Workplaces and policy spaces: insights from third sector internships Scotland

Abstract

Purpose -Understanding the relationship between learning and work is a key concern for educational researchers and policy makers at the local, national and international level. The way that learning and the economic environment are framed impacts upon policy and funding decisions and has significant implications for the HE sector. The purpose of this paper is to explore how internships have become a key site in which policy and funding mechanisms seek to address concerns about graduate employability and graduate skills in relation to Scottish national economic plans and perceived business needs. Design/methodology/approach -Drawing from five years data generated from the Third Sector Internships Scotland programme, the authors adopt an approach to the analysis of policy and internship experiences based on a spatial perspective. The authors explore two spatial arenas in play; the conceptual space where discussion and policy making occur and the physical places of education and the workplace where learning takes place. The authors trace shifts in the policy and funding of higher education internship and work placement schemes and consider how these shifts respond to internship experiences of the workplace. Findings -The authors argue that changes within the conceptual and physical spaces intersect and that identifying contrasts and overlaps helps them to focus on particular questions about how internships develop learning for students. Originality/value -Taking the national approach within Scotland as a bounded case offers a unique opportunity to explore the ways in which internships have played an increasingly significant place as a pedagogic device operating at the borderlands between educational organisations and the physical spaces of employment.

Developing WIL curriculum which enhances hospitality students capabilities

“…However, the key challenges to stakeholder engagement identified in “The WIL Report” (Patrick et al , 2008) and documented in the literature over the last decade are still in existence today (Ferns et al , 2016). These include a lack of clarity of industry roles (Pegg and Caddell, 2016); limited understanding of WIL objectives and a lack of training for industry partners to support students (Yiu and Law, 2012); and gaps within resources (Ferns et al , 2016). Additionally, whilst organisations who participate in WIL need to be capable of supporting learner-managed reflective learning, a lack of supervision or mentorship during industry placements exists (Lester and Costley, 2010).…”

Positioning health professional identity: on-campus training and work-based learning

“…Literature shows that WBL can contribute to closing the gaps between students' knowledge, their use of practical skills and competences, and their employability (Feldmann, 2016;Edwards, 2014;Norman and Jerrard, 2014;Raelin, 2011). Internship is probably one of the most common WBL models used in higher education, playing an increasingly significant role as a pedagogic device (Pegg and Caddell, 2015). In Feldmann's (2016) literature review, she grounded WBL in experiential and situated learning theories, clustering the beneficial effects of internships (knowledge creation, improvements in skills, and transfer) and calling for further research.…”