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Precariouspathwaysfromeduca3ontoemploymentforyoungpeople
Youngpeople’spathwaysintoemploymentintheMidlandsduringpreviousrecessionsintheMidlandsinthe1930sand1980s?
Project1
Pathwaysintoemploymentforschoolandcollegeleavers
Project2
Graduatepathwaysintoemployment
Project3
Project4
Employers’perspec3vesontherecruitmentofnewlabourmarketentrants
Coordina2onoffindingsfromalltheprojects:Theroleofnon-standardemployment,workexperience,
unpaidworkandinternshipsinthetransi3onfromeduca3ontoemploymentintheMidlands(andlessons
fromthepast)
Year1
Year2
Year3
Precariouspathwaysfromeduca2ontoemploymentforyoungpeople
Transi3onsfromeduca3ontoemploymentinpreviousrecessions.
Lessonsaboutpolicyandprac3cefromthe1930sand1980s?
Delivering youth employment services- the evolving role of the
voluntary sector (VS) (Project 1)
Sharon Chohan, PhD candidate, IER
• IntroductionThis presentation will consider how changes in public sector funding and management have influenced the efficiency and effectiveness of policy delivery and the accountability of voluntary sector organisations
HistoricalPerspec3ve
1980s–Revolu3oningovernance;
rethinkingofefficiencyandeffec3veness
*Changesinpublicsectorfundingandmanagement*ShiXfromstate-agencyprovisiontocontractedpublicservices
TheVS'roleasefficientprovidersassessedinthecontextof:
PublicChoiceTheory,NeoLiberalismandNewPublicManagement
Subcontractors-Background
RiseoftheVoluntarySector TheVShasevolvedconsiderablyinrecentyears.Itnowcons3tutesbigbusinessandhasextensiveresponsibili3esfordeliveringmajorwelfareservices 'Ata3mewhenmanypublicsectororganisa3onsareperceivedtobeinadequateatdealingefficientlywiththesocialproblemsoftoday,thevoluntarysectoritselfhasthepoten3altoplayanexpandedrole'(Hudson2005:13)
Research Strategy - Case Study
Adopting a case study approach: a registered charity in Coventry. Established in late 1970s. Last year supported 180 young people through employability programmes such as: Ø Evolution 3 (16-18 years old) ESF Funded Ø Talent Match (16-24 years old) Big Lottery Funded Ø Coventry BootCamp (16-18 years old) DWP Funded Ø The Whole Shabang (16-25 years old) Big Lottery Funded Ø Jumpstart (16-29 years old) ESF Funded (Ambition Coventry)
ResearchQues3ons
1) Whatmo*vatestheVStobecomeinvolvedinyouthunemploymentinterven*ons?
Exis3ngliteratureontheVScentresonitsethicalpremise,highligh3ngthatthesectorcomprises‘valuedrivenorganisa2ons’(Murray1997)
2) How has their role and involvement changed since the 1980s?
“Over the years we have had to position ourselves
adapting to policy changes and strike the balance between generating income to deliver projects but equally staying true to our mission statement which is supporting young people in a flexible way to meets their needs. Our role and involvement has become bigger both in scale and income”
(CEO quote)
3) How are VS organisations accountable for their work and to whom, and what are the impacts on efficiency and effectiveness in policy delivery?
“Accountability should push us to be more efficient and
effective. However in practice this is not always the case. There are situations where conflict arises i.e. commissioners and the way they commission services.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach in the work we do. Our
young people often have very chaotic and complex needs. We need flexibility to best support the vulnerable young people we work with. Some funds are too bureaucratic which is why we often face difficult choices in deciding which funding to pursue”
(Project Director quote )
Ambition Coventry
• The project is aiming to work with over 2400 young people - Case study organisation target 350 young people.
• Multiple Delivery Partners including: Coventry City Council - Employment Team; Shared Apprenticeship
Scheme; Adult Education Service; Intensive Families Support Team; City College; Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training, Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust Coventry and Rugby IAPT; CSW Sport; Dame Kelly Homes Trust; Henley College Coventry; Highlife Centre; Orbit Heart of England; Positive Youth Foundation; Princes Trust; Prospects; Radio Plus; SCCU Ltd; Valley House; Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action and WM Housing
• Interesting contemporary example of layers of subcontracting - who
is accountable to whom and for what? Subcontracting in tiers.
Issuesfordiscussion
• How the VS has transformed over time? • Can the contemporary VS be more
‘efficient’ than was the case in the past? • What does being ‘business-like’ mean in
real terms for the VS and for people who work in it?
Ques3onsandcontactdetails:
SharonChohanDoctoralResearcher
sharonjit.chohan@warwick.ac.uk
www.warwick.ac.uk/paths2work
Project2:‘AndClick.That’sAllIDo’:YoungPeople’sUsesofTemporaryWorkAgencies
intheTransi3onto(Precarious)WorkPhilMizen,
GabyAjieldandArleneRobertson
WhyFocusOnEmploymentAgencies• Longtermincreaseinagency
working• LabourForceSurvey(winter
2012)–320,000agencyworkersor1.27%oftheworkforce
• 1.15magencyworkers‘onanygivenday’(WEF/CIETT2015)
• Panernsofemployment(WEF/CIETT)– 51%<3months– Female(55%/45%)– Service(52%)andmanufacturing
(36%)– ¾mediumorlowskillassignments
Agency
EmployerWorker
ResearchSuggestsThat• Agency–Employer
– ‘acomplexanddynamic’(Purcelletal2004)rela3on
– Short-termcover– Seasonalfluctua3ons– Controloflabourcostsandflexibility
– Recruitmentandselec3on– Staffplanning– Day-to-daymanagementoftemps
• Employer–Worker– ‘Warmbodies’(Parker1994)forsemi/unskilledassignments
– Lowwages,fewerbenefits– Insecure,unpredictablework
– Underemployment(Knox2010)
– Largely‘involuntary’– Tensionsbetweenpermsandtemps
ResearchSuggestsThat
• Agency–worker– Importantfor‘peripheral’workers(Gray2004)– Agenciesareenablingi.e.opendoorsotherwiseclosedforsome
– Assignmentsas‘steppingstones’forhumancapital– Sourceofemployabilityandworkexperience(Gray2004)
– Changing’workerpreferences’(Friedman2014)– Createsurplus‘onthebooks’workers(Forde2001)– Fewworkersexperiencecon3nuityinassignments
WhyFocusonYoungPeople’sUsesandExperiencesofEmployment
Agencies• An‘intenserela3onship’(Nunez2014)• Studentsandyoungworkers(ILO2010;CIETT2015)
• Tempsyoungerthanperms(Morris&Vekker2001)
• Youngworkers• ’Prefer’toescape‘tradi3onal’employment(Friedman2014)• Areunwillingtoinvestintheirhumancapital• Wanttocombinehumancapitalandworkexperience(i.e.earningandlearning)
• Havelinlechoice/alterna3ve(Standing2011)
Methodology
• 10focusgroupswithyoungpeopleinBirmingham(3),Coventry(4)andLeicester(3)ð 84par3cipants
• 100semi-structuredinterviewsð Consis3ngofapproximately70‘firstround’interviewsand30‘follow-up’interviews,approximately6monthsaXerthefirstinterview.
Sample
• Currentac3vity– Approximatelyaquarterwereinemployment,whileasimilarpropor3onwereunemployedandlookingforwork,ineduca3onortrainingandonappren3ceships
– Catering,hotel,restaurants,fasjood,clubsandbars,cleaning(commercialanddomes3c)
– Shopwork,selling,door-to-door– Warehouseanddistribu3on,labouring/construc3on,industrial/factory,security
– NHS(cleaning,catering),socialcare(childrenandtheelderly)
BenefitsofemploymentthroughTWAs
• Accessibility• Immediacy• Flexibility• Progression• Lackofotherop3ons
Accessibility• Therearealotofagencies,anditiseasytosignupwiththem(especiallyonlineagenciesthatallowapplica3onsformul3plejobswithasingleregistra3on/CV)
IcouldsayI’veused,likeallofthem.I’vegotanaccountwiththemall(Ella,18,Leicester)
I’vejustgotaniPad,soIgetmyiPad,typeinGoogle:‘JobsinCoventry’.LotsofpagescomeuplikeGumtree,you’vegotIndeed,you’vegotReedcomesupandloadsofjobsites.MyfavouriteoneisIndeedcauseit’ssoeasytouse(Sophie,18,Coventry)
Immediacy
• Gapbetweensigning-upandstar3ngworkcanbeshort
Iwentintofillinsomepaperworkandgavethemmynumberandoccasionally,everyweek,theywouldcallme,notoccasionally,everyweekIthink,theywouldcallmeonaFriday,andaskmeifI’dwanttoworkontheSaturdayorSundayatweekend,soyeah,I’dsayyeah.I’dtellthemyeah,Iwanttowork(Aqeel,18,Leicester)
Flexibility• FixngaroundothercommitmentsIhaveWednesdaysalwaysfree,Ihavethewholeweekend,FridayI’mfreesoit’sbasically,FridayIfinish[classes]at10inthemorning,soifIgetajobfromFridayintheaNernoonthenplustheweekendsorWednesday(Maarif,18,Birmingham)
• Givingchoice,decliningundesirablejobs• Temporaryworktomeettemporaryneedunrelatedtocareerambi3ons
ThereisadifferencebetweenbeingashopworkerandarecepQonist(Evelyn,19,Coventry)
Agencyworkasasteppingstone• Sourceof(paid)workexperienceI’veupdatedmyCV,soI’vegotexperienceontherenow,becauseofmywaitressingandagency[work],sohopefullyI’llfindsomethingbecauseIhaveexperience.(Bless,18,Birmingham)
• Accesstointernallabourmarkets(NHS,localauthori3es,largeprivatesectororganisa3ons)or‘temp-to-perm’possibili3es
WhenIstarteddoingcareworkthemanagerwantedmetobecomepermanent,butthatwasn’tthethingforme,Ididn’twanttodocarework”.(Evelyn,19,Coventry)
Lackofotherop3ons….there’ssoliZleoutthere,andit’stryingtopickthroughthehaystacktofindthatneedle,likethatisliterallywhatitis.SoitreallyissohardtofindajobandwheretheexpectaQonsaresohigh,itgetstothepointwheretheyexpecttoomuchofyou,youknow,theydon’thelpyou,theyexpectyoutodoit,theydon’thelpyoutofindwork,thejobcentre(Danielle,21,Coventry)It’snotnice,it’sneverisnice,justfeelworthless,likebecausethere’snojobs,there’snojobsinCoventryreallyandit’shardtogetajob(Simon,22,Coventry)
Whobenefitsfromagencywork?
• Generallymoreeducated/literate• Youngpeoplewhocanbeflexible,par3cularlythosewithothermeansofsupport
“Ifyouneedmoneyquickly,andthey’vegotashiNthereforyou,that’sfiNyquidthereforyou,butifit’snotworthyourwhilethere’snotmuchpointindoingitreally.Saysomeonewholivesathomewiththeirparents,it’sgoodforthembecausethenthey’remakingmoneyandtheypaytheirparentsabitofrent,buttheywon’tbehavingtogooutandpay£150rentorsomethinglikethat,especiallyifthey’veonlymade£50”(Kyle,20,Coventry)
• Strategistswithclearambi3ons
Limita3onsintermsofTWAsfacilita3ngaccesstojobsandmeaningfulworkexperienceforyoungworkers
• Iden2fica2onofjobopportuni2es:TWAprac3cesviewedasahindrancetothejobsearchprocess
• Accesstoopportun2es:Limitstotheopportuni3esonoffer,whilelong-standingbarrierstolabourmarketentryarereproduced
• Maintainingemployment:Difficul3esduetothenatureandcharacteris3csofagencyworking
SomeTWAprac3cesnotconducivetotheiden3fica3onofviableemploymentopportuni3esBecauseyouareapplyingonsiteslike(onlinerecruitmentsite)andstufflikethat,itsmostlyagenciesyouareapplyingfor,soyeah,theyarecallingyouandtheyaresayingcomeregisterwiththeagency….sowegodown,takeallourIDandstuffandthey’relike,ifanythingcomesup,we’llletyouknowandIkindofthink‘wellyou’vecalledmebecauseI’mapplyingforajob,andsuddenlythatjob’snotavailable’……soit’sjustalotofgoingandregisteringbutgebngnothing,soit’sreallyhard.(Danielle,21,Coventry)“Mostofthemhavethesamejobsonthere,that’swhatI’venoQced.Likethesamejobwillcomefiveorsix[Qmes].Igetlikefiveemailsaboutthesamejob”(Chloe,17,Leicester)
Reinforcingbarriersfacedbyyounglabourmarketentrants:
IpresentedmyCV,presentedmypassport,andthenwhenIshowedthemmypassporttheyrealisedoh,you’re17,youcan’tdothisjob….eventheguyinfrontofme,Ithinkhegotturnedawayforsomereasonaswell,hehadallthatsortofcollegeexperiencebutheneverhadanyreallifeexperience,whatIcallreallifeexperienceofactuallyworking…….you’restuckinthatposiQonwhereyouhavetofindajob,andalotoftheQmethosecollegegradesdon’tmakeadifference.
(Sahib,18,Leicester)
Difficul3esmaintainingemploymentduetothenatureandcharacteris3csofagencyworking:
• Workersubs3tu3oninordertocircumventequaltreatmentprovisionswhichtakeeffectfollowingthe12-weekqualifyingperiod
Assoonasourwageisgonnagofrom£6.31tolikenine,tenpound(aNer3months),theystopphoningus…..thentheyjustfindanothercoupleofTom,DickandHarrys,yeah,whoarehungryforajob’.
(Habib,19,Leicester)
Iwaswiththereforsixmonths,itwasn’ttheagencythatgotridofmeanyway,itwastheactualcompany.Iwasactuallydoingquitegoodforawhileandthen,IwasgebngalotofpraisesayingIwasbeingnoQced,andthenonedaytheyfiredmeforsomething,likeIgotthewrongpalletorsomething,andtestedthewrongSkyboxeswhichwasamistake……youhaven’tgotreallyanythingtostandon,yougotnorightsoranythingthisdayandage……that’sIwentunemployedforalongQmeandjustpreZymuchhitaslump.(Jason,24,Coventry)
Thecharacteris3csofsomeformsofagencyworking(e.g.zerohours)leavesyoungworkerswithlinlechoiceotherthantowithdrawfromtheemploymentrela2onship:
WhenIwasonthezerohourscontractwiththetraintracksitwasveryfrustraQngbecause,itclassesyouashavingajobbutyou’reonazerohourscontract.TheJobCentredon’treallyofferyoumuchthey’llsay‘ohyoucan’tsignonbecauseyouknow,youareanagencyworker’,butatthesameQmeyoufindyourself,there’snotmanyshiNsabout,sothen,you’refindingyourselfinaloopofgoingbacktothemandthentryingtogetyourclaimresortedout,andthenbytheQmethat’ssortedout,yougetashiN,andthenyougetsancQoned,andit’slikearepeaQngprocess.(Teddy,23,Birmingham)
Concludingcomments• Extensiveandrou3neuseofTWAsbyyoungpeoplelookingforwork
• Quickandeasysourcesofpaidwork• Asameansofselec3ngbetweendifferenttypesofworkopportuni3es
• Forinstrumentalpurposes–experience,accesstoemployersorinternallabourmarkets
• Toaccommodateothercommitments–study,leisure,family• TosiXoutunwanted/undesirableemployment
• Prac3cesofTWAsnotalwaysconducivetotheiden3fica3onofviableemploymentopportuni3es
• Reproduceexis3ngbarriers–e.g.age,lackofworkexperience,skills/qualifica3ons
• Difficul3esmaintainingemploymentduetothecharacteris3csofagencyworking
• Notconcernedwithneedsofyoungworkers
KatePurcellandGabyAjield(InsQtuteforEmploymentResearch),CharoulaTzanakou(DepartmentofPoliQcsandInternaQonalStudies),
UniversityofWarwick
Project3:
Thevalueofdifferentformsofworkexperienceinbuildingagraduatecareer
PeopleManagement,November2016,p.6.
Graduatelabourmarketcontext
• Expansionofhighereduca3onintheUK-2008/9recession–increaseingraduateunderemploymentalongsideskillsshortagesinkeyareas.
• ChangesinHEfunding;increasinglevelsofgraduatedebt.• Increasingconcernamongallstakeholdersaboutthecosts
andbenefitsofHE.
• Economicrestructuring,technologicalchangeandthefragmenta3onofjobs.
• Globaleconomicrestructuringofservicesaswellasmanufacturingandincreasinglyinterna3onalgraduatelabourmarket.AndimpactofBREXIT??
• Increasingrequirementofstudentsandgraduatestoacquireanddemonstrate‘employabilityskills.’
Researchques3onsinrela3ontostudentandgraduateworkexperience
• WheredoesworkexperiencebeforeandaXergradua3onfitintocareerdevelopment?
• Sta3s3calissue–therearenosta3s3cs!
• Lackofreliabledata–Howextensiveisincidence?Whodoeswhat?Forhowlong?Whereandwhen?Paidorunpaid?Whatcounts?
• Ethicalissues–Whenareinternships/unpaidwork/workexperienceplacementsagoodthingorabadthing?Whatarethecostsandbenefitstoindividuals,employersandsociety?
Students’workexperienceandreasonsforundertakingworkexperienceduringtheircourses
Source:FuturetrackStage4,allUKdomiciledgraduates(weighted)whohaveanundergraduatedegreeandarenolongerinfull3mestudyonly.
Whichstudentsworkedtogaincareer-relatedexperience?
Sandwichplacements:Engineers,BusinessandAdmin,Languages,Crea3veArtsanddesign;MediumandHighTariffHEIsandSpecialistHEIsShorterstructuredplacementsaspartofcourse:Medicsandallied,Educa3on,MassCommunica3on,SocialStudies,notHighestorhigh-tariffunisPaidworktogaincareer-relatedexperience:Engineers,BusinessandAdmin,Languages,Crea3veArtanddesign;SpecialistHEI,HighesttariffHEIVaca3oninternship:Engineering,Law,SocialStudies,SpecialistHEIUnpaidworktogaincareer-relatedexperience:Law,Crea3veart&design,MassCommunica3on,Linguis3cs&Classics,Educa3on:SpecialistandHighestTariffHEI.InunpaidinternshipaXergradua3on:Architecture,Law,aspiringMediaentrants,Medium,HighandHighestTariffHEIs.
Howdidthestudentsaccessworkexperience..?
• Viauniversityordepartmentconnec3ons(includingCareersAdvisoryServices)
• Some(e.g.summerplacements)hadbeencompe33velyadver3sedbyorganisa3ons.
• Proac3vely,byapproachingpoten3alorganisa3onsandaskingtobetakenon.
• Byaccessingmentorsorviapersonalnetworksthroughwhominformalarrangementscouldbemade
• OXen,bydrawingonmorethanoneoftheseapproaches.• Byobtainingtemporaryworkthroughagenciesordirectly.
POINTSTHATEMERGE:InformalnetworksareVERYimportant,proac2vityandpersistenceareVERYimportant,HAVINGFINANCIALSUPPORTTHATFACILITATESUNPAIDWORKINGISESSENTIALINMANYSECTORS…andsomeHEIshavebeWerlinkswithpoten3alprovidersofbothpaidandunpaidopportuni3esthanothers.
• Sandwichplacements
• Voluntarywork• TemporaryAgencywork
• Internships:paidandunpaid• Non-graduatepaidwork
MaintypesofworkexperienceduringandaXerHE
SandwichPlacements
Themostfrequenttypeofworkexperiencethatleddirectlyintocareer-relatedemployment,mostfrequentlyavailabletostudentsonvoca3onalundergraduatecourses.
[Asandwichyear]wascompulsoryandprenymuchallofmyfriendsallwentoffandgotverygoodjobswithinsixmonthstoayearandwe’vealldoneverywellsince.Evenpeoplewho,howdoIputthis,whoIdidcourseworkwithanddidn’treallyrate,let’ssaythat,whoIseeonLinkedInorFacebook,manyofthemhavegotfairlygoodjobsorgotreasonablejobsanyway,offthebat,soyeah,soIthinkitwasareallysuccessfulstrategyintermsof,itwasoneofthereasonsthatdrewmeto[university]tobehonest.Male,BusinessandManagement.Industrialplacementyearatatechnologycompany.NowworkinginHE.ItwasprobablyIwasthecheapop3onintermsofpayingaconsultancytodothejobandpayaplacementstudent,butyouknow,itul2matelygavemetheopportunitytoworkfor12monthsinarelevantareawithenoughsupportsoIdidn’tfeellostandhelpless.[...]Ul3matelyithelpsas‘valueadd’[comparedto]workingatTescoonthecheckoutsorsortofpart-3meuniversitywork,ifyou’vegotayearofdirectlyrelevantstuff,it’smucheasiertotalkatjobinterviewsaboutwhatyou’vedoneandhowrelevantitis.Male,Design.SandwichyearatacompanyintheautomoQvesector.NowworkingatadifferentcompanyintheautomoQvesector.
Voluntarywork
Usuallyduringundergraduatestudy.Unlikelytoleaddirectlytoemployment,withthehos3ngorganisa3on.Generallynotdirectlycareer-related,butprovidedexperienceandtransferableskillsthatwereusefulwhenseekingfurtherworkplacementexperiencesandpost-gradua3onemployment.
Thereisaselfishelementtothatbecauseitwasgoingtohelpmycareer,butalsoI’vealwayswantedacareerthat’shelpingotherpeoplesoindirectlyIknewthatitwasgoingtohelpmeachievethatinthefuturehopefully,whichithas.Nobody’severaskedmewhatIgotinmydegree.Actually,no,that’snottrue,mysecond,whenIwasrunningthe[...]programmes,itwasaprerequisiteforthejobthatyouhada2:1orrelevantequivalentexperience[...]Andtheydidsaytomeinmyinterview,‘well,youdidn’tgeta2:1whyshouldwehireyou?’butIwasabletosay‘yeah,okay,thisiswhyIgot,thisiswhyIonlygota2:2,Igotallthisexperience’,sothatwas,yeah,that’swhyIgotthejobintheend.Female,BiologicalSciences.VolunteeratayouthorganisaQon.Nowworkingineventsmanagement
TemporaryAgencywork
Directprogressionthrough‘temptoperm’roles.Comparedtonon-graduates,morelikelytobefocusedonaccesstoapar3cularcareerandgainingexperiencetofacilitatethis.Graduatesreceivedmoresupportforiden3fyingopportuni3esthatwerespecificallymatchedtotheirskillsandcareeraspira3ons.
Male,SportsScience.Nowworkingasateacher.[Theagency]rangmeandsaid‘Someone’soffsick,canyoucomeinandcoverthemuptohalfterm?’,sosixweeks,theysaid‘Areyoudoinganything?’Isaid‘WellatthemomentI’vegotaninterviewwithanotheragency,tomorrow,soIcanrearrangethat’,andtheysaid‘no,no,cancelit,we’llneedyouforthesixweeks’.Thesixweeksturnedinto12weeks,the12weeksturnedintosixmonths,sixmonthsturnedintoafull-2mecontract.
Female,BusinessandAdmin.NowworkinginatemporaryroleasanHRofficer.Itwasini3allyasixmonthfixedtermcontracttocoversomematernityleave,andthenit’sbeenextended.Soitwasini3allyduetofinisharoundtheendofAugust3me,itwasthenextendedandextendedagainandthisweek,Ireceivedano3fica3onthatit’sbeenextendedagainun3lmid-Aprilthisyear.[...]Obviouslytheyhaveconsultantsthatdealwithdifferentsectorsanddifferententrylevelsofthebusiness.[Theagency]couldadvisemeandseefrommyexperienceandmyinterestswhatcompanywouldbelookingforanindividuallikemeandthenfollowingonfromthattherolesthatwereavailableinthosecompanies.
Internships
Clearlyusedbyleadingemployersfor‘carefulrecruitment’;couldleaddirectlytoemploymentorindirectly,viamentors,referencesandasevidenceofhavingcompletedthemsuccessfully.Butwhatexactlyisaninternship?
Internship:defini3ons,theoryandprac3ce
• Wikipedia:Internshipsforprofessionalcareersaresimilarinsomewaystoappren3ceshipsfortradeandvoca3onaljobsbutlackofstandardisa3onandoversightleavesthetermopentobroadinterpreta3on–internsmaybecollegeoruniversitystudents,highschoolstudents,orpost-graduateadults.Theseposi3onsmaybepaidorunpaidandareusuallytemporary…….Generally,aninternshipconsistsofanexchangeofservicesforexperiencebetweenthestudentandanorganiza3on.
• Thereali3es(asindicatedbyresearchfindingssofar…):– structured/unstructured,formal/informal,anythingbetweenoneweekanduptotwelvemonths,paid,‘facilitated’andunpaid,some3mesinvolvingtraininganddevelopment,oXencons3tu3ngcheaplabour,rangingfromwonderfulopportuni3estoexploita3on.
– Offeredbyemployersplanningtorecruit,asanalternaQvetorecruiQng,andasethicalprofessionalpracQce/futureskillsinvestment.
Typesanddura3onsofinternshipsdescribedtous
• Yearlong‘SandwichYear’internships– (usuallyorganisedbyHEIs,some3mesbystudents,built
intocurriculum,usuallypaid,structuredlearningopportuni3es,)
• Summer/vaca3oninternships– OXencompe33velyofferedbyemployerstoanractspecificcategoriesofstudentordrivenbyproac3vepeopleandtheircontacts,paid,full3me,’talentseeking’element
• Short‘taster’internships(1-2weeks)– OXenofferedbyemployersandindustrysectororoccupa3onalinterestgroupstoanractexcellentcandidatesandprovideinsightintotheorganisa3on/industry
• Adhoc‘internships’forvariableperiods– OXenprivatearrangements,relyingonpersonalcontactsorproac3vityandini3a3ve.Couldbeeffec3vebutnormallyunstructuredandrarelypaid
PAID:Male,Business,ITandCompuQng,HighTariffUni,workingasfreelanceprojectmanager‘Aspartoftheyearlong[Sandwichplacement]internshipIwasintouchwiththegraduateandinternrecruiters,andhesaid“Yeah..haveyouthoughtaboutdoingasummerinternshipaswell?”andIthought“Okay,I’llgivethatatry!”Didn’tpar3cularlyhavetogothroughthefullassessment,thefullapplica3onprocess-um,itwasmoreafewinformalchatsovercoffeebeforeIwasofferedit’.
PaidandunpaidInternships
UNPAID:Male,Psychology,HighTariffUniversity,nowAdverQsingAccountsManager‘I’veactuallyhadthreedifferentinternshipsthatwereallunpaidorexpensesonly,overthecourseofbeingastudent.WhenIwasinsixthform,Ihadafamilyfriendthathadanadver2singfirmintheMidlands,[AXergradua3on]Mycurrentorganisa3on]wasoneIpar3cularlywantedtoworkat,soIemailedthemandsaidI’dbewillingtocomein,justdosomenon-paidworkexperienceandwouldtheybeinterestedinhavingme?IjustemailedthemmyCV,akindofbitaboutmybackgroundandwhyIwasinterestedinadver3singandwhatIwasoffering,soIcouldcomein,Iwashappytodoanythingforthattwo-weekworkexperienceperiod…andtheygotbacktomeandsaid“Yes.Wouldyoubeavailableonthesedates?Wecouldusethehelpononeofourprojects.”AcoupleofdaysbeforeIfinishedmyplacement,theteamthatIwasworkingwithinjustsaid“Doyouwanttostayforlonger?We’vegotaposi3onthatwe’dliketoofferyou..”whichwasacontentauthoringposi3on-sojustpuxnginforma3ononawebsiteandtheyaskedifIwantedtocarryonandcomebackthefollowingweek,asanemployee.”
Male,Middleclassbackground,selecQveschool,HightariffHEI,ManagementwithmarkeQng,gooddegree.‘SomebodygavemeadviceonwhenIwasyounger,wasthekeytoge_ngoutofuniversitywasn’tjustge_ngthedegree,itwas,youknow,ge_ngtheexperience.ImadesurethatIdid,Ididgetexperience,andIdidacouple-Iguesstheprominentonesthatweredonewereduringthesummer,whileIwasdoingmydegree.
Thefirstonewas..aweeklonginternship,itwasunpaid…IwenttoLondonforaweekandstayedatImperialCollegeLondonanditwassponsoredandorganisedandmanagedby[agroupof]fivelargesolicitorsandbarristersinLondonanditwasdesignedforundergraduateswhoareconsideringlawasadegreeandacareer.SoIspentaweekthere,youknow,workingwiththevariouscompaniesandlearninghowtodebateandhowLawworksandthelifeofasolicitorintheCity,sothatwasoneofthem.Itwascompletelyunpaidbutitwaswascompe22velyselec2ve,Ithinkitwasonly200peopleoutofthecountrythatwereselectedtodothatfortheoneweek,andsothatwasthefirstone….
….Thesecondonewaswith[aninterna3onalcarhirefirm]..ResultedinofferofplaceonGraduateEntryScheme
Whichstudentsaccessgoodworkexperienceopportuni3es?(Thecrucialinfluenceofculturalcapital…)
….andwhichhavemorerestrictedop3ons?……..
Female, working class, neither parent has degree, state school, good degree, Highest Tariff HEI. Now Secondary school teacher in state comprehensive school. ‘WhilstIwasat[university]Ibecameincreasinglyawarethatsomeonefrommybackgrounddoesn’thaveasmanyopportuni3es,evenwhenyougetintoaRussellGroupuniversity,assomeonefromarichfamily,becausethekindofinternshipsthatgetyouintothebigbusiness,theywereunpaid,alotofthem…andtherewasnowayIcouldeverconsiderdoingsoIcouldn’tfindanyprivatesectorinternshipsthatIcouldapplyforbecauseIcouldn’taffordthem.[…]I’dliketohavetriedsomethinginadver3singandsomethinginpublishingjust,youknow,‘causethat’ssortofthemainareasthatanEnglishdegreecanleadto’.
Workexperiencehelpstoclarifycareeraspira3ons
‘thatwasconservingartefactsandrecordingand,youknow,thingslikethat,whereasthatexperiencetaughtmethatIwanttobemoreinvolvedwithpeople,…I’mnotthekindofpersonthatwantstoconserveartefactsorthingslikethat,I’mmoreapersonwhowantstoworkwithpeopleanddointeres3ngthings,maybesomesortoftrainingorteaching.[….]Ididacquireskillsinhowtoconserveobjects,howtocleanobjectsinaprofessionalway,thatIwouldn’thavedoneotherwise.Ididn’thateit,youknow,Ithoughtitwass3llinteres3ng,andIthinkitwasavaluableskilltohavehad,andIappreciatedthatIwasgiventheopportunitytodoitbutIrealisedthatalthoughIenjoyedit,itwasn’tsomethingthatIwantedtodolong-term’.Female,Archaeology,HighestTariffHEI,currentlyworkinginPublicSectorMarkeQng
‘..ItgalvanisedthefactthatIdefinitelywantedtoworkincrea2veandradioadver2sing,thatwasahugething.WhatIdefinitelydidn’twanttodo,effec3vely,wastobecomeacommercialradioproducer.Beingabletoseetheday-to-dayworkingsofit–it’sfuntogetinvolvedinmakinganadvertandgexngthesoundofitperfect,butactuallyseeing[howtheyworked]howflexibletheyhavetobeintermsoftakingdirec3onfrompeoplewhodon’tnecessarilyknowbest..IthinkithelpedmeIrealiseIwanttobeawriter…tobemoreinnova3ve..[not]s3fledbybrand..’Female,LowTariffHEI,MediaandCommunicaQons
Male,InternaQonalRelaQonswithLanguage,HighestTariffUniversity‘The[leadingindependentThinkTank],itgavemeusefulexperiencefirstlybecauseitallowedmetojustseeabitmoreabouthowathinktankworksandIwasabletoseehowtheyworkand,youknow,howtheresearchisdesigned,etc,-notsomuchfromtheactualworkIwasdoing,butfromthefactthatIwassi_ngintheofficesandIcouldwatchwhatwashappeningandlistentowhatwashappeningandaskques2ons,andobviouslyitgavemeusefulexperienceand,intheunderstandingofthatspecificorganisa3onwhichthengavemeagoodargumentfortakingonthepart-3meworkwiththem…..’[hegotasecondpaidpart-3meinternship]…Interviewer:Okay,andthesecondinternshipwhichwassortofalmostindis3nguishablefromajob…?’Interviewee:‘AlltheskillsIlearntthere,alltheskillsIlearntthereweresortofrelevantjobskills,…fromcommunica3ngwithclientsthroughresearchingprofits,throughtowri3ngpresenta3ons,andwri3ngmemosandunderstandingspecificissues,andImeanalltheskillsthatIlearnttherewererelevantjobskills:noneofthemwerequalifyingmetomakecoffee..’
..andprovidesinsightintohowdifferenttypesoforganisa3onwork.
ExtremesofunpaidgraduateworkexperienceFemaleLawgraduate,HighestTariffHEI,nowworkingasTraineeSolicitorwhodidtwoperiodsofunpaidworkexperience[Acergradua2on,shewrotetoalocalsolicitor’sfirm,offeringtoworkforexperience]‘Thewomanwasasoleprac33oner,shegotintouchandsaidshedidn’thaveanyfull-3mevacancies,shecouldoffermeaplacementforafewmonths….Interviewer:Whatdidyouactuallydo,onanaverageday..?‘SomainlyitwasdraXinglenersthatshewassendingouttoclients,answeringphonecalls,arrangingpost,photocopying,thosesortofgeneralsortofadminrelatedtasks.SoIwaslivingathomeatthe3me..-Imeantheonlycostreallywasrunningmycar[!!!],otherthanthatIwaslivingathomesotherewasnorentoranythinglikethat...’
[Shefelttheexperiencewasnotuseful,sosheappliedtodoworkforavoluntaryadviceunitprovidinglegaladvicetodisadvantagedapplicants]
’…oneoftheleadvolunteers…allowedmetositinononeofhisinterviewswithaclientandthenhesaid,“Wouldyoubehappytodotheworkwe’redoing?”andIsaid“yes”,andthenitjustkickedofffromthere,really,andsoIwasdoingthatforayearandahalf.Itwasquitehandson,soprenymuchfromthefirsttwoweeks,whenIwasjustsixnginwithhimwithhisclients,inthethirdweekIhadmyownclients’.
Emergingfindings….• Gradswhohadhadexperienceofpaidandstructuredworkexperienceplacementswereuniversallyenthusias3cabouttheirposi3veimpactoncareerdevelopmentbutreportsonunpaidworkexperienceweremorediverse.
• Paidinternshipsandplacementsweremainlyhighlyselec3veandfiercelycompetedfor….butinformalcontactscouldover-rideformalaccessprotocols.
• VoluntaryworkoXenprovidedusefulexperienceandskillsdevelopmentopportuni3es.
• AccesswasoXencumula3ve…oneopportunityledtoanother,oXenbeneropportunity.
• Contactsandnetworkswerealmostalwaysessen3altogeteitherpaidorunpaidworkexperience.
…andemergingconclusions
• SubjectstudiedandHEIanendedfacilitatedorrestrictedaccesstoopportuni3es(c.f.Privatesectorinternshipsclusteredinafewindustries).
• Manyexcellentinternshipsprovidedbychari3esandthirdsectororganisa3ons–butlesslikelytobepaid,sodiscriminatory.
• Proac3vityonthepartofstudentsandgraduatesthemselveswasnearlyalwaysessen3al;butproac3vitywasrelatedtoculturalcapital,etc.
• Workexperienceplacements(paidandunpaid)appearedtoinvolvestudentsandgraduatesmakingvaluablecontribu3onstoorganisa3onalproduc3vity.
Project4:Employers’Perspec3ves
MelanieSimms(UniversityofLeicester)
ArleneRobertson(UniversityofWarwick)
TheProject• 7sectorscapturingarangeofnormsforlabourmarketentry– Foodprocessing,automo3vemanufacturing,hospitality,NHS,voluntarysector,crea3veindustries,businessservices
• Chosentoselect:– Largevs.smallemployers– Structuredvsadhoctransi3ons– Differentlevelsofskillandqualifica3onrequired
• Overviewofsectorfollowedbyinterviewswithkeyemployers
• Notyetcomplete
Howdoemployersunderstandsomeofthechangesinlabourmarkets?
• Linlesenseofagency–eventheverylargeemployersopera3nginlocallabourmarketse.g.NHS
• Seriousconcernsexpressedbymostemployersabout:– Extenttowhichyoungpeopleareworkready– Howtoanractfuturetalent– Howtoretainyoungworkers– Howtoofferflexibilitytoallowthemtoexperiencearangeofroles
Approachestorecruitment• SeriousaWen2onbeinggiventohowtotargetappropriaterecruits
– Atalllevelsofskillsandqualifica3ons– Tensionswithinorganisa3ons– Localcontextshapingrecruitment(prac3cesandchallenges)
• Concernaboutdiversityandrepresenta2veness– Evenamongsmallemployersthathaverela3velylinlespecialistHRsupport
• Generallyhappytotalkaboutunpaidworkexperience– Keenforittobeframedasprovidingalegup;anopportunitytodevelopskills
andtotryoutdifferentroles
• Widerangeofrecruitmentchannelsbeingusedtotargetyoungworkers– Employmentviatemporaryemploymentagenciesentailsbothrisksandbenefits
Selec3on• ‘Experience’,butnotnecessarily‘workexperience’,ishighly
valuedbyemployerswhenrecrui2ngyoungworkersforentryleveljobs– Howthisisgainedisoflessimportancethanthequali3esitistakentoindicate
– Par3cipa3oninextra-curricularac3vi3es,voluntaryworketc.signalscommitment,mo3va3on,reliability,3me-keepingetc.-dura3onimportant
• Unpaidworkexperienceprogrammes(providedbytheemployer)
animportantpartoftherecruitmentandselec2onprocess– Somebenefitsforemployer:indirectchannelofrecruitment– Butalsoconstraintsandlimita3ons
Approachestotraining• Highlevelofacknowledgmentthatemployerprovided
trainingofsomekindisnecessary– Extenttowhichthisshouldbeformaland/orpaidforbytheemployervariesbetweensectornormsandsizeofemployer
– Differentformsofflexibleemploymenthavedifferentimplica3onsfortrainingprovision
• Engagementwithformalpoliciessuchasappren2ceships,
traineeshipsetc.varies– Ra3onaleforemployerengagementwithappren3ceshipsvaries
considerably– Largeremployerstypicallybenerplacedtoengage……butface
significantbarriers– Appren3ceshiplevy–uncertaintyandmixedviews
Experiencesofreten3on• Aseriousconcernforallemployers,despitesomesectorsbeing
subjecttoconsiderablyhigherturnoverrates– Generally,reflectscostandeffortofrecruitmentandtraining– Butalsosectorspecificconcerns.e.g.produc3vityconcernsinfood
processing
• Somesectoraldifferences– Hospitality–‘revolvingdoor’scenario– Foodprocessing–involuntaryturnoveroflowskilledworkersand
‘poaching’ofhighskilledworkersbylargerindustryplayers
• Howdoemployersrespond?– Reten3onriskscanunderminecareerpathwaysandtrainingavailable
toyoungpeople– Butsomeevidencealsoofposi3veimpactonpathwaysforyoung
workers
Sometakeaways• Clearlyandconsistentlyframeissuesofrecrui3ng,trainingandretainingyoungpeopleasbringingaddi3onalissuestootheragegroups
• Happytoacknowledgethe‘good’and‘bad’sidesofhowemployersbehave(notnecessarilythem!)– Linlereflec3ononthemorenega3veaspectsofprecariousworkforemployees
• Governmentpolicy(e.g.appren3ceships)notalwaysseenashelpful
Paths2Work@warwick.ac.ukwww.warwick.ac.uk/paths2work@Paths2Work
Thankyouforyouranen3on.
Contactus:
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