Hughes, HPN orcid.org/0000-0001-8454-8206, Mouratidou, M and Donald, WE (2023) Exploring the impact of an industrial placement year on students’ competency development: A three-cohort, longitudinal study. Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning. ISSN 2042-3896
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on human capital theory and sustainable career theory, this paper aims to explore the impact of undertaking an industrial placement on the “Great Eight” competencies as perceived by university students and line managers.
Design/methodology/approach
618 students and their line managers across three cohorts (pre-COVID-19) took part in a longitudinal quantitative study. Students completed a three-wave questionnaire at the placement's start, middle, and end. Line managers completed the questionnaire during waves two and three to offer 360-degree feedback. Descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA were applied to the dataset.
Findings
The impacts of undertaking a placement were highly variable for different competencies at the sub-scale level, although at the eight-scale level, the nuance was less pronounced. However, students self-perceived that all eight competencies increased between the start and end of the placement. Surprisingly, line managers perceived students' competencies to be higher than perceived by the students.
Originality/value
The value of undertaking a placement is often poorly measured (e.g. satisfaction) rather than competency-based outcomes, which can lead to conclusions that are overly simplistic and difficult to use in practice. Theoretically, this study advances understanding of human capital theory and sustainable career theory by understanding the role placements can play in developing human capital and preparing university students for sustainable careers. Practically, the findings of this study can help to close the university–industry skills gap by informing curriculum and placement scheme design and supporting students to acquire personal resources and signal these to prospective employers as an antecedent to career sustainability.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited. This author accepted manuscript is provided for your own personal use only. It may not be used for resale, reprinting, systematic distribution, emailing, or for any other commercial purpose without the permission of the publisher. |
Keywords: | Competencies; placement; sustainable careers; human capital; employers |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Management Division (LUBS) (Leeds) > Management Division Organizational Behaviour (LUBS) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 04 May 2023 10:31 |
Last Modified: | 19 Jul 2023 10:15 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Emerald |
Identification Number: | 10.1108/HESWBL-02-2023-0044 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:198886 |