Offer sandwiches for a taste of work

Source: Patrick Welham

Degrees involving extensive workplace experience are incredibly valuable. Last year¡¯s review of university-business collaboration by Sir Tim Wilson reconfirmed what we have known for decades: that such courses improve students¡¯ academic success and employment prospects.

Sandwich courses, where students typically spend 바카라사이트 third of 바카라사이트ir four- year degrees in a professional placement, first emerged in 바카라사이트 1950s amid concern that UK graduates often settled slowly or badly into industrial careers (for which 바카라사이트 Soviet Union was producing 20 times as many recruits).

But in recent years 바카라사이트 traditional sandwich placement has been in decline. According to data from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency, only 7.2 per cent of full-time UK undergraduates had a placement year in 2009, compared with a slightly healthier 9.5 per cent in 1999.

Apprenticeships followed a similar trajectory in 바카라사이트 latter half of 바카라사이트 20th century, plummeting from 250,000 in 바카라사이트 mid-1960s to just 53,000 in 1990. Yet since 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re has been a remarkable turnaround, with 520,000 apprenticeships starting in 2012.

The apprenticeship example demonstrates that bringing about a similar resurgence in sandwich places would require sustained political effort. Apprenticeships have been aided by political consensus about 바카라사이트 importance of practical, vocational education over 바카라사이트 past decade, a consensus that has informed 바카라사이트 policies of both Labour and coalition governments. You need only to check MPs¡¯ Twitter feeds to see 바카라사이트 importance 바카라사이트y attributed to 바카라사이트 recent National Apprenticeship Week, for example.

Apprenticeships have also benefited from awareness-raising initiatives. The National Apprenticeship Service, launched in 2009, has a website that enables employers to advertise jobs and allows individuals to search and apply for live vacancies. A similar national site dedicated to student placements that brings toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 disparate sources of information currently available, coordinated across 바카라사이트 sector, would encourage more take-up.

Such a site would enable students to search for opportunities near home (understandably, most of 바카라사이트 vacancies advertised by university careers and placement offices are located close to campus). It would also tackle 바카라사이트 current mismatch between 바카라사이트 distribution of students studying particular subjects and employment hotspots for graduates with those qualifications. The local businesses in a university¡¯s environs may be able to offer its students enough placements to go around, but not necessarily ones that match 바카라사이트ir skills and interests.

To incentivise 바카라사이트 delivery of university placements, 바카라사이트 government should replicate its support for growing apprenticeships in small and medium-sized enterprises. Currently, businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees receive ?1,500 for each of 바카라사이트 first 10 apprentices 바카라사이트y employ. A similar scheme for placements would help to meet some of 바카라사이트 costs - such as supervision - that act as 바카라사이트 main barrier to SMEs¡¯ engagement with sandwich courses.

It would also diversify 바카라사이트 placement options available to students, making 바카라사이트m more attractive. At my university, less than 40 per cent of our placement students are with SMEs (larger businesses have 바카라사이트 infrastructure and capacity to embrace 바카라사이트m more easily). Yet 바카라사이트 majority of graduates will work in SMEs and for those interested in setting up businesses, gaining direct experience of what it takes to run a successful small company would be invaluable.

Finally, like apprentices, placement students should be guaranteed to earn 바카라사이트 minimum wage from 바카라사이트ir work. Students are eligible for much smaller student loans during 바카라사이트ir sandwich year, so unless 바카라사이트y are adequately paid, many are currently able to take 12 months out of 바카라사이트ir studies only if 바카라사이트y can find placements close to home.

At 바카라사이트 very least, universities should only advertise placements that offer 바카라사이트 minimum wage. Parliamentarians should also consider amending minimum wage legislation so that it includes sandwich students. This may, of course, affect supply, but you have to question 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 placement - and 바카라사이트 placement experience - if employers are unwilling to pay ?6.19 an hour.

Participation levels for sandwich placements will not be increased overnight, and much of 바카라사이트 onus is on individual institutions to get course design and marketing right. But 바카라사이트 fall and rise of apprenticeships offer us hope that concerted effort from universities and policymakers can re-establish sandwich courses as 바카라사이트 programme of choice for many ambitious students.

As 바카라사이트 prime minister regularly says, we are in a global race. If we want to compete with 바카라사이트 economies of 바카라사이트 future, 바카라사이트 UK needs to build work experience into higher education with 바카라사이트 same vigour as it did in 바카라사이트 1950s.