1. Dr Sally Smith & Dr Colin Smith Edinburgh Napier University 24/05/2016 SRHE Network for Employability, Enterprise and Work based Learning Employability and Social Mobility Workshop Exploring barriers

2. Introduction Graduate Employability Project Can Pay, Should Pay? e-Placement Scotland

3. Graduate Employability Project £1.6m over 3 years, funded by Scottish Funding Council £600K for curriculum development Modules included Portfolio Development in Creative Computing Employability Semester for Graphic Design Credit-bearing internships in Film and TV Credit-bearing clinic for Law

4. Barriers Research Who is engaging –attending preparation events etc? Who isn’t – and why? Self-identification – did the modules impact on students’ identity? Leading on from barriers to placement study Cost of additional time to graduation (UK and US) Loss of on-campus social interaction (US) In spite of acknowledging advantage to future job prospects UK data – 44% preferred to concentrate on degree (direct entrants) Ramirez, N., Smith, S., Smith, C., Berg, T., Strubel, B., Main, J., Ohland, M. (2016). From Interest to Decision: A Comparative Exploration of Student Attitudes and Pathways to Co-op Programs in the United States and the United Kingdom. International Journal of Engineering Education.

5. Identity theories Identity theory – role based, multiple roles, identity salience/ commitment Social identity theory – group based identification, in/out groups & associated behaviour

6. Student identity/ Professional identity Knowledge seeker Expert: recognition of skills and competence Analytical, technical, reflective Associated with status Professional identity: Coherent image of self as a professional (Cascio & Gasker, 2011)

7. Identity adaptation Influenced by: Role models Possible selves Developmental networks

8. GEP Study 103 students surveyed, three different courses Role models – yes but distant Imaginings of selves in working environment – yes Developmental networks – very limited, sometimes mum Lacked awareness of new courses as opportunity for work- related learning Smith, S, Smith, C, Taylor-Smith, E., Fotheringham, J., Dencer-Brown, I. (2016) Exploring Student Identity through a University-Wide Graduate Employability Initiative, WACE Symposium, Victoria, Canada, June 2016

9. Can Pay, Should Pay? Study explored paid and unpaid work opportunities from employer and student perspectives “ideally, every full-time undergraduate should have the opportunity to experience a structured, university-approved undergraduate internship during their period of study” (Wilson 2012: 40). New elitism – advantages for those who can work for free? Explored the issue in the main through two ‘Learning to Work 2’ projects – e- Placement Scotland and 3 rd sector internships, both providing paid placements

10. Can Pay, Should Pay? – Scope and Methodology Survey of students and employers engaged in placement activity. Multi sector (Third Sector and IT sector in particular). Students from across Scotland. Sent to 200 employer / student pairs. Responses from 48 employers, 82 students. Majority of respondents noted paid placement as most recent experience, but a significant number were able to reflect on unpaid experience.

11. Key Findings: Employers Diverse range of experiences and perspectives on placements in general, as well as insights in to the critical question of payment. Employer Motivations –New skills and ideas –Supplement staffing resource –Ethical and practical dimensions of paying an intern (or not) “strongly against unpaid internships” Inappropriate not to pay, given length and level of work done. Expect more tangible outcomes from paid placements. “Third Sector Internships Scotland offers an ethical alternative to the sorts of internships that have been favouring the children of the already well-off” (TSI Employer)

12. Key Findings: Students Perceived ‘value’ of work –Gaining experience, paid or unpaid, seen as crucial. –BUT: payment a marker of ‘value’ of work. –Ethical concerns clearly evident in students’ thinking “Unpaid placements are mostly disorganised and lack a structure. Often, when I worked as a volunteer I did not have a specific role and responsibilities. Instead, I was given tasks from different departments with no set times. Paid placement requires employees to create a development plan for their interns.” “I think that unpaid placements create inequality of opportunity. It means that only those with the wealth to work without pay can access opportunities. This just exacerbates existing inequalities, and I think it's abhorrent that unpaid internships continue to be a feature of graduate employment markets worldwide.”

13. Key Findings: Students Payment as an Enabling Factor –“If I had not been offered a paid internship, I would have had to get a job which did not provide such valuable experience e.g. waitressing, retail assistant. I have discussed the experience in almost every interview I have had since and believe it was crucial in securing a job after my Masters.” –“At the current time it is extremely difficult to consider undergoing a placement that is unpaid due to time restrictions in allowing for a paid job alongside [a] placement and studying.” –“In the words of my manager: "The slave trade ended a long time ago, you do the work, you should be paid."” Placement experience as a whole important. Support and development, not just pay is key.

14. Conclusion We are not yet asking about social mobility indicators – interested to explore wide range of indicators Lack of developmental networks affecting recognition of significance of work-related opportunities Lack of paid work affecting uptake

15. Thank you!