A research presentation describing a research project exploring learner experiences on work placements for learners aged 16-19, focussing on understanding students' experiences of the workplace and the expectations they had of work experience.
The research focused on the expectations of learners of their work placements, covering the benefits they were expecting and those they experienced, as well as what generally makes work placements successful and beneficial to learners. These success criteria are presented as nine elements based on a literature review and analysis of learner expectations. The researchers used a survey, administered before the placements and again afterwards, to assess the placements' successes against these criteria.
The research discovered that the success of a placement was often dependent on the type of placement and the students participating in them, with no particular trends between these categories. Overall, work placements increased student confidence and employability, and increased student satisfaction in cases where colleges and employers actively communicated about a placement. Some students (~32%) were offered ongoing experience or voluntary work as a result of sourcing their own external work experience. The data was gathered through interviews/surveys and before/after assessments.
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