Precariouspathwaysfromeduca3ontoemploymentforyoungpeople

Youngpeople’spathwaysintoemploymentintheMidlandsduringpreviousrecessionsintheMidlandsinthe1930sand1980s?

Project1

Pathwaysintoemploymentforschoolandcollegeleavers

Project2

Graduatepathwaysintoemployment

Project3

Project4

Employers’perspec3vesontherecruitmentofnewlabourmarketentrants

Coordina2onoffindingsfromalltheprojects:Theroleofnon-standardemployment,workexperience,

unpaidworkandinternshipsinthetransi3onfromeduca3ontoemploymentintheMidlands(andlessons

fromthepast)

Year1

Year2

Year3

Precariouspathwaysfromeduca2ontoemploymentforyoungpeople

Transi3onsfromeduca3ontoemploymentinpreviousrecessions.

Lessonsaboutpolicyandprac3cefromthe1930sand1980s?

Delivering youth employment services- the evolving role of the

voluntary sector (VS) (Project 1)

Sharon Chohan, PhD candidate, IER

•  IntroductionThis presentation will consider how changes in public sector funding and management have influenced the efficiency and effectiveness of policy delivery and the accountability of voluntary sector organisations

HistoricalPerspec3ve

1980s–Revolu3oningovernance;

rethinkingofefficiencyandeffec3veness

*Changesinpublicsectorfundingandmanagement*ShiXfromstate-agencyprovisiontocontractedpublicservices

TheVS'roleasefficientprovidersassessedinthecontextof:

PublicChoiceTheory,NeoLiberalismandNewPublicManagement

Subcontractors-Background

RiseoftheVoluntarySector TheVShasevolvedconsiderablyinrecentyears.Itnowcons3tutesbigbusinessandhasextensiveresponsibili3esfordeliveringmajorwelfareservices 'Ata3mewhenmanypublicsectororganisa3onsareperceivedtobeinadequateatdealingefficientlywiththesocialproblemsoftoday,thevoluntarysectoritselfhasthepoten3altoplayanexpandedrole'(Hudson2005:13)

Research Strategy - Case Study

Adopting a case study approach: a registered charity in Coventry. Established in late 1970s. Last year supported 180 young people through employability programmes such as: Ø  Evolution 3 (16-18 years old) ESF Funded Ø  Talent Match (16-24 years old) Big Lottery Funded Ø  Coventry BootCamp (16-18 years old) DWP Funded Ø  The Whole Shabang (16-25 years old) Big Lottery Funded Ø  Jumpstart (16-29 years old) ESF Funded (Ambition Coventry)

ResearchQues3ons

1) Whatmo*vatestheVStobecomeinvolvedinyouthunemploymentinterven*ons?

Exis3ngliteratureontheVScentresonitsethicalpremise,highligh3ngthatthesectorcomprises‘valuedrivenorganisa2ons’(Murray1997)

2) How has their role and involvement changed since the 1980s?

“Over the years we have had to position ourselves

adapting to policy changes and strike the balance between generating income to deliver projects but equally staying true to our mission statement which is supporting young people in a flexible way to meets their needs. Our role and involvement has become bigger both in scale and income”

(CEO quote)

3) How are VS organisations accountable for their work and to whom, and what are the impacts on efficiency and effectiveness in policy delivery?

“Accountability should push us to be more efficient and

effective. However in practice this is not always the case. There are situations where conflict arises i.e. commissioners and the way they commission services.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach in the work we do. Our

young people often have very chaotic and complex needs. We need flexibility to best support the vulnerable young people we work with. Some funds are too bureaucratic which is why we often face difficult choices in deciding which funding to pursue”

(Project Director quote )

Ambition Coventry

•  The project is aiming to work with over 2400 young people - Case study organisation target 350 young people.

•  Multiple Delivery Partners including: Coventry City Council - Employment Team; Shared Apprenticeship

Scheme; Adult Education Service; Intensive Families Support Team; City College; Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training, Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust Coventry and Rugby IAPT; CSW Sport; Dame Kelly Homes Trust; Henley College Coventry; Highlife Centre; Orbit Heart of England; Positive Youth Foundation; Princes Trust; Prospects; Radio Plus; SCCU Ltd; Valley House; Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action and WM Housing

•  Interesting contemporary example of layers of subcontracting - who

is accountable to whom and for what? Subcontracting in tiers.

Issuesfordiscussion

•  How the VS has transformed over time? •  Can the contemporary VS be more

‘efficient’ than was the case in the past? •  What does being ‘business-like’ mean in

real terms for the VS and for people who work in it?

Ques3onsandcontactdetails:

SharonChohanDoctoralResearcher

sharonjit.chohan@warwick.ac.uk

www.warwick.ac.uk/paths2work

Project2:‘AndClick.That’sAllIDo’:YoungPeople’sUsesofTemporaryWorkAgencies

intheTransi3onto(Precarious)WorkPhilMizen,

GabyAjieldandArleneRobertson

WhyFocusOnEmploymentAgencies•  Longtermincreaseinagency

working•  LabourForceSurvey(winter

2012)–320,000agencyworkersor1.27%oftheworkforce

•  1.15magencyworkers‘onanygivenday’(WEF/CIETT2015)

•  Panernsofemployment(WEF/CIETT)–  51%<3months–  Female(55%/45%)–  Service(52%)andmanufacturing

(36%)–  ¾mediumorlowskillassignments

Agency

EmployerWorker

ResearchSuggestsThat•  Agency–Employer

–  ‘acomplexanddynamic’(Purcelletal2004)rela3on

–  Short-termcover–  Seasonalfluctua3ons–  Controloflabourcostsandflexibility

–  Recruitmentandselec3on–  Staffplanning–  Day-to-daymanagementoftemps

•  Employer–Worker–  ‘Warmbodies’(Parker1994)forsemi/unskilledassignments

–  Lowwages,fewerbenefits–  Insecure,unpredictablework

–  Underemployment(Knox2010)

–  Largely‘involuntary’–  Tensionsbetweenpermsandtemps

ResearchSuggestsThat

•  Agency–worker–  Importantfor‘peripheral’workers(Gray2004)– Agenciesareenablingi.e.opendoorsotherwiseclosedforsome

– Assignmentsas‘steppingstones’forhumancapital–  Sourceofemployabilityandworkexperience(Gray2004)

–  Changing’workerpreferences’(Friedman2014)–  Createsurplus‘onthebooks’workers(Forde2001)–  Fewworkersexperiencecon3nuityinassignments

WhyFocusonYoungPeople’sUsesandExperiencesofEmployment

Agencies•  An‘intenserela3onship’(Nunez2014)•  Studentsandyoungworkers(ILO2010;CIETT2015)

•  Tempsyoungerthanperms(Morris&Vekker2001)

•  Youngworkers•  ’Prefer’toescape‘tradi3onal’employment(Friedman2014)•  Areunwillingtoinvestintheirhumancapital•  Wanttocombinehumancapitalandworkexperience(i.e.earningandlearning)

•  Havelinlechoice/alterna3ve(Standing2011)

Methodology

•  10focusgroupswithyoungpeopleinBirmingham(3),Coventry(4)andLeicester(3)ð 84par3cipants

•  100semi-structuredinterviewsð Consis3ngofapproximately70‘firstround’interviewsand30‘follow-up’interviews,approximately6monthsaXerthefirstinterview.

Sample

•  Currentac3vity– Approximatelyaquarterwereinemployment,whileasimilarpropor3onwereunemployedandlookingforwork,ineduca3onortrainingandonappren3ceships

–  Catering,hotel,restaurants,fasjood,clubsandbars,cleaning(commercialanddomes3c)

–  Shopwork,selling,door-to-door– Warehouseanddistribu3on,labouring/construc3on,industrial/factory,security

– NHS(cleaning,catering),socialcare(childrenandtheelderly)

BenefitsofemploymentthroughTWAs

•  Accessibility•  Immediacy•  Flexibility•  Progression•  Lackofotherop3ons

Accessibility•  Therearealotofagencies,anditiseasytosignupwiththem(especiallyonlineagenciesthatallowapplica3onsformul3plejobswithasingleregistra3on/CV)

IcouldsayI’veused,likeallofthem.I’vegotanaccountwiththemall(Ella,18,Leicester)

I’vejustgotaniPad,soIgetmyiPad,typeinGoogle:‘JobsinCoventry’.LotsofpagescomeuplikeGumtree,you’vegotIndeed,you’vegotReedcomesupandloadsofjobsites.MyfavouriteoneisIndeedcauseit’ssoeasytouse(Sophie,18,Coventry)

Immediacy

•  Gapbetweensigning-upandstar3ngworkcanbeshort

Iwentintofillinsomepaperworkandgavethemmynumberandoccasionally,everyweek,theywouldcallme,notoccasionally,everyweekIthink,theywouldcallmeonaFriday,andaskmeifI’dwanttoworkontheSaturdayorSundayatweekend,soyeah,I’dsayyeah.I’dtellthemyeah,Iwanttowork(Aqeel,18,Leicester)

Flexibility•  FixngaroundothercommitmentsIhaveWednesdaysalwaysfree,Ihavethewholeweekend,FridayI’mfreesoit’sbasically,FridayIfinish[classes]at10inthemorning,soifIgetajobfromFridayintheaNernoonthenplustheweekendsorWednesday(Maarif,18,Birmingham)

•  Givingchoice,decliningundesirablejobs•  Temporaryworktomeettemporaryneedunrelatedtocareerambi3ons

ThereisadifferencebetweenbeingashopworkerandarecepQonist(Evelyn,19,Coventry)

Agencyworkasasteppingstone•  Sourceof(paid)workexperienceI’veupdatedmyCV,soI’vegotexperienceontherenow,becauseofmywaitressingandagency[work],sohopefullyI’llfindsomethingbecauseIhaveexperience.(Bless,18,Birmingham)

•  Accesstointernallabourmarkets(NHS,localauthori3es,largeprivatesectororganisa3ons)or‘temp-to-perm’possibili3es

WhenIstarteddoingcareworkthemanagerwantedmetobecomepermanent,butthatwasn’tthethingforme,Ididn’twanttodocarework”.(Evelyn,19,Coventry)

Lackofotherop3ons….there’ssoliZleoutthere,andit’stryingtopickthroughthehaystacktofindthatneedle,likethatisliterallywhatitis.SoitreallyissohardtofindajobandwheretheexpectaQonsaresohigh,itgetstothepointwheretheyexpecttoomuchofyou,youknow,theydon’thelpyou,theyexpectyoutodoit,theydon’thelpyoutofindwork,thejobcentre(Danielle,21,Coventry)It’snotnice,it’sneverisnice,justfeelworthless,likebecausethere’snojobs,there’snojobsinCoventryreallyandit’shardtogetajob(Simon,22,Coventry)

Whobenefitsfromagencywork?

•  Generallymoreeducated/literate•  Youngpeoplewhocanbeflexible,par3cularlythosewithothermeansofsupport

“Ifyouneedmoneyquickly,andthey’vegotashiNthereforyou,that’sfiNyquidthereforyou,butifit’snotworthyourwhilethere’snotmuchpointindoingitreally.Saysomeonewholivesathomewiththeirparents,it’sgoodforthembecausethenthey’remakingmoneyandtheypaytheirparentsabitofrent,buttheywon’tbehavingtogooutandpay£150rentorsomethinglikethat,especiallyifthey’veonlymade£50”(Kyle,20,Coventry)

•  Strategistswithclearambi3ons

Limita3onsintermsofTWAsfacilita3ngaccesstojobsandmeaningfulworkexperienceforyoungworkers

•  Iden2fica2onofjobopportuni2es:TWAprac3cesviewedasahindrancetothejobsearchprocess

•  Accesstoopportun2es:Limitstotheopportuni3esonoffer,whilelong-standingbarrierstolabourmarketentryarereproduced

•  Maintainingemployment:Difficul3esduetothenatureandcharacteris3csofagencyworking

SomeTWAprac3cesnotconducivetotheiden3fica3onofviableemploymentopportuni3esBecauseyouareapplyingonsiteslike(onlinerecruitmentsite)andstufflikethat,itsmostlyagenciesyouareapplyingfor,soyeah,theyarecallingyouandtheyaresayingcomeregisterwiththeagency….sowegodown,takeallourIDandstuffandthey’relike,ifanythingcomesup,we’llletyouknowandIkindofthink‘wellyou’vecalledmebecauseI’mapplyingforajob,andsuddenlythatjob’snotavailable’……soit’sjustalotofgoingandregisteringbutgebngnothing,soit’sreallyhard.(Danielle,21,Coventry)“Mostofthemhavethesamejobsonthere,that’swhatI’venoQced.Likethesamejobwillcomefiveorsix[Qmes].Igetlikefiveemailsaboutthesamejob”(Chloe,17,Leicester)

Reinforcingbarriersfacedbyyounglabourmarketentrants:

IpresentedmyCV,presentedmypassport,andthenwhenIshowedthemmypassporttheyrealisedoh,you’re17,youcan’tdothisjob….eventheguyinfrontofme,Ithinkhegotturnedawayforsomereasonaswell,hehadallthatsortofcollegeexperiencebutheneverhadanyreallifeexperience,whatIcallreallifeexperienceofactuallyworking…….you’restuckinthatposiQonwhereyouhavetofindajob,andalotoftheQmethosecollegegradesdon’tmakeadifference.

(Sahib,18,Leicester)

Difficul3esmaintainingemploymentduetothenatureandcharacteris3csofagencyworking:

•  Workersubs3tu3oninordertocircumventequaltreatmentprovisionswhichtakeeffectfollowingthe12-weekqualifyingperiod

Assoonasourwageisgonnagofrom£6.31tolikenine,tenpound(aNer3months),theystopphoningus…..thentheyjustfindanothercoupleofTom,DickandHarrys,yeah,whoarehungryforajob’.

(Habib,19,Leicester)

Iwaswiththereforsixmonths,itwasn’ttheagencythatgotridofmeanyway,itwastheactualcompany.Iwasactuallydoingquitegoodforawhileandthen,IwasgebngalotofpraisesayingIwasbeingnoQced,andthenonedaytheyfiredmeforsomething,likeIgotthewrongpalletorsomething,andtestedthewrongSkyboxeswhichwasamistake……youhaven’tgotreallyanythingtostandon,yougotnorightsoranythingthisdayandage……that’sIwentunemployedforalongQmeandjustpreZymuchhitaslump.(Jason,24,Coventry)

Thecharacteris3csofsomeformsofagencyworking(e.g.zerohours)leavesyoungworkerswithlinlechoiceotherthantowithdrawfromtheemploymentrela2onship:

WhenIwasonthezerohourscontractwiththetraintracksitwasveryfrustraQngbecause,itclassesyouashavingajobbutyou’reonazerohourscontract.TheJobCentredon’treallyofferyoumuchthey’llsay‘ohyoucan’tsignonbecauseyouknow,youareanagencyworker’,butatthesameQmeyoufindyourself,there’snotmanyshiNsabout,sothen,you’refindingyourselfinaloopofgoingbacktothemandthentryingtogetyourclaimresortedout,andthenbytheQmethat’ssortedout,yougetashiN,andthenyougetsancQoned,andit’slikearepeaQngprocess.(Teddy,23,Birmingham)

Concludingcomments•  Extensiveandrou3neuseofTWAsbyyoungpeoplelookingforwork

•  Quickandeasysourcesofpaidwork•  Asameansofselec3ngbetweendifferenttypesofworkopportuni3es

•  Forinstrumentalpurposes–experience,accesstoemployersorinternallabourmarkets

•  Toaccommodateothercommitments–study,leisure,family•  TosiXoutunwanted/undesirableemployment

•  Prac3cesofTWAsnotalwaysconducivetotheiden3fica3onofviableemploymentopportuni3es

•  Reproduceexis3ngbarriers–e.g.age,lackofworkexperience,skills/qualifica3ons

•  Difficul3esmaintainingemploymentduetothecharacteris3csofagencyworking

•  Notconcernedwithneedsofyoungworkers

KatePurcellandGabyAjield(InsQtuteforEmploymentResearch),CharoulaTzanakou(DepartmentofPoliQcsandInternaQonalStudies),

UniversityofWarwick

Project3:

Thevalueofdifferentformsofworkexperienceinbuildingagraduatecareer

PeopleManagement,November2016,p.6.

Graduatelabourmarketcontext

•  Expansionofhighereduca3onintheUK-2008/9recession–increaseingraduateunderemploymentalongsideskillsshortagesinkeyareas.

•  ChangesinHEfunding;increasinglevelsofgraduatedebt.•  Increasingconcernamongallstakeholdersaboutthecosts

andbenefitsofHE.

•  Economicrestructuring,technologicalchangeandthefragmenta3onofjobs.

•  Globaleconomicrestructuringofservicesaswellasmanufacturingandincreasinglyinterna3onalgraduatelabourmarket.AndimpactofBREXIT??

•  Increasingrequirementofstudentsandgraduatestoacquireanddemonstrate‘employabilityskills.’

Researchques3onsinrela3ontostudentandgraduateworkexperience

•  WheredoesworkexperiencebeforeandaXergradua3onfitintocareerdevelopment?

•  Sta3s3calissue–therearenosta3s3cs!

•  Lackofreliabledata–Howextensiveisincidence?Whodoeswhat?Forhowlong?Whereandwhen?Paidorunpaid?Whatcounts?

•  Ethicalissues–Whenareinternships/unpaidwork/workexperienceplacementsagoodthingorabadthing?Whatarethecostsandbenefitstoindividuals,employersandsociety?

Students’workexperienceandreasonsforundertakingworkexperienceduringtheircourses

Source:FuturetrackStage4,allUKdomiciledgraduates(weighted)whohaveanundergraduatedegreeandarenolongerinfull3mestudyonly.

Whichstudentsworkedtogaincareer-relatedexperience?

Sandwichplacements:Engineers,BusinessandAdmin,Languages,Crea3veArtsanddesign;MediumandHighTariffHEIsandSpecialistHEIsShorterstructuredplacementsaspartofcourse:Medicsandallied,Educa3on,MassCommunica3on,SocialStudies,notHighestorhigh-tariffunisPaidworktogaincareer-relatedexperience:Engineers,BusinessandAdmin,Languages,Crea3veArtanddesign;SpecialistHEI,HighesttariffHEIVaca3oninternship:Engineering,Law,SocialStudies,SpecialistHEIUnpaidworktogaincareer-relatedexperience:Law,Crea3veart&design,MassCommunica3on,Linguis3cs&Classics,Educa3on:SpecialistandHighestTariffHEI.InunpaidinternshipaXergradua3on:Architecture,Law,aspiringMediaentrants,Medium,HighandHighestTariffHEIs.

Howdidthestudentsaccessworkexperience..?

•  Viauniversityordepartmentconnec3ons(includingCareersAdvisoryServices)

•  Some(e.g.summerplacements)hadbeencompe33velyadver3sedbyorganisa3ons.

•  Proac3vely,byapproachingpoten3alorganisa3onsandaskingtobetakenon.

•  Byaccessingmentorsorviapersonalnetworksthroughwhominformalarrangementscouldbemade

•  OXen,bydrawingonmorethanoneoftheseapproaches.•  Byobtainingtemporaryworkthroughagenciesordirectly.

POINTSTHATEMERGE:InformalnetworksareVERYimportant,proac2vityandpersistenceareVERYimportant,HAVINGFINANCIALSUPPORTTHATFACILITATESUNPAIDWORKINGISESSENTIALINMANYSECTORS…andsomeHEIshavebeWerlinkswithpoten3alprovidersofbothpaidandunpaidopportuni3esthanothers.

•  Sandwichplacements

•  Voluntarywork•  TemporaryAgencywork

•  Internships:paidandunpaid•  Non-graduatepaidwork

MaintypesofworkexperienceduringandaXerHE

SandwichPlacements

Themostfrequenttypeofworkexperiencethatleddirectlyintocareer-relatedemployment,mostfrequentlyavailabletostudentsonvoca3onalundergraduatecourses.

[Asandwichyear]wascompulsoryandprenymuchallofmyfriendsallwentoffandgotverygoodjobswithinsixmonthstoayearandwe’vealldoneverywellsince.Evenpeoplewho,howdoIputthis,whoIdidcourseworkwithanddidn’treallyrate,let’ssaythat,whoIseeonLinkedInorFacebook,manyofthemhavegotfairlygoodjobsorgotreasonablejobsanyway,offthebat,soyeah,soIthinkitwasareallysuccessfulstrategyintermsof,itwasoneofthereasonsthatdrewmeto[university]tobehonest.Male,BusinessandManagement.Industrialplacementyearatatechnologycompany.NowworkinginHE.ItwasprobablyIwasthecheapop3onintermsofpayingaconsultancytodothejobandpayaplacementstudent,butyouknow,itul2matelygavemetheopportunitytoworkfor12monthsinarelevantareawithenoughsupportsoIdidn’tfeellostandhelpless.[...]Ul3matelyithelpsas‘valueadd’[comparedto]workingatTescoonthecheckoutsorsortofpart-3meuniversitywork,ifyou’vegotayearofdirectlyrelevantstuff,it’smucheasiertotalkatjobinterviewsaboutwhatyou’vedoneandhowrelevantitis.Male,Design.SandwichyearatacompanyintheautomoQvesector.NowworkingatadifferentcompanyintheautomoQvesector.

Voluntarywork

Usuallyduringundergraduatestudy.Unlikelytoleaddirectlytoemployment,withthehos3ngorganisa3on.Generallynotdirectlycareer-related,butprovidedexperienceandtransferableskillsthatwereusefulwhenseekingfurtherworkplacementexperiencesandpost-gradua3onemployment.

Thereisaselfishelementtothatbecauseitwasgoingtohelpmycareer,butalsoI’vealwayswantedacareerthat’shelpingotherpeoplesoindirectlyIknewthatitwasgoingtohelpmeachievethatinthefuturehopefully,whichithas.Nobody’severaskedmewhatIgotinmydegree.Actually,no,that’snottrue,mysecond,whenIwasrunningthe[...]programmes,itwasaprerequisiteforthejobthatyouhada2:1orrelevantequivalentexperience[...]Andtheydidsaytomeinmyinterview,‘well,youdidn’tgeta2:1whyshouldwehireyou?’butIwasabletosay‘yeah,okay,thisiswhyIgot,thisiswhyIonlygota2:2,Igotallthisexperience’,sothatwas,yeah,that’swhyIgotthejobintheend.Female,BiologicalSciences.VolunteeratayouthorganisaQon.Nowworkingineventsmanagement

TemporaryAgencywork

Directprogressionthrough‘temptoperm’roles.Comparedtonon-graduates,morelikelytobefocusedonaccesstoapar3cularcareerandgainingexperiencetofacilitatethis.Graduatesreceivedmoresupportforiden3fyingopportuni3esthatwerespecificallymatchedtotheirskillsandcareeraspira3ons.

Male,SportsScience.Nowworkingasateacher.[Theagency]rangmeandsaid‘Someone’soffsick,canyoucomeinandcoverthemuptohalfterm?’,sosixweeks,theysaid‘Areyoudoinganything?’Isaid‘WellatthemomentI’vegotaninterviewwithanotheragency,tomorrow,soIcanrearrangethat’,andtheysaid‘no,no,cancelit,we’llneedyouforthesixweeks’.Thesixweeksturnedinto12weeks,the12weeksturnedintosixmonths,sixmonthsturnedintoafull-2mecontract.

Female,BusinessandAdmin.NowworkinginatemporaryroleasanHRofficer.Itwasini3allyasixmonthfixedtermcontracttocoversomematernityleave,andthenit’sbeenextended.Soitwasini3allyduetofinisharoundtheendofAugust3me,itwasthenextendedandextendedagainandthisweek,Ireceivedano3fica3onthatit’sbeenextendedagainun3lmid-Aprilthisyear.[...]Obviouslytheyhaveconsultantsthatdealwithdifferentsectorsanddifferententrylevelsofthebusiness.[Theagency]couldadvisemeandseefrommyexperienceandmyinterestswhatcompanywouldbelookingforanindividuallikemeandthenfollowingonfromthattherolesthatwereavailableinthosecompanies.

Internships

Clearlyusedbyleadingemployersfor‘carefulrecruitment’;couldleaddirectlytoemploymentorindirectly,viamentors,referencesandasevidenceofhavingcompletedthemsuccessfully.Butwhatexactlyisaninternship?

Internship:defini3ons,theoryandprac3ce

•  Wikipedia:Internshipsforprofessionalcareersaresimilarinsomewaystoappren3ceshipsfortradeandvoca3onaljobsbutlackofstandardisa3onandoversightleavesthetermopentobroadinterpreta3on–internsmaybecollegeoruniversitystudents,highschoolstudents,orpost-graduateadults.Theseposi3onsmaybepaidorunpaidandareusuallytemporary…….Generally,aninternshipconsistsofanexchangeofservicesforexperiencebetweenthestudentandanorganiza3on.

•  Thereali3es(asindicatedbyresearchfindingssofar…):–  structured/unstructured,formal/informal,anythingbetweenoneweekanduptotwelvemonths,paid,‘facilitated’andunpaid,some3mesinvolvingtraininganddevelopment,oXencons3tu3ngcheaplabour,rangingfromwonderfulopportuni3estoexploita3on.

–  Offeredbyemployersplanningtorecruit,asanalternaQvetorecruiQng,andasethicalprofessionalpracQce/futureskillsinvestment.

Typesanddura3onsofinternshipsdescribedtous

•  Yearlong‘SandwichYear’internships–  (usuallyorganisedbyHEIs,some3mesbystudents,built

intocurriculum,usuallypaid,structuredlearningopportuni3es,)

•  Summer/vaca3oninternships–  OXencompe33velyofferedbyemployerstoanractspecificcategoriesofstudentordrivenbyproac3vepeopleandtheircontacts,paid,full3me,’talentseeking’element

•  Short‘taster’internships(1-2weeks)–  OXenofferedbyemployersandindustrysectororoccupa3onalinterestgroupstoanractexcellentcandidatesandprovideinsightintotheorganisa3on/industry

•  Adhoc‘internships’forvariableperiods–  OXenprivatearrangements,relyingonpersonalcontactsorproac3vityandini3a3ve.Couldbeeffec3vebutnormallyunstructuredandrarelypaid

PAID:Male,Business,ITandCompuQng,HighTariffUni,workingasfreelanceprojectmanager‘Aspartoftheyearlong[Sandwichplacement]internshipIwasintouchwiththegraduateandinternrecruiters,andhesaid“Yeah..haveyouthoughtaboutdoingasummerinternshipaswell?”andIthought“Okay,I’llgivethatatry!”Didn’tpar3cularlyhavetogothroughthefullassessment,thefullapplica3onprocess-um,itwasmoreafewinformalchatsovercoffeebeforeIwasofferedit’.

PaidandunpaidInternships

UNPAID:Male,Psychology,HighTariffUniversity,nowAdverQsingAccountsManager‘I’veactuallyhadthreedifferentinternshipsthatwereallunpaidorexpensesonly,overthecourseofbeingastudent.WhenIwasinsixthform,Ihadafamilyfriendthathadanadver2singfirmintheMidlands,[AXergradua3on]Mycurrentorganisa3on]wasoneIpar3cularlywantedtoworkat,soIemailedthemandsaidI’dbewillingtocomein,justdosomenon-paidworkexperienceandwouldtheybeinterestedinhavingme?IjustemailedthemmyCV,akindofbitaboutmybackgroundandwhyIwasinterestedinadver3singandwhatIwasoffering,soIcouldcomein,Iwashappytodoanythingforthattwo-weekworkexperienceperiod…andtheygotbacktomeandsaid“Yes.Wouldyoubeavailableonthesedates?Wecouldusethehelpononeofourprojects.”AcoupleofdaysbeforeIfinishedmyplacement,theteamthatIwasworkingwithinjustsaid“Doyouwanttostayforlonger?We’vegotaposi3onthatwe’dliketoofferyou..”whichwasacontentauthoringposi3on-sojustpuxnginforma3ononawebsiteandtheyaskedifIwantedtocarryonandcomebackthefollowingweek,asanemployee.”

Male,Middleclassbackground,selecQveschool,HightariffHEI,ManagementwithmarkeQng,gooddegree.‘SomebodygavemeadviceonwhenIwasyounger,wasthekeytoge_ngoutofuniversitywasn’tjustge_ngthedegree,itwas,youknow,ge_ngtheexperience.ImadesurethatIdid,Ididgetexperience,andIdidacouple-Iguesstheprominentonesthatweredonewereduringthesummer,whileIwasdoingmydegree.

Thefirstonewas..aweeklonginternship,itwasunpaid…IwenttoLondonforaweekandstayedatImperialCollegeLondonanditwassponsoredandorganisedandmanagedby[agroupof]fivelargesolicitorsandbarristersinLondonanditwasdesignedforundergraduateswhoareconsideringlawasadegreeandacareer.SoIspentaweekthere,youknow,workingwiththevariouscompaniesandlearninghowtodebateandhowLawworksandthelifeofasolicitorintheCity,sothatwasoneofthem.Itwascompletelyunpaidbutitwaswascompe22velyselec2ve,Ithinkitwasonly200peopleoutofthecountrythatwereselectedtodothatfortheoneweek,andsothatwasthefirstone….

….Thesecondonewaswith[aninterna3onalcarhirefirm]..ResultedinofferofplaceonGraduateEntryScheme

Whichstudentsaccessgoodworkexperienceopportuni3es?(Thecrucialinfluenceofculturalcapital…)

….andwhichhavemorerestrictedop3ons?……..

Female, working class, neither parent has degree, state school, good degree, Highest Tariff HEI. Now Secondary school teacher in state comprehensive school. ‘WhilstIwasat[university]Ibecameincreasinglyawarethatsomeonefrommybackgrounddoesn’thaveasmanyopportuni3es,evenwhenyougetintoaRussellGroupuniversity,assomeonefromarichfamily,becausethekindofinternshipsthatgetyouintothebigbusiness,theywereunpaid,alotofthem…andtherewasnowayIcouldeverconsiderdoingsoIcouldn’tfindanyprivatesectorinternshipsthatIcouldapplyforbecauseIcouldn’taffordthem.[…]I’dliketohavetriedsomethinginadver3singandsomethinginpublishingjust,youknow,‘causethat’ssortofthemainareasthatanEnglishdegreecanleadto’.

Workexperiencehelpstoclarifycareeraspira3ons

‘thatwasconservingartefactsandrecordingand,youknow,thingslikethat,whereasthatexperiencetaughtmethatIwanttobemoreinvolvedwithpeople,…I’mnotthekindofpersonthatwantstoconserveartefactsorthingslikethat,I’mmoreapersonwhowantstoworkwithpeopleanddointeres3ngthings,maybesomesortoftrainingorteaching.[….]Ididacquireskillsinhowtoconserveobjects,howtocleanobjectsinaprofessionalway,thatIwouldn’thavedoneotherwise.Ididn’thateit,youknow,Ithoughtitwass3llinteres3ng,andIthinkitwasavaluableskilltohavehad,andIappreciatedthatIwasgiventheopportunitytodoitbutIrealisedthatalthoughIenjoyedit,itwasn’tsomethingthatIwantedtodolong-term’.Female,Archaeology,HighestTariffHEI,currentlyworkinginPublicSectorMarkeQng

‘..ItgalvanisedthefactthatIdefinitelywantedtoworkincrea2veandradioadver2sing,thatwasahugething.WhatIdefinitelydidn’twanttodo,effec3vely,wastobecomeacommercialradioproducer.Beingabletoseetheday-to-dayworkingsofit–it’sfuntogetinvolvedinmakinganadvertandgexngthesoundofitperfect,butactuallyseeing[howtheyworked]howflexibletheyhavetobeintermsoftakingdirec3onfrompeoplewhodon’tnecessarilyknowbest..IthinkithelpedmeIrealiseIwanttobeawriter…tobemoreinnova3ve..[not]s3fledbybrand..’Female,LowTariffHEI,MediaandCommunicaQons

Male,InternaQonalRelaQonswithLanguage,HighestTariffUniversity‘The[leadingindependentThinkTank],itgavemeusefulexperiencefirstlybecauseitallowedmetojustseeabitmoreabouthowathinktankworksandIwasabletoseehowtheyworkand,youknow,howtheresearchisdesigned,etc,-notsomuchfromtheactualworkIwasdoing,butfromthefactthatIwassi_ngintheofficesandIcouldwatchwhatwashappeningandlistentowhatwashappeningandaskques2ons,andobviouslyitgavemeusefulexperienceand,intheunderstandingofthatspecificorganisa3onwhichthengavemeagoodargumentfortakingonthepart-3meworkwiththem…..’[hegotasecondpaidpart-3meinternship]…Interviewer:Okay,andthesecondinternshipwhichwassortofalmostindis3nguishablefromajob…?’Interviewee:‘AlltheskillsIlearntthere,alltheskillsIlearntthereweresortofrelevantjobskills,…fromcommunica3ngwithclientsthroughresearchingprofits,throughtowri3ngpresenta3ons,andwri3ngmemosandunderstandingspecificissues,andImeanalltheskillsthatIlearnttherewererelevantjobskills:noneofthemwerequalifyingmetomakecoffee..’

..andprovidesinsightintohowdifferenttypesoforganisa3onwork.

ExtremesofunpaidgraduateworkexperienceFemaleLawgraduate,HighestTariffHEI,nowworkingasTraineeSolicitorwhodidtwoperiodsofunpaidworkexperience[Acergradua2on,shewrotetoalocalsolicitor’sfirm,offeringtoworkforexperience]‘Thewomanwasasoleprac33oner,shegotintouchandsaidshedidn’thaveanyfull-3mevacancies,shecouldoffermeaplacementforafewmonths….Interviewer:Whatdidyouactuallydo,onanaverageday..?‘SomainlyitwasdraXinglenersthatshewassendingouttoclients,answeringphonecalls,arrangingpost,photocopying,thosesortofgeneralsortofadminrelatedtasks.SoIwaslivingathomeatthe3me..-Imeantheonlycostreallywasrunningmycar[!!!],otherthanthatIwaslivingathomesotherewasnorentoranythinglikethat...’

[Shefelttheexperiencewasnotuseful,sosheappliedtodoworkforavoluntaryadviceunitprovidinglegaladvicetodisadvantagedapplicants]

’…oneoftheleadvolunteers…allowedmetositinononeofhisinterviewswithaclientandthenhesaid,“Wouldyoubehappytodotheworkwe’redoing?”andIsaid“yes”,andthenitjustkickedofffromthere,really,andsoIwasdoingthatforayearandahalf.Itwasquitehandson,soprenymuchfromthefirsttwoweeks,whenIwasjustsixnginwithhimwithhisclients,inthethirdweekIhadmyownclients’.

Emergingfindings….•  Gradswhohadhadexperienceofpaidandstructuredworkexperienceplacementswereuniversallyenthusias3cabouttheirposi3veimpactoncareerdevelopmentbutreportsonunpaidworkexperienceweremorediverse.

•  Paidinternshipsandplacementsweremainlyhighlyselec3veandfiercelycompetedfor….butinformalcontactscouldover-rideformalaccessprotocols.

•  VoluntaryworkoXenprovidedusefulexperienceandskillsdevelopmentopportuni3es.

•  AccesswasoXencumula3ve…oneopportunityledtoanother,oXenbeneropportunity.

•  Contactsandnetworkswerealmostalwaysessen3altogeteitherpaidorunpaidworkexperience.

…andemergingconclusions

•  SubjectstudiedandHEIanendedfacilitatedorrestrictedaccesstoopportuni3es(c.f.Privatesectorinternshipsclusteredinafewindustries).

•  Manyexcellentinternshipsprovidedbychari3esandthirdsectororganisa3ons–butlesslikelytobepaid,sodiscriminatory.

•  Proac3vityonthepartofstudentsandgraduatesthemselveswasnearlyalwaysessen3al;butproac3vitywasrelatedtoculturalcapital,etc.

•  Workexperienceplacements(paidandunpaid)appearedtoinvolvestudentsandgraduatesmakingvaluablecontribu3onstoorganisa3onalproduc3vity.

Project4:Employers’Perspec3ves

MelanieSimms(UniversityofLeicester)

ArleneRobertson(UniversityofWarwick)

TheProject•  7sectorscapturingarangeofnormsforlabourmarketentry–  Foodprocessing,automo3vemanufacturing,hospitality,NHS,voluntarysector,crea3veindustries,businessservices

•  Chosentoselect:–  Largevs.smallemployers–  Structuredvsadhoctransi3ons–  Differentlevelsofskillandqualifica3onrequired

•  Overviewofsectorfollowedbyinterviewswithkeyemployers

•  Notyetcomplete

Howdoemployersunderstandsomeofthechangesinlabourmarkets?

•  Linlesenseofagency–eventheverylargeemployersopera3nginlocallabourmarketse.g.NHS

•  Seriousconcernsexpressedbymostemployersabout:–  Extenttowhichyoungpeopleareworkready– Howtoanractfuturetalent– Howtoretainyoungworkers– Howtoofferflexibilitytoallowthemtoexperiencearangeofroles

Approachestorecruitment•  SeriousaWen2onbeinggiventohowtotargetappropriaterecruits

–  Atalllevelsofskillsandqualifica3ons–  Tensionswithinorganisa3ons–  Localcontextshapingrecruitment(prac3cesandchallenges)

•  Concernaboutdiversityandrepresenta2veness–  Evenamongsmallemployersthathaverela3velylinlespecialistHRsupport

•  Generallyhappytotalkaboutunpaidworkexperience–  Keenforittobeframedasprovidingalegup;anopportunitytodevelopskills

andtotryoutdifferentroles

•  Widerangeofrecruitmentchannelsbeingusedtotargetyoungworkers–  Employmentviatemporaryemploymentagenciesentailsbothrisksandbenefits

Selec3on•  ‘Experience’,butnotnecessarily‘workexperience’,ishighly

valuedbyemployerswhenrecrui2ngyoungworkersforentryleveljobs–  Howthisisgainedisoflessimportancethanthequali3esitistakentoindicate

–  Par3cipa3oninextra-curricularac3vi3es,voluntaryworketc.signalscommitment,mo3va3on,reliability,3me-keepingetc.-dura3onimportant

•  Unpaidworkexperienceprogrammes(providedbytheemployer)

animportantpartoftherecruitmentandselec2onprocess–  Somebenefitsforemployer:indirectchannelofrecruitment–  Butalsoconstraintsandlimita3ons

Approachestotraining•  Highlevelofacknowledgmentthatemployerprovided

trainingofsomekindisnecessary–  Extenttowhichthisshouldbeformaland/orpaidforbytheemployervariesbetweensectornormsandsizeofemployer

–  Differentformsofflexibleemploymenthavedifferentimplica3onsfortrainingprovision

•  Engagementwithformalpoliciessuchasappren2ceships,

traineeshipsetc.varies–  Ra3onaleforemployerengagementwithappren3ceshipsvaries

considerably–  Largeremployerstypicallybenerplacedtoengage……butface

significantbarriers–  Appren3ceshiplevy–uncertaintyandmixedviews

Experiencesofreten3on•  Aseriousconcernforallemployers,despitesomesectorsbeing

subjecttoconsiderablyhigherturnoverrates–  Generally,reflectscostandeffortofrecruitmentandtraining–  Butalsosectorspecificconcerns.e.g.produc3vityconcernsinfood

processing

•  Somesectoraldifferences–  Hospitality–‘revolvingdoor’scenario–  Foodprocessing–involuntaryturnoveroflowskilledworkersand

‘poaching’ofhighskilledworkersbylargerindustryplayers

•  Howdoemployersrespond?–  Reten3onriskscanunderminecareerpathwaysandtrainingavailable

toyoungpeople–  Butsomeevidencealsoofposi3veimpactonpathwaysforyoung

workers

Sometakeaways•  Clearlyandconsistentlyframeissuesofrecrui3ng,trainingandretainingyoungpeopleasbringingaddi3onalissuestootheragegroups

•  Happytoacknowledgethe‘good’and‘bad’sidesofhowemployersbehave(notnecessarilythem!)–  Linlereflec3ononthemorenega3veaspectsofprecariousworkforemployees

•  Governmentpolicy(e.g.appren3ceships)notalwaysseenashelpful

Paths2Work@warwick.ac.ukwww.warwick.ac.uk/paths2work@Paths2Work

Thankyouforyouranen3on.

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