This study investigates whether the completion of an optional 'sandwich' work placement enhances graduate starting salaries. We use a variety of multivariate regression techniques to investigate this issue and find that the graduate starting salaries of students who took professional work placements were significantly higher by £1686 ($2105)…

This article explores the concept and measurement of placement value, underexplored in theory and practice to date. The article makes a theoretical contribution to the placement value discourse by examining and articulating the placement value concept. It also offers a practical contribution by exploring a piloted tool to evaluate employer…

Marketing principles and consumerism are evident in higher education with universities central to the development of fit for purpose graduates. Students are increasingly viewed as consumers of university products and expected to manage self-hood and to promote themselves to the marketplace. This article is drawn from research in an ongoing larger…

Recent policies in England have enacted significant changes to careers information advice and guidance (CIAG) and work-related learning (WRL). This paper offers insight into these changes from the perspective of young people studying engineering at University Technical Colleges (UTCs) as well as "comprehensive" schools. Face-to-face CIAG…

Community-based interventions have long been seen as mechanisms via which to target marginalised youth in relation to personal development. Research surrounding such interventions has often highlighted the promotion of a range of pro-social behaviours and attributes which, in turn, facilitate an increased sense of social inclusion. This paper…

At the University of Westminster, the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures has developed a student employability and work-integrated learning project, "Career Management Skills" (CMS), for undergraduate language students. The main objective was to develop a comprehensive employability strategy for all students on all undergraduate…

In the context of higher tuition fees, the Government's employability agenda and growing concern for defined career development strategies among young people, there is a need more effectively for Politics programmes to foster the capacity to communicate politics. Without communicating the implications and relevance of politics the subject and the…

The retention of students presents a challenge to approved education institutions (AEIs) globally. Nursing student attrition is of particular concern owing to the high non-completion rates and financial costs. A survey approach was used in an AEI in the north of England to explore the views of five cohorts of pre-registration student nurses on…

This discussion paper presents the findings of a situational appraisal undertaken by National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) for the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and explores whether and how Traineeships can work for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) within the context of a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)…

Student internships are widely seen as a valuable part of education provision and there is a growing body of research into internship programmes from student, employer and educator perspectives. This paper explores the experiences of a group of information technology interns employed in a small organisation involved in health care business…

In this paper we explore how the "employable" student and "ideal" future creative worker is prefigured, constructed and experienced through higher education work placements in the creative sector, based on a recent small-scale qualitative study. Drawing on interview data with students, staff and employers, we identify the…

This paper discusses the findings from a one-year ethnographic study of young people attending Entry to Employment (E2E) programmes in two local authorities in the north of England. The paper locates E2E within the broader context of provision for low-achieving young people and of UK government policy on reducing the proportion of young people who…

Cooperative-education experiences of 80 Australian, 107 Dutch, 50 English, and 50 Scottish students were compared. Australian students expected higher workplace involvement, greater control, and more work pressure than did Dutch students. The Dutch had lower expectations of the social climate. Scottish students expected more autonomy on the job.…

Background: There is an increase in people with learning disabilities with offending and other disturbed behaviour who are placed in the local community and out of their area of origin. Aims: To compare clients placed locally and out of area. Method: All authorities in an English region were surveyed and interviewed about their clients placed…

The study investigated vocational activities of 274 English young people between the ages of 15 and 21. Two-thirds entered occupational centers for disabled adults; only 5% found a job in open employment. The physically impaired experienced a more difficult transition but the mentally impaired faced a more limited range of vocational choices.…