Outputs (87)

Job-seeking narratives: in search of graduate capitals acquired during student placements (2024)
Journal Article
Smith, S., & Smith, C. (in press). Job-seeking narratives: in search of graduate capitals acquired during student placements. British Journal of Sociology of Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2024.2328125

Being a graduate is no longer sufficient to secure a fulfilling and rewarding graduate role. This paper drew on Tomlinson’s Graduate Capital Model to analyse the job-seeking narratives of recent computing graduates searching for a graduate job. Parti... Read More about Job-seeking narratives: in search of graduate capitals acquired during student placements.

Investing in degree apprenticeships: Analysing experiences through Conservation of Resources Theory (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Bratton, A. (2023, December). Investing in degree apprenticeships: Analysing experiences through Conservation of Resources Theory. Presented at 2023 SRHE International Research Conference, Birmingham, UK

Degree apprentices have reported finding work-life-study balance challenging. This study uses the Theory of Conservation of Resources (COR) to investigate the resources invested and gained by apprentices in the achievement of their goal of a degree w... Read More about Investing in degree apprenticeships: Analysing experiences through Conservation of Resources Theory.

Students’ gendered experiences of male-dominated Computing and Engineering courses (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Fabian, K. (2023, December). Students’ gendered experiences of male-dominated Computing and Engineering courses. Presented at 2023 SRHE International Research Conference, Birmingham, UK

How does it feel to be in a gender minority on a STEM programme? Does it have an impact on individual students? Via an online survey (n=255), undergraduate students on Computing and Engineering programmes were asked whether they felt that gender had... Read More about Students’ gendered experiences of male-dominated Computing and Engineering courses.

Disparities in work-integrated learning experiences for students who present as women: an international study of biases, barriers, and challenges (2023)
Journal Article
Bowen, T., Drysdale, M. T., Callaghan, S., Smith, S., Johansson, K., Smith, C., Walsh, B., & Berg, T. (2024). Disparities in work-integrated learning experiences for students who present as women: an international study of biases, barriers, and challenges

Purpose This study identifies gendered disparities among women students participating in work-integrated learning and explores the effects of the disparities on their perceptions on perceived opportunities, competencies, sense of belonging, and prof... Read More about Disparities in work-integrated learning experiences for students who present as women: an international study of biases, barriers, and challenges.

‘They gave me an opportunity, and I took it’: motivations and concerns of adult apprentices (2023)
Journal Article
Smith, S., Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., Barr, M., Berg, T., Bratton, A., …Zarb, M. (in press). ‘They gave me an opportunity, and I took it’: motivations and concerns of adult apprentices. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, https://doi.or

In the UK context of an ageing population, degree apprenticeships represent a new opportunity to study for a degree while working. Apprentices are full-time employees granted time to study for a degree with a significant workplace learning component.... Read More about ‘They gave me an opportunity, and I took it’: motivations and concerns of adult apprentices.

Apprentices’ perspectives of the tripartite collaboration at the heart of degree apprenticeships: a longitudinal study (2023)
Journal Article
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., Fabian, K., & Bratton, A. (2023). Apprentices’ perspectives of the tripartite collaboration at the heart of degree apprenticeships: a longitudinal study. Journal of Workplace Learning, 35(8), 779-795. https://doi.org/10.1108

Purpose: The partnership which underpins degree apprenticeships is a tripartite collaboration between apprentices, employers, and universities. This study investigated the lived experiences and reflections of the apprentices at the centre, to inform... Read More about Apprentices’ perspectives of the tripartite collaboration at the heart of degree apprenticeships: a longitudinal study.

‘I can’t really say as my course is 90% male’: students perceptions of gender impact on computing and engineering degrees (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Fabian, K. (2023, June). ‘I can’t really say as my course is 90% male’: students perceptions of gender impact on computing and engineering degrees. Paper presented at 2023 Horizons in STEM, Swansea, UK

In UK higher education, the majority of computing and engineering students are men. HESA (2023) records the proportion of women studying ‘Computing’ and ‘Engineering and technology’ as 22.78% and 20.47% respectively. Lack of women is a problem for bo... Read More about ‘I can’t really say as my course is 90% male’: students perceptions of gender impact on computing and engineering degrees.

Women into Tech: understanding barriers, making connections (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., Shankland, C., & Kolberg, M. (2023, June). Women into Tech: understanding barriers, making connections. Paper presented at 2023 Horizons in STEM, Swansea, UK

Computing and technology need a better gender balance. BCS report that, in 2021, only 22% of all IT specialists in the UK were women and their median hourly pay was 13% less than male employees. Further, according to HESA data, only 21% of students i... Read More about Women into Tech: understanding barriers, making connections.

The practice of apprenticeships as work-integrated learning (2023)
Book Chapter
Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., Fabian, K., & Klotz, D. (2023). The practice of apprenticeships as work-integrated learning. In K. E. Zegwaard, & T. J. Pretti (Eds.), In The Routledge International Handbook of Work-Integrated Learning (207-217). (3rd Editio

The term ‘apprentice’ is used to describe an employee who is learning in order to fulfill a future job role, with this learning largely encompassing on-the-job training and learning by doing (Fuller & Unwin, 1998). Conventionally, apprenticeships wer... Read More about The practice of apprenticeships as work-integrated learning.

Signalling new opportunities? An analysis of UK job adverts for degree apprenticeships (2023)
Journal Article
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Bratton, A. (2023). Signalling new opportunities? An analysis of UK job adverts for degree apprenticeships. Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, 13(2), 299-314. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-02-2022

Purpose The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the degree apprenticeship labour market and employers' strategies for apprenticeship recruitment using job advertisement data. Specifically, this study identifies the skills, attributes, exp... Read More about Signalling new opportunities? An analysis of UK job adverts for degree apprenticeships.