Work placements - fit for purpose or not?

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate work placements and the attitudes associated with the benefits from the three parties involved with the process; the student, educationalist and employer. A further aim is to establish what employability skills the student can obtain from the experience and what motives there are for the employer and educationalist. Design/methodology/ approach - The first group of participants were first and second year students studying hospitality management within Cardiff School of Management aged 18 to 31, whereby 40 questionnaires were distributed. The questionnaires compare the differing opinions of the first and second year students regarding the expectations and understanding of the experience. One-to-one interviews were also carried out with representatives of the hospitality industry and UWIC, expressing the employer and educationalists opinions on the matter. Findings - Although a small study, it is evident that there are consistent similar opinions expressed and identified themes regarding employability skills and benefits of work placements, primarily focussing on employability skills. However, the differing groups signify some small discrepancies regarding influences and expectations of work placements.