Dr Colin Smith Cf.Smith@napier.ac.uk
Associate Professor
Dr Colin Smith Cf.Smith@napier.ac.uk
Associate Professor
Prof Sally Smith S.Smith@napier.ac.uk
Head of Graduate Apprenticeships and Skills Development and Professor
Christine Irving
In a time of high youth unemployment, when relevant work experience is often cited as the most important factor in finding a graduate job, computing students are being advised to pursue work placements or other work experience during their studies to boost their employability on graduation. Does it matter whether work experience is paid or unpaid? The aim of the paper is to address the core issues underpinning this debate, specifically with regard to ICT students and employers. A review of the published literature informs survey research, collecting data from students and employers with experience of paid placements and unpaid work experience. Initial findings indicate positive outcomes for students and employers from both paid and unpaid work. However, outcomes suggest that employers offering paid placements hold definite views on the benefits of so doing for both them and for the students they take on placements. Students, meanwhile, emphasise that unpaid work experience is no longer a viable pursuit for the majority of students.
Smith, C. F., Smith, S., & Irving, C. (2013, April). Can Pay, Should Pay? Comparing employer and student outcomes of paid and unpaid work opportunities. Paper presented at HEA STEM Conference
Presentation Conference Type | Conference Paper (unpublished) |
---|---|
Conference Name | HEA STEM Conference |
Publication Date | 2013 |
Deposit Date | Jan 30, 2014 |
Peer Reviewed | Not Peer Reviewed |
Keywords | Student employability; work experience; work placements; volunteering; internships; |
Public URL | http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/6578 |
Positioning placement on the STEM student journey
(2014)
Presentation / Conference
Looking for evidence of deep learning in constructively aligned online discussions.
(2006)
Conference Proceeding
Investigating cognitive adaptability in new workplace cultures with the Imitation Game
(2021)
Presentation / Conference
About Edinburgh Napier Research Repository
Administrator e-mail: repository@napier.ac.uk
This application uses the following open-source libraries:
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
SIL OFL 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL)
MIT License (http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.html)
CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Advanced Search