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Summer Engineering Placements – an Opportunity?

Summer Engineering Placements – an Opportunity?. Martin Borthwick School of Marine Science & Engineering. HEA Seminar Enhancing employability through contact with practice 24 April 2014. Acknowledgments:. Plymouth University Placements Office Student pilot group Employers RAEng.

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Summer Engineering Placements – an Opportunity?

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  1. Summer Engineering Placements – an Opportunity? Martin Borthwick School of Marine Science & Engineering • HEA Seminar • Enhancing employability through contact with practice 24 April 2014

  2. Acknowledgments: • Plymouth University Placements Office • Student pilot group • Employers • RAEng

  3. Presentation overview • Context • Objectives • Methodology • Findings • Conclusions • The way ahead….discussion and questions

  4. Context:

  5. Context:

  6. Context in engineering… • Benefits of industrial placements are well known1 • Uptake of conventional 1-year placements had been declining2 Main reasons3: • To finish quickly • Lack of available placements4 • The commercial future (is here) • KIS • NSS • Accreditation 1RAEng. (2010) 2Walker, F. & Ferguson, M. (2009) 3Borthwick & Rees (2011) 4Dales, R., Lamb, F. & Hurdle, E. (2010)

  7. Rationale for this study • Need to improve employability • Shorter placements… • Students finish quickly but gain important experience • Less risk for employers • Already happening! • Easier to “sell” to students?

  8. Project Objectives • Scope the opportunities for short-term placements with engineering employers • Identify the skills that can be developed • Assess the development of skills • Develop resources

  9. Methodology • Initial survey • Test “Skills tracker” • Extended survey - employer interviews • Evaluation and development of web resources • Undertaken June 2011- April 2012

  10. Pilot Survey • 50 engineering employers selected • Email questionnaire to assess the potential: • scope of existing practice • participants for the follow up interviews • 1/3 responded • 1/5 showed interest

  11. Extended Survey – who? • Existing placement hosts • Staff contacts • Internal & external databases • Professional Bodies • Placement & careers fairs How? • Email – phone - interview

  12. Extended Survey The numbers….

  13. How many? • 112 companies contacted • 42 (38%) interested • 30 agreed to host summer placement in 2012 • 37 took part in follow up interviews • but 27 would not host short placements…

  14. 27 (24%) would not host short placements – because:

  15. Interview findings: • Perception: • 73% (27) positive • Preference: • 65% (24) happy with either 1-year sandwich or summer (8 prefer summer) • Experience: • 68% (25) have hosted both 1-year and short placements

  16. Interview findings: The discussion….

  17. Benefits to employers

  18. Benefits to employers

  19. Perceived benefits to students

  20. Employer limitations and issues:

  21. Inputs – skills expected of students:

  22. Inputs – skills expected of students:

  23. Outputs – skills gained by students:

  24. Outputs – skills gained by students:

  25. Employer commitment: • Type of experience: • General 16 (43%) • Project specific 12 (32%) • Both 5 (14%) • Mentoring: • Supervisor – 20 (54%) • Link to graduate programme – 13 (35%)

  26. Skills Tracker:

  27. Skills Tracker • Didn’t re-invent the wheel: • Engineering Council • ICE and IMechE • PU sandwich placement guidance • Guiding principles: • Low overhead • Plan, evidence, evaluate

  28. Key details:

  29. Action plan/record:

  30. Suggested skills:

  31. Employer’s assessment:

  32. Skills Tracker – employer views: • Overall fit for purpose • Most important target skill - personal effectiveness • communication • teamwork • Self management • Least important target skill – commercial awareness

  33. Student feedback: • Positive all-round experience • Skills Tracker easy to use • Prioritised technical and work-specific targets rather than “professional” skills • Not all completed the voluntary report • Strongly recommend to peers

  34. Summary: • Placements confirmed as beneficial! • Engineering employers support short-term placements • There is capacity • Skills Tracker endorsed • Students perceive technical know-how more important than “professional” skills…

  35. Summary: • However employers are also looking for: • Communication • Technical knowledge • IT competence • Enthusiasm and motivation • Commercial awareness is a positive “side effect”

  36. Our recent experience: • Enhanced contact with the employers has led to: • increased year-long placement opportunities • Increasing contact from employers seeking summer placements • Value of first year CV exercise • Issues: • Resource constraints for supporting summer placements • Ongoing year long vs summer placement debate • Mentoring support (Employer/University)

  37. Looking ahead: • Build on employer links • Regular placements • mentoring • projects • Embed in programmes • Raise the stakes with students • Issue of credit rating and availability • Look at graduate placements…

  38. Resources: • Engineering placement web pages www.plymouth.ac.uk/placements Follow “Engineering Summer Placements” link • Skills Tracker • Case Study www.hestem.ac.uk/sites/default/files/developing_professional_skills.pdf

  39. Questions and discussion

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