Work Placement Evening for Black and Minority Ethnic Students Lisa Ward TQEF Work Placement and Project Manager 10 th May, 2007

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Introduction and Welcome Professor Brendan Evans Pro Vice Chancellor

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Introductions University Staff –Brendan Evans – Pro Vice Chancellor –Lisa Ward – TQEF Work Placement and Project Manager –Jane Gaffikin – TQEF Project Officer Placement Students –Zahid Ali – Computing and Engineering Student on Sandwich Placement at Intel –Alia Ashraf – Applied Sciences Student who completed a sandwich work placement at Cliffe House and Kirklees School’s Effectiveness Service –Maysoon Shafiq – HUBS Student with two week work placement at Kingsley Brookes Solicitors

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Tonight’s Presentation – Five Sections 1.The University, sandwich degrees, placement take up, placement take up for Black and Minority Ethnic students. 2.Film: Students talk about their placement experiences. 3.One year sandwich work placements, degree classifications and employment. 4.Live student experiences. 5.Discussion

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Section One University of Huddersfield

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) University of Huddersfield Around 20,000 full and part-time students both home and overseas. ‘We offer high quality teaching with a strong vocational emphasis’. Amongst the UK’s top five providers of sandwich courses.

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) University of Huddersfield is: “Top for teaching quality among all the new universities in the North of England” THES League Table, 2005 “Top new university in the UK for customer satisfaction among its students” THES student satisfaction survey, 2006.

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Sandwich Placements at University of Huddersfield

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Academic Schools with Sandwich Placements Applied Science Art and Design Computing and Engineering –inc Music Technology (Music, Humanities and Media) HUBS (Huddersfield University Business School)

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Academic Schools Involved in Integral (Professional) Placements Human and Health Sciences Education and Professional Development Short Placements Includes: History, Politics and Law.

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Placement Support by School Applied Science and Art & Design –Academic Placement Tutors for Subject Areas –Supported by Placement Office HUBS (Business School) –Placement Advisors –Placement Office and Resource Room inc PC printer and information leaflets. –Subject Area Academic Champions Computing and Engineering –Team of Placement Advisors in Placement Office –Placement Resource Room. –Linked Academic Careers Service can provide support to students e.g. CV writing, interview practice, job search and job shop for part-time jobs.

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Placements are a key part of the University of Huddersfield experience

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Fee Decision 2005 will be the last intake to pay half fees for placement (national level) approx £575. From 2006 the University can set it’s own fees. In recognition of the importance of sandwich work placement, senior management decided that placement fees would be £0. –This decision will benefit our current First Years –Pioneering University in making this decision.

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Sandwich Placement Take Up

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Percentage Place Take Up by School Fewer than 50% of students enrolled on sandwich courses are taking a placement year

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Why Low Take Up? UK wide trend, confirmed by other Universities Decrease since 1990s More students living at home? Greater financial pressure? Peer Pressure Survey’s inconclusive – lots of competing factors

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) What have we done about it? School based initiatives to increase take up. –e.g. HUBS shuffle event with employers –Computing and Engineering Employer Events –Art and Design placement day. Research to persuade students of the benefits. Placement pod casts.

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Why did we want to hold a special event for Students from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds?

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Placement take up amongst Black and Minority Ethnic Students Using DLHE 2004/05 Data Students from Sandwich Degrees

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Black and Ethnic Minority Students

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Students on Sandwich Degrees by Ethnic Group

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Gender Comparisons

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Students on Sandwich Degrees from Asian Backgrounds

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Asian or Asian British Students Key: Females = Checks, Males = Solid Note: No Bangladeshi Females went on placement

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Black and Minority Ethnic Students Placement take up is significantly lower for students from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. Want as many students as possible to benefit from sandwich work placements. This is the first event aimed at Black and Minority Ethnic Students and their parents.

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Any Questions?

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Section Two Film: Students Talk About Their Placement Experiences

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Section Three Sandwich Work Placements, Degree Classifications and Employment

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Sandwich Work Placements and Degree Classifications

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Our top degrees are called 1 st : First Class Honours 2:1 Upper Second Class Honours Degree Classifications

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) First Class and Upper Second Class Degrees

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) During our survey year some startling results were shown about our very highest degree the First Class. In HUBS (Business School) almost three times as many students got first class degrees who had done a placement compared to those who had not. In Art and Design the figure was only slightly lower at 2.8 times. In all Schools a greater proportion of sandwich degree students got First Class degrees. First Class Degrees

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Sandwiches Degrees and Employment ‘Everyone knows’ students who do placements get better jobs and degree classifications. Is this really true?

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Survey Data Students from University of Huddersfield who graduated in 2003/04. Registered on a sandwich degree. Comparison: –Studied over four years with one year sandwich placement –Studied full-time over three years 6 months after graduating

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Six Months After Graduation – Employment Statistics In our survey year 14% more graduates were in work who had done a sandwich placement.

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Jobs Six months After Graduation Placement -YesPlacement - No

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Students who do a placement are more likely to: –Gain a Managerial, Professional or Senior Official post –Gain an Associate Professional or Technical Post –Get any job

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Graduate Salaries Graduate Salaries are generally higher for students who take a placement year. The biggest difference in salaries occurs for Associate Professional and Other Jobs. Potentially some graduate recruiters will pay a ‘graduate’ salary - regardless of placement.

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Summary In our survey students who did placements tended to get: –Better jobs –Better salaries BUT We can not say this is solely because of placements. However placement tutors often say that students come back: –more mature –ready to learn –some context for academic learning –more determined to do well and get a good job

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Any Questions?

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Placement Stories Section Four Huddersfield students talk about their experience of work placements

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Zahid Ali Computing and Engineering Student One Year Sandwich Placement at Intel

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Alia Ashraf Applied Sciences Student One Year Sandwich Work Placement at Cliffe House and Kirklees School’s Effectiveness Service

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Maysoon Shafiq HUBS (Business School) Student Two week work placement at Kingsley Brookes Solicitors

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Conclusion Hope you’ve gained a better understanding of the effect of placements on career choices. Any Questions?

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Discussion Question Section Five How can we increase up take on sandwich degrees, particularly with emphasis for Black and Minority Ethnic Students?

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision) Contact Details Lisa Ward TQEF Work Placement and Project Manager Jane Gaffikin TQEF Project Officer