fiona buckley, department of government, university college cork, ireland. [email protected]

Department of Government 1

Work Placement in Political Science: Justification, Preparation, Implementation and EvaluationA case study of the BSc Government, University College Cork

FDTL/HEFCE ConferenceThe Scholarship of Engagement for Politics: Placement Learning, Employability and

Citizenship

Panel: Employability for Politics

Fiona Buckley, Department of Government,

University College Cork,Ireland.

[email protected]


BSc GovernmentUniversity College Cork

• Department of Government, University College Cork, Ireland.

• 1999• Four year degree programme (60 credits x 4 = 240 credits)

– 70% political science; 30% business, law, social science, language, IT

• Work Placement– Year Three– 14 weeks– 10 credits


Why Work Placement?• Movement towards student-centred learning

– Emphasis on the overall student experience– Universities as centres of learner activity (Gibbs: 1995)

• Changes in labour markets– Demanding more specialised knowledge

• Career-oriented students– Demanding accredited work experience

• Added advantage in the graduate recruitment market• Policy

– Bologna Process– Dearing Committee on the Future Development of Higher

Education in the UK (1997)


Employability of Political Science Graduates

• Predicament!– Students and employers are often unclear of how to make use of a

political science degree• Measures to overcome this predicament

– Adjust curricula to the requirements of the labour market?– Contact with employers

• Feedback; increased exposure– Provide undergraduates with the opportunity to undertake work

placement in order to gain professional experience?– Careers Education Programme for political science students

• Outline post-degree options; relevance of degree; positive attitude• Observations from the BSc Government degree, University

College Cork


Defining Work Placement

• Supervised work experience undertaken by a student

• The transition process from ‘learning to earning’ (Rhodes: 2003)

• Should act as a useful bridge between theory and practice in that it provides an arena in which students may observe and test out what they have learnt at university (Fanthome 2004:3)

• Theory of experiential learning


Experiential Learning(Kolb: 1984)

Kolb Cycle• Concrete Experience

– What did you do?• Reflective Observation

– What was good and/or bad about experience?

• Abstract Conceptualisation– If you had to do the same thing

again, how would you do it differently next time? Would you change anything?

• Active Experimentation– How did it go the next time?

ReflectiveObservation

Abstract Conceptualisation

ConcreteExperience

ActiveExperimentation


Experiential Learning

• Work experience involves experiential and reflective learning (ASET: 2005)

• Experience plus reflection equals learning (Dewey: 1938)

“Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand”. (Confucius 450 BC)


Benefits of Work Placement

• The three main stakeholders in the higher education system – students, employers and higher education institutions – benefit in a number of ways through being part of a well structured work experience process.


Benefits for Students

• Increased motivation towards studies• Improved time management• Gaining a ‘foot in the door’• Job application skills• Self presentation skills• Concrete work experience on the CV• Learning about the workplace in a ‘safe’ environment• Enabling a more informed career choice to be made on graduation• Developing personal maturity

(A guide to Higher Education Institutions on arranging placements and a compendium of current best practice in the UK: The National Council for Work Experience)


Benefits for Employers• Gaining an intelligent, motivated, cost-effective labour resource with valuable

skills, knowledge and fresh ideas• Skilled assistance at peak times of the year, when permanent staff are on

holiday• Projects undertaken that would otherwise take valuable time from full time

employees• Fostering closer links between the university and organisation, providing an

increased awareness of current academic developments and research• Opportunity to assess students’ potential for future employment• Recruitment and training costs are cut through employing placement students

when they graduate• Employers gain favourable publicity as a result of placements and sponsorship

arrangements with the academic community



Benefits for Higher Education Institutions

• Contacts with employers are useful in developing collaborative income from research projects, custom-built training courses and consultancy

• Close contact with employers help academics to keep up to date with new technologies and work practices. This can be used to review and refresh the curriculum and bring it in line with the needs of the economy and student demand.

• Work placements can complement and enhance the academic programme carried out at the university

• Work placements helps future student recruitment, as students now seek out work experience opportunities when applying to higher education institutions.



BSc Government Work Placement Programme

• Approximately 55 students annually• Local, national and international• Public Sector/Political• Paid and Unpaid• Emphasis on research learning,

administrative experience and work place skills


Course Design

• Three Stage Process– Preparation– Placement– Post-Placement

• Hybrid structure of teaching & learning and management concerns


1st Stage Preparation

• Three years• Careers Education Programme• Work Placement Management• Work Placement Classes

– Designed to optimise student learning– Energetic– Must attend 80% of classes


Work Placement Classes• Goal setting for placement• Learning objectives • Learning to learn from the experience• Learning from doing and observation • Reflective thinking and practice• CV preparation and feedback• Interview skills • Transferable skills

– Presentation– Interpersonal – Communication– Problem-solving– Teamwork

• Placement Forum (post-placement students share their experiences)• Industry Speaker(s) (placement employers provide advice on the ‘dos and don’ts’ of work placement• Workplace culture

– Communication Skills for the workplace• Cultural awareness and sensitivity • Personal development and life coaching• Personal wellbeing and safety • Legal and statutory requirements• Health and safety on work placement• Academic requirements of work placement.


2nd Stage PlacementA flavour of the projects assigned to students:-

• DNA Sampling and Profiling – Parliamentary Committee• Environmental Taxes – Civil Service Department• Constituency Profiling – Politician• Immigration Policy – Government Agency• Staff sick leave and development of policy – Government Agency• Security Agenda – International Relations Think Tank• Prisoner Rights, Health and Wellbeing – Government Agency• Monitoring aspects of new public management – Civil Service

Department• Economic Forecasting – International Economic Think Tank.


2nd Stage Placement• Ailled Irish Bank• Albany Law School, Albany, New York• Arklife Insurance Company• Australian House of Representatives, Canberra,

Australia• Bank of Ireland• Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Ltd;• Scottish Parliament• Boston Scientific Medical Devices• European Parliament• British America Security Information Council,

London• Canada/Ireland Alliance• Canterbury Development Corporation, New

Zealand• Central Elections Commission, Donetsk, Ukraine• Chief State Solicitor’s Office• Civil Service and Local Appointments

Commission, Dublin• Clare FM, Ennis, Co. Clare• CNN• Consulate General of Ireland, San Francisco• Cork City Council

• General Council of County Councils, Dublin• Gernika GoGoratuz Peace Research Centre• Health Service Executive• Institute of Peace and Justice, University of San

Diego, California• Irish Business Bureau, Brussels• Irish Embassy, London• Irish Embassy, Warsaw, Poland• Irish Examiner• Irish Immigration Centre, Boston• Irish Water Safety, Galway• World Vision• Land Registry, Waterford• Limelight Communications, (PR Company) Dublin• Local Government Management Services Board• Marloboro Trust Ltd.• Massachusetts State Governor, Boston• Massachusetts State House of Representatives• National Assembly of Wales• New York State Legislature• Enterprise Boards• OECD


2nd Stage Placement• Paperwork

– Placement Contract– Student Performance Appraisal

• attendance, dependability, punctuality, job knowledge, quality of work, quantity of work, versatility, initiative, application, cooperation, attitude and independent judgement

• 3-Way Meeting• Assessment

– Learning Journal– Self-Assessment Essay

• Constant contact with students and employers


3rd Stage Post-Placement

• Completion of coursework• 15-minute presentation• De-brief

– ‘The good, the bad and the ugly!’• Continuation of careers education

programme


Evaluation

• Student views on work placement classes– Better equipped to deal with various work place

scenarios – Section on reflection and self-assessment very useful

when compiling their learning journals – Able to negotiate personal learning outcomes and feel

confident enough to express misgivings about work placement if the negotiated outcomes are not allowed to develop.


Evaluation

• Student views on work placement– 85% of cases, student work placement expectations are

met and/or surpassed– Genuinely surprised and delighted at the level of work

assigned and the responsibility involved – See the relevance of their degree to the work

environment• a renewed sense of excitement about the study of politics on

their return to university!– An opportunity to network with people who can advise

on how to achieve career goals and ambitions


Evaluation

• Employer views on students– Feedback is very positive.

• Research and writing abilities• Maturity and confidence in handling various work

situations• Excellent interpersonal skills• Focused career plans• Reliable nature


Evaluation

• Employer views on work placement process– Employers are greatly impressed by the breadth of

student preparation, students’ knowledge of their subject area and students’ poise and self assurance.

– The dedicated careers education programme and student support offered by the Department contributes to students’ self-confidence and positive attitude about their degree and employment prospects.

– Work placement management structure• very supportive, proactive, dedicated and accommodating.


Work placement and post-degree employability

• Work Experience Recruitment Survey,2004: The University of Manchester and UMIST Careers Service

– Work experience has recently enjoyed a rapid increase in popularity amongst graduate recruiters

– Studies show that the most common purpose behind offering work placements is recruitment of students into permanent roles once they graduate

– Work placement is fast becoming the main strategy used by organisations to recruit graduates, replacing traditional methods such as the ‘milkround’


What do BSc Government graduates do?

• 38% - public sector (civil service, local government, government agencies, health executives, parliamentary assistants, education)

• 53% - private sector (banking, insurance, accountancy, consultancy, IT, public relations, sales, marketing, hotel management, human resource management, law)

• 3% in media (print and broadcast media)• 6% - ‘third sector’ (advocacy groups, think-tanks,

non-government and non-profit organisations)


So, what of the impact of work placement on post-

degree employment prospects? • 15.5% of all those Government students who secure

employment on graduation return to their work placement employment.

• Comparing BSc Government graduate destination reports from 2004 to 2006 against that of a similar social science degree in UCC where work placement is not available– observe slightly higher employment rates amongst the

Government graduates • When asked if they find the work placement programme

useful in securing employment, a majority of students agreed that it is– Careers Education Programme


BSc Government FDR (2004 – 2006)

BSc Government FDR 2004 - 2006

Further Study, 55%

Not Available for Work, 7%

Unemployed, 3%

Employed, 35%Employment

Further Study

Not Available for WorkUnemployed


BA (Joint Honours) FDR (2004 – 2006)

BA (Joint Honours) FDR 2004 - 2006

Employed, 30%

Further Study, 60%

Not Available for Work, 7%

Unemployed, 3%

Employed

Further Study

Not Available for Work

Unemployed


Institutional Benefits• Allows the department to keep abreast of

emerging employment trends. • Exposure of the degree programme amongst

employers– Important, relatively new degree

• Employers has resulted in changes on structure of degree programme– Research Methodology– Business Communication & Writing Skills– Business Information Systems.


Useful Work Experience Websites/Organisations

• www.asetonline.org• www.learningfromexperience.com• http://reviewing.co.uk/research/learning.cycles.htm• http://reviewing.co.uk/research/experiential.learning.htm• www.ltsneng.ac.uk/er/theory/learning.asp• http://www.work-experience.org• http://prospectus.ac.uk• http://www.internjobs.com• http://www.aiesec.org • http://www.iaeste.org• LEONARDO Programme• European Association for International Education (EAIE)

– Stage, Work Internships Networking Group (SWING)

http://www.asetonline.org/

http://www.learningfromexperience.com/

http://reviewing.co.uk/research/learning.cycles.htm

http://reviewing.co.uk/research/experiential.learning.htm

http://www.ltsneng.ac.uk/er/theory/learning.asp

http://www.work-experience.org/

http://prospectus.ac.uk/

http://prospectus.ac.uk/

http://www.internjobs.com/

http://www.internjobs.com/

http://www.aiesec.org/

http://www.aiesec.org/

http://www.iaeste.org/

fiona buckley, department of government, university college cork, ireland. [email protected]

Documents

placement learning

professional experience

higher education institutions

social science

bsc government degree

university fanthome

careers education programme

reflective learning