly to the host organisation to take part and one in four had to travel longer than one hour to attend. Among the study participants, 17% lived away from their usual home to participate. </p>
<p>Professions such as politics, journalism, law and finance are dominated by those from privileged backgrounds. This is <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/365765/State_of_Nation_2014_Main_Report.pdf">not only because existing social networks promote opportunities</a>, but because wealthy families can afford to support their children while undertaking work experience. In our survey, young people from high socio-economic backgrounds were more likely than other young people to say that they cut back their paid work hours, paid for their own insurance, travelled for more than an hour or lived away from home.</p>
<h2>What this means for policies on employment</h2>
<p>In May 2016, the Australian Government announced a A$840 million <a href="https://www.humanservices.gov.au/corporate/budget/budget-2016-17/job-seekers/youth-jobs-path-prepare-trial-hire">Youth Jobs PaTH (Prepare-Trial-Hire) Programme</a>. The policy includes skills training and access to voluntary internships of four to 12 weeks for job seekers under 25. It also provides a bonus youth wage subsidy paid to organisations that go on to employ young job seekers. </p>
<p>Given how widespread unpaid work placements have become, the policy may provide much-needed resources to host organisations to support better learning, career and employment outcomes for participants. </p>
<p>However, the government could learn from how education institutions structure their unpaid work experience placements. The involvement of an education institution provides a learning framework and support around unpaid work placements that a government-led initiative may struggle to emulate. Educational institutions may also be supervising or screening placement opportunities to ensure they provide a positive learning environment. </p>
<p>The socio-economic gap for access to unpaid work experience we identified will widen if unpaid work becomes more common or a de facto prerequisite for securing ongoing employment, so governments should address this. This could include scholarships or additional support for low-income participants in particular.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70737/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Damian Oliver receives funding from the Commonwealth Department of Employment and the NSW Department of Industry. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Stewart receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Commonwealth Department of Employment. . </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anne Hewitt receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Commonwealth Department of Employment. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paula McDonald receives funding from The Australian Research Council and the Commonwealth Department of Employment. </span></em></p>A new study quantifies unpaid work experience in Australia and shows how some young people miss out.Damian Oliver, Deputy Director, Centre for Management and Organisation Studies, UTS Business School, University of Technology SydneyAndrew Stewart, John Bray Professor of Law, University of AdelaideAnne Hewitt, Associate Professor, Law, University of AdelaidePaula McDonald, Professor of Work and Organisation, ARC Future Fellow, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/301222014-08-06T13:35:58Z2014-08-06T13:35:58ZMid-degree work placements can boost chances of getting a 2.1 or first<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55862/original/sbxh8x49-1407317113.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Work your way to a first.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ahyang/335800798/sizes/l">ahyang </a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With the university summer holidays now in full swing, many second-year students will be gearing up to start their first day at work in September instead of heading back to lectures. Sandwich years – a one-year work placement at a company that counts towards a degree course – have become a popular part of many university courses. </p>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03075079.2014.943658#.U9trI2NeLIo">recent research</a> on accounting and finance graduates found that a year-long work placement sandwiched between their second and third years can boost chances of getting a good degree – a 2.1 or a first. UK students who did a sandwich year are 12 times more likely to obtain a good degree than those who didn’t, while international students are three times more likely to obtain one.</p>
<p>In the increasingly competitive graduate job market, a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/jul/04/graduate-recruiters-look-for-21-degree">majority of UK graduate employers</a> now require at least a 2.1. Work placements are becoming essential tools in assisting graduates to secure a good job before graduation. Despite this, it appears that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2012/apr/30/students-sandwich-course">fewer courses</a> are offering sandwich years than they have in the past. </p>
<p>According to a 2014 graduate market report by <a href="http://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/GMReport14.pdf">High Fliers Research</a> The Times top 100 UK graduate employers have confirmed that a record 37% of this year’s entry-level positions are expected to be filled by graduates who have already worked for their organisations – either through paid internships, industrial placements or vacation work. A significant number of top jobs are therefore not open to other students from the “Class of 2014”.</p>
<h2>Job prospects for international students</h2>
<p>Most current <a href="https://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/iree/i3/mandilaras.htm">research</a> suggests that work placements both <a href="http://heer.qaa.ac.uk/SearchForSummaries/Summaries/Pages/LTA33.aspx">academically</a> and professionally benefit UK students. But it’s also important to look at the impact of placements on international students who study in Britain. </p>
<p>There were <a href="http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Info-for-universities-colleges--schools/Policy-research--statistics/Research--statistics/International-students-in-UK-HE/#International-%28non-UK%29-students-in-UK-HE-in-2012-13">425,265 international students</a> from both within and outside of the European Union, studying in the UK in 2012-13. A <a href="http://heer.qaa.ac.uk/SearchForSummaries/Summaries/Pages/LTA10.aspx">number of studies</a> have shown they fare <a href="http://heer.qaa.ac.uk/SearchForSummaries/Summaries/Pages/HEER000413.aspx">much worse academically</a> than UK students in higher education. That will in turn disadvantage international students in the job markets. </p>
<p>But employment prospects are high on the list of priorities when international students choose the host country for their degree. The 2012 <a href="https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A3=ind1205&L=EMPLOYABILITY-DEVELOPMENT&E=base64&P=2428334&B=--_004_D10460A0CC0611469D2047796527D578173B32D827nusmailnussll_&T=application%2Fpdf;%20name=%22Internation%20employability%20bulletin.pdf%22&N=Internation%20employability%20bulletin.pdf&attachment=q&XSS=">National Union of Students International Students’ Employability</a> survey reveals that more than 50% of international students expected a UK degree to improve their employment prospects both locally and globally.</p>
<h2>Better marks if you’re willing to work</h2>
<p>So far, very limited research has been conducted to understand the effects of work placements on the academic performance of international students. Our study is the first research to investigate and measure the benefits of work placements on their academic results. </p>
<p>We looked at 268 accounting and finance students who studied in four cohorts at the University of Bath between 2006 and 2009. Of these, 114, or 43% chose to take a year-long industry placement during their degree – so-called “sandwich students” – while 154 remained as full-time students. </p>
<p>Bath has a long tradition of providing accounting and finance students with excellent placement opportunities in well-known accounting firms and investment banks both in the UK and across Europe and in China. Professional and specialised personnel are employed to ensure high-quality placements and matches between students’ interests and the needs of companies. </p>
<p>Our study found that UK sandwich students are academically better than UK full-time students throughout their study period. Those students who did a year placement in industry significantly outperformed those who didn’t – both before they did the placement and after. After controlling for gender, prior academic qualification and achievement, they got 8.30 more marks out of 100 in their final year than those who didn’t go on a placement. </p>
<p>But interestingly, they also got higher marks beforehand – 5.34 more in their first year and 6.17 more in their second year. So, given their higher likelihood of getting good marks, it is not surprising that UK sandwich students were 12 times more likely than UK full-time students to obtain a good degree.</p>
<h2>Fewer rewards for international students</h2>
<p>When we looked at international students, the significant mark difference between sandwich and full-time students only appeared after they spent a year in an industry placement. International sandwich students obtain approximately five more marks in the final year than international full-time students. They are more than three times more likely to achieve a good degree than international students who didn’t do a placement. </p>
<p>UK students clearly benefit more from placements than international students – scoring a significant 5.25 more marks than international students in their final-year exams. Although it is still unclear about the underlying reasons for this, it is likely to be a mixture of language and cultural skills, and the qualifications the student took before university. </p>
<p>In an interesting finding of our study, it seems that international students get better marks in an UK degree if they arrive at the course with the same educational background as their UK co-students. Those international sandwich students with school qualification other than A Levels (such as international and European baccalaureates) get 11.67% fewer marks on their final-year grade. </p>
<p>In other words, for international students, work placements can improve their final degree mark but students with A level experience are better placed to effectively and efficiently transfer knowledge from workplace to university.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/30122/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With the university summer holidays now in full swing, many second-year students will be gearing up to start their first day at work in September instead of heading back to lectures. Sandwich years – a…Ian Crawford, Teaching Fellow, School of Management, University of BathZhiqi Wang, Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance. School of Society, Enterprise and Environment, Bath Spa UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/275482014-06-10T04:53:00Z2014-06-10T04:53:00ZPupil job prospects and earnings boosted by employer links to schools<p>Across the world, governments are asking how to close the gap between the world of education and the world of employment. Now a <a href="http://www.educationandemployers.org/research/taskforce-publications/routledge-collection/">new collection of papers</a> has set out just how important employer interventions in education can be.</p>
<p>One of the new analyses shows that pupils who have more interaction with employers were less likely to be out of work, and were likely to earn more. Research into hundreds of personal statements written by independent school pupils applying to university in England has also shown that access to work experience can improve their chances of gaining sought after places. </p>
<p>Employer engagement may be a policy priority but it is not well researched. The research, published in a <a href="http://www.educationandemployers.org/research/taskforce-publications/routledge-collection/">new collection</a> which I helped to edit, marks the first attempt to do justice to the consequences of employer involvement in the learning and progression of young people. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.educationandemployers.org/research/taskforce-publications/routledge-collection/chapter-13/">New research</a> by Christian Percy and Anthony Mann at the London-based education charity the <a href="http://www.educationandemployers.org/">Education and Employers Taskforce</a>, has applied quantitative analysis to recent UK survey data of 19-24 year olds on their long-term job prospects. </p>
<p>They showed that those who experienced greater levels of contact with employers were “significantly less likely to be NEET [not in education, employment or training] … and more likely to be earning at a higher level”. It also shows they are more likely to be confident in the value of their current activities. </p>
<p>But there is no simple explanation for how this comes about. A review of the literature suggests that while employer engagement may help young people develop the soft skills they require in the workplace, this is only part of the story. </p>
<p>There is also evidence that contact with employers can provide social capital: providing relationships through which valuable information or practical assistance can be obtained. For example, in an analysis of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-perspectives-survey-2012">2012 Employer Perspectives Survey</a> for the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, David Massey, a senior manager there, shows that 22% of employers that offer work experience subsequently employed those who did placements after the work experience. Another 15% recruit youngsters after they complete their educational programmes. </p>
<p>There is also some evidence that mentoring by employers can affect motivation and thereby help young people overcome barriers that may affect socially disadvantaged young people.</p>
<h2>Reinforcing social advantage</h2>
<p>It is important to understand that while employer engagement can be a tool to support social justice, it can equally well be used as a means to reproduce social advantage. </p>
<p>Research led by Prue Huddleston at the University of Warwick shows how a sample of 20 high-performing English independent schools make extensive and intensive use of their alumni networks to inform career choices. They also furnish their students with professional work experience, which is then transmitted through personal statements into higher education admissions applications. </p>
<p>Through an <a href="http://www.educationandemployers.org/research/taskforce-publications/routledge-collection/chapter-11/">analysis</a> of hundreds of UCAS statements, Steven Jones at the University of Manchester, shows how applicants from independent schools were able to marshal prestigious work experience, which was strongly related to high-status degree programmes, to strengthen their candidature for sought after places. </p>
<h2>Policy attraction</h2>
<p>While hardly a new phenomenon, the attention on how to better engage employers in the work of schools has grown significantly over the last decade. It is a policy which has won the recent strong endorsement from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in its key 2010 strategic review of vocational education, <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/innovation-education/learningforjobs.htm">Learning for Jobs</a> and from the influential <a href="http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news-impact/tag/pathways-to-prosperity/">Pathways to Prosperity team</a> at Harvard University. In England, despite changes in rhetoric and shifting ministerial responsibilities, there is a continued call for improved coordination between business and education.</p>
<p>In some ways, it is extraordinary that so much employer engagement takes place, given how little is known about its impact. In 2009-10, work-related learning was an entitlement for 14-16 year olds in England and approximately 400,000 different English workplaces provided work placements to over half a million teenagers.</p>
<p>Policy statements suggest these employer interventions are intended to inform careers thinking, equip young people with the skills for work, enhance social mobility and motivate underperformers. However, the targeting of employer engagement has shifted with changes in government. </p>
<p>In 2011 the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/180868/Wolf-Review-Response.pdf">coalition government removed the entitlement</a> (and the corresponding funding) for 14-16 year olds. But it has since made work-related learning a universal expectation within the curriculum for 16-19 year olds. There is no definite data at the moment on the impact of the system.</p>
<h2>Asking more of employers</h2>
<p>Yet it is interesting to contrast the concept of “employer engagement” with that of “neo-liberalism”. Both terms address contemporary political economy, drawing attention to the way that political and economic ideas feed off one another. </p>
<p>Both approaches share the assumption that the state alone is too weak to bring about some social and economic goals and that it must work with business interests and with markets to achieve collective goals, such as growth and social justice. </p>
<p>But the narrative of “employer engagement” does not make learners responsible for their own transition into employment. On the contrary, it makes employers “answerable” for failures of the labour market and for a lack of equity in access to employment and professional opportunities. </p>
<p>The case made by advocates of employer engagement is that business has both the capability and the interest to intervene to make good the “failures” which neither the market nor the public sector, on their own, can remedy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/27548/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julian Stanley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Across the world, governments are asking how to close the gap between the world of education and the world of employment. Now a new collection of papers has set out just how important employer interventions…Julian Stanley, Head of the Centre for Education & Industry, University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.