Individual, in-person placement is one of the most popular work-based learning types, that occur “within [the] curriculum…under the supervision of professionals” (Moore et al. 2015, p.242) and is often known as work-integrated learning (WIL). This WIL model appears throughout the Australian higher education sector and internationally. However, placement models are difficult to evaluate and upscale. For instance, balancing operational needs and quality learning outcomes is a significant hurdle. Extensive resources are required for individual student placements to source and secure suitable host supervisors in relevant industries.
What is This Study About?
In our recent study (Hains-Wesson & Ji, 2024) we explore students’ (N=1006) and industry’s (N=240) perceptions about the challenges and opportunities of participating in a large-scale, non-compulsory, individual, in-person, and unpaid business placement program at the University of Sydney Business School. Using a case study methodology and integrating survey questionnaires, we collected both quantitative and qualitative data with large sample sizes from 2017 to 2023. The results of the study helped us to highlight curriculum areas to improve, such as the need to re-emphasize tailored feedback to manage students’ expectations around the realities of not securing employment upon graduation and addressing key employability competencies that industry most desire such as knowledge of their sector and communication skills.
Placement Program Preparation
Survey participants ranked their expectations for a placement program, revealing that top priorities were gaining work experience, enhancing career prospects, and hands-on business experience. Conversely, improving employability skills and building business networks were considered less important. Variability in responses, with a strong focus on gaining work experience over organizational skills, suggests potential divergence in expectations and a lack of alignment to the program’s goals. This poses a challenge as the program aims to enhance employability skills broadly. If students prioritize specific work experiences over diverse skill development, it creates a misalignment between the program’s aims and confuses expectations. This discrepancy can also impact satisfaction levels for both students and industry hosts involved in the placement program, damaging the program’s reputation. Addressing this misalignment is crucial for ensuring that the program effectively meets its intended outcomes, which means a thorough realignment of the program’s goals and students’ expectations.
Post-learning Reflection
Students provided varied reflections on their placement experiences, with 6% finding it “extremely helpful”, 39% “very helpful”, and 25% “somewhat helpful”. Despite this, 90% of participants felt that the placement program met their learning expectations, citing exposure to industry knowledge and hands-on experiences as most important. However, 10% reported dissatisfaction, citing a mismatch with their major or a lack of relevant experience when undertaking a placement. Students suggested that they generally gained increased industry knowledge and clarified career goals with over half preferring to work for the same organization post-graduation, and despite this rarely occurring.
Industry Perspectives
Industry supervisors (N=240) from 2017-2023 assessed post-placement employability skill growth in students using a Likert scale, revealing significant improvements in sector knowledge, technical skills, and organizational skills. The survey identified areas for further improvement in professionalism, ethics, and communication skills. Respondents also suggested that the program’s benefits included students introducing new ideas to the organisation and contributing to a competitive recruitment pipeline. Host supervisors suggested improvements too. The views included acquiring more background knowledge about participants and to be more involved in the student selection process. Concerns were raised about the program’s twelve week length period, suggesting in-depth experience could not be obtained unless the program went for longer. However, host supervisors did not offer to pay students post-placement to extend the time. Overall, hosts were impressed with students’ skill improvement towards the end of the placement program in interpersonal skills and industry knowledge.
Key Recommendations
Placement programs are highly problematic to get right, especially when necessitating multiple stakeholders’ expectations as well as university and government mandates and policy (Billett 2015; Jackson 2015). We provide the following recommendations based on the findings presented in our study, which are:
- Preparation and post-learning: to provide clear expectation-setting narratives through student and industry-inspired videos and/or text and image-based stories, expressing the opportunities and benefits of undertaking small and medium organisation placements with industry.
- Preparation learning: engagement of industry hosts in program design, candidate selection processes and training workshops. Preparatory materials on host organisation and industry fundamentals are made available to selected participants, and co-designed workshops to include essential work-ready skills required by the host organisations.
- Preparation learning: to continue to provide preparation employability skill awareness feedback via technology to reach both non-successful and successful student placement candidates, widening non-compulsory placement preparation experiences for all.
- Preparation and post-learning: to provide up-to-date statistics of how many students are unlikely to secure a graduate employment opportunity upon completing a placement program with the same host organisation or any further employer.
- Preparation and post-learning: to partner with students to develop short tailored and relevant business sectors.
Higher education, particularly business education is at the centre of global challenges. The results of our study help to provide a blueprint for others to consider how to best evaluate and improve business placement pedagogy and practice at scale.
About the author
Kaiying Ji
Dr Kaiying Ji is a lecturer in Accounting, Discipline of Accounting Governance and Regulation at the University of Sydney Business School.
Rachael is well-known for her work in the Creative Industries, Work-Integrated Learning, and for leading large-scale curriculum transformation projects to improve multi-purpose systems and learning outcomes for enhancing students' learning experience. She has published widely via different mediums, including social media and journal articles, book chapters as well as plays and books. Over 100+ publications in a number of reputable outlets, nationally and internationally.