Work Placement Evening for Black and Minority Ethnic Students Lisa Ward TQEF Work Placement and Project Manager 10 th May, 2007

Work Placement Evening for Black and Minority Ethnic Students

Lisa Ward

TQEF Work Placement

and Project Manager

10th May, 2007

Lisa Ward TQEF Project Manager (Student Employability and Good Practice in Placement Provision)

Introduction and Welcome

Professor Brendan Evans

Pro Vice Chancellor


Introductions

• University Staff– Brendan Evans – Pro Vice Chancellor– Lisa Ward – TQEF Work Placement and Project Manager– Jane Gaffikin – TQEF Project Officer

• Placement Students– Zahid Ali – Computing and Engineering Student on

Sandwich Placement at Intel– Alia Ashraf – Applied Sciences Student who completed a

sandwich work placement at Cliffe House and Kirklees School’s Effectiveness Service

– Maysoon Shafiq – HUBS Student with two week work placement at Kingsley Brookes Solicitors


Tonight’s Presentation – Five Sections

1. The University, sandwich degrees, placement take up, placement take up for Black and Minority Ethnic students.

2. Film: Students talk about their placement experiences.

3. One year sandwich work placements, degree classifications and employment.

4. Live student experiences.

5. Discussion


Section One

University

of

Huddersfield


University of Huddersfield

• Around 20,000 full and part-time students both home and overseas.

• ‘We offer high quality teaching with a strong vocational emphasis’.

• Amongst the UK’s top five providers of sandwich courses.


University of Huddersfield is:

“Top for teaching quality among all the new universities in the North of England”

THES League Table, 2005

“Top new university in the UK for customer satisfaction among its students”

THES student satisfaction survey, 2006.


Sandwich

Placements

at

University of Huddersfield


Academic Schools with Sandwich Placements

• Applied Science

• Art and Design

• Computing and Engineering– inc Music Technology (Music, Humanities and

Media)

• HUBS (Huddersfield University Business School)


Academic Schools Involved in Integral (Professional) Placements

• Human and Health Sciences

• Education and Professional Development

Short Placements

• Includes: History, Politics and Law.


Placement Support by School

• Applied Science and Art & Design– Academic Placement Tutors for Subject Areas– Supported by Placement Office

• HUBS (Business School)– Placement Advisors– Placement Office and Resource Room inc PC printer and

information leaflets.– Subject Area Academic Champions

• Computing and Engineering– Team of Placement Advisors in Placement Office– Placement Resource Room.– Linked Academic

• Careers Service can provide support to students e.g. CV writing, interview practice, job search and job shop for part-time jobs.


Placements are a key part of the University of

Huddersfield experience


Fee Decision

• 2005 will be the last intake to pay half fees for placement (national level) approx £575.

• From 2006 the University can set it’s own fees.

• In recognition of the importance of sandwich work placement, senior management decided that placement fees would be £0. – This decision will benefit our current First Years– Pioneering University in making this decision.


Sandwich

Placement

Take Up


Percentage Place Take Up by School

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

HUBS Computingand

Engineering

Music andHumanities

AppliedScience

Art andDeisgn

AcrossSandwichDegrees

School of StudyNote: data may be skewed if high direct entry onto final year

% P

lae

am

en

t S

tu

de

nts

Co

mp

are

d t

o F

ina

l Y

ea

r S

tu

de

nts

Fewer than 50% of students enrolled on sandwich courses are taking a placement year


Why Low Take Up?

• UK wide trend, confirmed by other Universities

• Decrease since 1990s

• More students living at home?

• Greater financial pressure?

• Peer Pressure

• Survey’s inconclusive – lots of competing factors


What have we done about it?

• School based initiatives to increase take up.– e.g. HUBS shuffle event with employers– Computing and Engineering Employer Events– Art and Design placement day.

• Research to persuade students of the benefits.

• Placement pod casts.


Why did we want to hold a special event for Students from Black and Minority

Ethnic backgrounds?


Placement take up amongst Black and Minority Ethnic Students

Using DLHE 2004/05 Data

Students from Sandwich Degrees


Black and Ethnic Minority Students

Placement Take Up by Ethnic Group

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

White Black (Small Sample) Asian Mixed (Small Sample) Undisclosed

ASIS Ethnic Group

% P

laca

men

t Stu

dent

s Co

mpa

red

to F

inal

Yea

rs


Students on Sandwich Degrees by Ethnic Group

84%

2%

10%

1%

3%

White

Black

Asian

Mixed

Other or NotDisclosed


Gender Comparisons

Placement Take Up by Selected Ethnic Group and Gender

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

White Females White Males Asian Females Asian Males

Ethnic Group and Gender

% P

lace

men

t S

tud

ents

as

Co

mp

ared

to

Fin

al Y

ears


Students on Sandwich Degreesfrom Asian Backgrounds

25%

62%

4%

6%3%

Asian or AsianBritish - Indian

Asian or AsianBritish - Pakistani

Asian or AsianBritish Bangladeshi

Chinese or otherethnic background

Other AsianBackground


Asian or Asian British Students

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Asian or Asian BritishIndian

Asian or Asian BritishPakistani

Asian or Asian BritishBangladeshi

Chinese or OtherEthnic Background

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Key: Females = Checks, Males = SolidNote: No Bangladeshi Females went on placement


Black and Minority Ethnic Students

• Placement take up is significantly lower for students from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

• Want as many students as possible to benefit from sandwich work placements.

• This is the first event aimed at Black and Minority Ethnic Students and their parents.


Any

Questions?


Section Two

Film: Students Talk About Their Placement

Experiences


Section Three

Sandwich Work Placements, Degree Classifications

and Employment


Sandwich Work Placements and

Degree Classifications


Our top degrees are called

1st: First Class Honours2:1 Upper Second Class Honours

Degree Classifications


First Class and Upper Second Class Degrees

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Sandwich Placement No Sandwich Placement

Per

cen

tag

e


• During our survey year some startling results were shown about our very highest degree the First Class.

• In HUBS (Business School) almost three times as many students got first class degrees who had done a placement compared to those who had not.

• In Art and Design the figure was only slightly lower at 2.8 times.

• In all Schools a greater proportion of sandwich degree students got First Class degrees.

First Class Degrees


Sandwiches Degrees and Employment

‘Everyone knows’ students who do placements get better jobs and degree classifications.

Is this really true?


Survey Data

Students from University of Huddersfield who graduated in 2003/04. Registered on a sandwich degree. Comparison:– Studied over four years with one year sandwich

placement – Studied full-time over three years

6 months after graduating


Six Months After Graduation – Employment Statistics

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Yes No

Placement Taken?

% G

rad

ua

tes

in

Wo

rk

In our survey year 14% more graduates were in work who had done a sandwich placement.


Jobs Six months After Graduation

18%

15%

67%

Managers, SeniorOfficials andProfessionals

Associate Professionaland TechnicalOccupations

Other Job, DoingSomething Else orLooking for Work

24%

29%

47%

Placement -Yes Placement - No


• Students who do a placement are more likely to:– Gain a Managerial, Professional or Senior Official

post– Gain an Associate Professional or Technical Post– Get any job


Graduate Salaries

Graduates Salaries by Occupation Groupingand Placement Taken (Yes / No)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Managers , SeniorOfficials and

Profess ionals

AssociateProfess ional and

Technical Occupations

Adm inis trative andSecretarial

Occupations

Other Jobs

Sa

lary

£ ,0

00

Yes

No

•Graduate Salaries are generally higher for students who take a placement year.•The biggest difference in salaries occurs for Associate Professional and Other Jobs.•Potentially some graduate recruiters will pay a ‘graduate’ salary - regardless of placement.


Summary

• In our survey students who did placements tended to get:– Better jobs– Better salaries

BUTWe can not say this is solely because of

placements. However placement tutors often say that students come back:– more mature– ready to learn– some context for academic learning– more determined to do well and get a good job


Any

Questions?


Placement Stories

Section Four

Huddersfield students talk about their experience of

work placements


Zahid Ali Computing and Engineering

Student

One Year Sandwich Placement

at Intel


Alia Ashraf Applied Sciences Student

One Year Sandwich Work Placement at Cliffe House

and Kirklees School’s Effectiveness Service


Maysoon ShafiqHUBS (Business School) Student

Two week work placement

at Kingsley Brookes Solicitors


Conclusion

Hope you’ve gained a better understanding of the effect of

placements on career choices.

AnyQuestions?


Discussion Question

Section Five

How can we increase up take on sandwich degrees,

particularly with emphasis for Black and Minority Ethnic

Students?


Contact Details

Lisa WardTQEF Work Placement and Project Manager01484 [email protected]

Jane GaffikinTQEF Project [email protected] 473146

Documents

Work Placement Evening for Black and Minority Ethnic Students Lisa Ward TQEF Work Placement and Project Manager 10 th May, 2007