Placement Preparation: Taking a long term view

1. Placement Preparation: Taking a long term view Maria McCabe Leeds University Business School

2. Background • I run an optional one year placement scheme at Leeds, and am based in the Business School • Numbers on placement currently 60-70 per year • The biggest single impact in increasing numbers has been the development of a second year elective module, From Study to Work (impacting 200 students)

3. Context • Russell Group university, with high calibre , high potential students • Challenge of exposing them to the harsh reality of the job market • Students are responsible for finding their own placements, we simply provide support.

5. Pragmatic decisions From the university… • I couldn’t book a room so I created a module… • It was easier to give the same advice to 100 students in one go than to 100 students one by one. From the students… • It’s on my timetable, so I should turn up. • I’d better do the reflective assignment because it’s assessed. From the employers… • It’s a guaranteed audience.

7. The impact • Students first task is to set personal goals • Knowledge can be applied immediately • Employers become approachable • Exposure to corporate cultures • Inspiration, information and encouragement

9. The module • The assessment is an online log (40%) and a reflective statement (60%) • The content includes three initial lectures (Introduction, the Job Search, the Assessment Criteria) followed by interactive 2 hour seminars on Applications, Psychometric Tests, Interviews, Assessment Centres, Ethics and a Business Game • Students are also expected to identify, attend and reflect on at least 3 additional sessions e.g. Employer Events, Fairs, Skills Sessions, Talks etc

11. Delivery is done by • Employers – this adds value for the students and for the employers • Careers Advisers, who also mark the module. This raises awareness of the on campus support provided by the Careers Centre • ICAEW – this raises awareness of professional bodies and allows participation from a variety of accounting firms. • Ethics specialists - gives students the chance to be taught by academic staff from a CETL.

13. Feedback Completion of the online log has given us detailed feedback on the student experience. • Students valued Relevance Although I found this session stressful and demanding, it was a very useful and revealing workshop as I learned many things about myself, particularly when under time pressure. Again, the workshop was extremely relevant to my placement search as it was delivered by accountancy related firms. • The Experience was Encouraging For me the most encouraging thing about hearing from an employer who actually runs assessment centres was how friendly she was and how she explained that the employers help you through the day and are not there to simply analyse you.

14. Feedback The most controversial session was on Business Ethics, but only after the case study was made more relevant. • Before attending this session I thought that I was quite an ethically minded person. However, this workshop made me realise that I do not transfer the morals I have in my personal life to my views on careers and job opportunities. • This session was of particular relevance to me as the case study we were analysing was almost identical to the situation I found myself in at this time. • Another important piece of learning from this session is that businesses can make profits and be ethical. Before this session I wasn’t aware it was possible to behave ethically in a business and still perform well. • It was interesting to hear the range of views across the room and how loose some people's morals were.

16. Long term vs Last Minute • Placement preparation sessions can be a bit like cramming for an exam. Too little, too late. • The most important questions – what do you hope to get out of this, how should you behave, what will it lead to, should already have been answered long ago. • The most important questions may take months of reflection, they can’t be answered in a couple of hours. • A module can provide an environment in which those questions can be answered.

17. Timing within the module The module • Covers all key aspects of finding work in Semester 1 when enthusiasm is greatest • Finishes 2 weeks before the end of term in Semester 1 to allow time for coursework deadlines • Has some sessions in Semester 2 to maintain momentum • Has sessions on the Assessment at relevant times

19. So what happens in the briefing? I still have a pre-placement briefing. In it, I cover: • Academic requirements • Admin Matters including Health & Safety • Students meet their placement tutor • Students meet all the other outgoing students • Identifying more detailed objectives with tutors

20. Timing of the Briefing The Pre-placement Briefing is held: • At the latest time when students are likely to be around i.e. the Monday after exams • After exams, so students can focus solely on their placement • As late as possible to maximise the numbers attending Students who find placements later get individual briefings. In future this may be done via an Articulate Presentation.

21. Highlights of the module • Student ambassadors • Lecture shouts • Returning alumni • Returning placement students • Detailed feedback • Retrospective evaluation by students • Ethics Seminar

23. Summary of Findings • All the influence is at the beginning - you can’t start too early • Don’t do anything that someone else can do better - the more variety you have in terms of presenters, the more value you add • Timing is everything - it affects attendance and relevance • Cumulative value of a module - students from the first cohort become student mentors, then first class graduates, then graduate recruiters