Surprise and sense making: undergraduate placement experiences in SMEs

Abstract

Purpose -This paper seeks to explore undergraduate placement experiences in tourism and hospitality SMEs, focusing on the notions of surprise and sense making. It aims to argue that surprises and sense making are important elements not only of the adjustment process when entering new work environments, but also of the learning experience that placements provide. Design/methodology/approach -In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 students who had recently completed a 48 week placement. Findings -The paper finds that the surprises students encountered were not as dramatic as the literature on organisational entry suggests. This is partially explained by students already having gained substantial amounts of work experience prior to the placement. A number of SME-characteristic employment experiences were confirmed while others were questioned. Research limitations/implications -Further detailed research is required that takes a more holistic account of the placement experience in order to understand more fully the impact of placement on learning and career choices. Practical implications -The paper raises important questions about the value of undergraduate placements in an age of mass higher education where many students work part-time. Originality/value -An apparent lack of reflection hindered the sense making process, which raises questions as to whether placements are achieving their potential for experiential learning.

Making career decisions in a changing graduate labour market: A Hospitality perspective

“…jobs that were previously typically not held by graduates are now increasingly being filled by graduates (Connor and Shaw, 2008;Walmsley, Thomas and Jameson, 2006). The 'graduatisation' of jobs is what DeFillippi and Arthur (1996) explain as the phenomenon where graduates find employment in areas where financial rewards and qualifications are often to be less than expected.…”

Preparing sports graduates for employment: satisfying employers expectations

“…Matlay (2006) suggests that subject-specific research is required on employability and enterprise as much of the existing literature is commonly generic and it would seem there is a paucity of scholarship relating to the sports field that is comparable to the extensive literature geared towards alternative disciplines within universities (e.g. Tourism and Leisure; Walmsley, Thomas and Jameson (2006), Architecture; Sara (2006), Engineering;Chua (2014) and Business (Freudenberg, Brimble and Cameron 2011). Mindful of this growth in the sport industry, this paper will set out the sports labour landscape through exploring current literature to show its diverse nature, and then consider the skills required of a sports graduate today, concentrating on organisations involved with the delivery of sport in communities.…”

Work integrated learning benefits for student career prospects - mixed mode analysis

“…Govender and Taylor (2015) and Walmsley, Thomas and Jameson (2006) propose student self-placement, instead of educator, business or government placement of the student, for an effective and efficient WIL model implementation, as well as tremendous benefits for student experiential learning. The emphasis is on selfplacement as it benefits the student in that s/he must think about, plan, and confidently approach an organisation to request, secure, confirm and complete their WIL placement.…”