1. 3 July 2013 Sally Smith & Dr Colin Smith

2. Employers as partners through placement creation – a regional perspective e-Placement Scotland project overview Findings Recommendations Q/A Introduction

3. Project Objectives Create 750 paid placements for computing students across Scotland; in HE and FE Partnership between Edinburgh Napier University, ScotlandIS and e-skills UK – started August 2010 Employers pay students – average salary is £15K pro rata Placements to last between 3 months and one year, full-time or part-time

4. Outcomes Employer stats: Student stats:

14. Sector focus – tie in with subject discipline Programme leader engagement – in-lecture presentations Directed advice to students – CV for computing jobs, assessment centres for computing etc What’s working? 1. Sector focus

15. Visits to employer premises Network with employers locally around their interests Employers offering masterclasses to bring students in – not all will be placed –added value What’s working? 2. Regional focus

16. Registration and “matching” service Tackling low numbers applying? Campaigns – knowing the HE placement landscape Flexibility – employers rose to the challenge eg p/t Listen to employers in your sector – in computing, 3 month summer placements for third year students is the dominant model What’s working? 3. Skills-based recruitment campaigns

17. Over 200,000 businesses have been created since 2011 (BIS, 2012) 53% of our placements in SMEs Not easy but build brand – reputation, repeat custom, What’s working? 4. Collaboration to widen access to SMEs

18. Trade bodies – formal & informal networking Regional approach – manageable regions eg across Scotland Help & support – development of job specifications, IP statements, contracts, shortlisting, H&S checklist Three secrets to accessing SMEs

19. Application rates were an issue initially – students intimidated by job specifications – e.g. 7 essential skills, 6 desirable skills College students gaining placements – employers want highly qualified students. Many students who articulated from college were successful. What’s difficult?

20. Academic credit OR pay OR both (never neither) We looked at placement projects across Scotland Can pay, should pay? – funded by HEA e. g. Smith, C., Smith, S., Irving, C (2013) Can pay, should pay? Comparing employer and student outcomes of paid and unpaid work opportunities, HEA STEM Conference April 2013, Birmingham Finally, paid/ unpaid

21. Wilson T (2012) A review of business–university collaboration https://www.ukecc-services.net/ukpbata.cfm http://www.britishservices.co.uk/associations.htm Federation of Small Businesses http://www.fsb.org.uk/http://www.fsb.org.uk/ Smith, C., Smith, S., Irving, C (2013) Can pay, should pay? Comparing employer and student outcomes of paid and unpaid work opportunities, HEA STEM Conference April 2013, Birmingham References

22. Any questions?