The document summarizes a research project examining barriers and motivations for students completing a placement year. The project used surveys and interviews of students from the Leeds University Business School and School of Design to understand factors influencing their decisions around placement years. Key findings included the complexity of individual placement year decisions that involve trading off barriers. Student attitudes towards barriers differed more than the barriers themselves. Pre-university influences and peer interactions were also important. Recommendations included making employability sessions mandatory and providing more opportunities for students to learn from those with placement experience.

1. SEDA Spring Teaching Learning and Assessment Conference 2018
‘Making a real difference in the new age of metrics’
Placement Year:
Barriers, Challenges and Motivations
Alice Shepherd, Senior Teaching Fellow, Leeds University Business School
a.k.shepherd@leeds.ac.uk, @AliSheph (Twitter)
Dr Mark Sumner, Lecturer, School of Design, University of Leeds m.p.sumner@leeds.ac.uk

2. The next 45 minutes
• Project objectives & overview
• Development of research question
• Placement context
• Data collection
• Your mission…
• Our results
• Summary

3. Project objectives
Develop a methodology to extract data about Placement Year uptake, academic performance and graduate
outcomes and explore student expectations and experiences to:
• Provide evidence-based policy recommendations for teaching and support of placement and non-placement
year students,
• Develop a structured approach for placement students to share their experiences and ‘mentor’ pre-
placement and non-placement students.
Key Project Outputs:
• Project Report for quantitative and qualitative evidence,
• Guidance on methodology for other schools and faculties to extract and analyse their quantitative and
qualitative data relating to Placement Years,
• Create a structured programme for returners involvement in the student employability development.
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4. Development of the
research question
Where did the project come from?
Based on staff experience of delivering Year
in Industry modules, literature review and
feedback from students and employers, it
was clear that Placement Year engagement,
and wider engagement with employability
was variable across the student cohort.
There was a suggestion that social capital
was playing a significant role in influencing
engagement.
Evidence-based approach used to identify policy and support changes to increase access to
employability opportunities
To what extent are barriers to placement opportunities caused by social mobility challenges?
Suggestions that access to placement opportunities may be linked to social capital.
Perceptions that unpaid placements deter some students from opting for a placement year.
Evidence that placements can improve academic grades in final year.
There is a positive correlation between completing a placement year and graduate employability.
‘Opportunity trap’ for graduates – degree is not enough, employability skills differentiate
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5. Literature Review
Collaboration across schools, campus and
other research projects including Careers
External Guidance & Advice
Project overview
The project Methodology was based on using
triangulation from three sources of
information to explore the complexity and
diversity of student engagement with
Placement Years.
The project was also a comparative study
between the School of Design (SoD) and
Leeds University Business School (LUBS).
All of which was underpinned by an
extensive literature review and collaboration
with internal and external stakeholders.
Barriers,
Challenges and
Motivation for
a Year in
Industry
University Data:
UCAS Contextual
Data, Banner, DLHE,
School Level Data
Student
Interviews
Peer to Peer to
explore
complexity
Student Surveys
Multiple cohorts
to map decision
progression

6. Business School
• 153 Year in Industry students in
2016/17
• 99% placements paid
• Placement lasts 9-12 months
• 3% overseas placements
• 15% Leeds-based, 28% London-based
School of Design
• 115 Year in Industry students in
2016/17
• 37% placements paid
• Placements last 1-14 months
• 14% overseas placements
• 9% Leeds-based, 51% London-based
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Optional Year in Industry programme open to all undergraduates
Placement context

7. Data collection
Survey
• Identical questions for LUBS/SoD via
an online survey
• Publicised as a ‘Career decision-
making and opportunities’ survey
• Face to face survey promotion at large
lectures
• Core and branched questions
• Response rates 4%-29% depending on
cohort
• 160 responses, spread between all
cohorts
Interviews
• Participants volunteered via survey
• Semi-structured question set
• 10 Placement Year students (5/5
LUBS/SoD)
• 18 Level 2 & 3 Students (10/8
LUBS/SoD)
• Independently coded transcripts, then
agreed on common themes identified
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8. Results
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9. Your mission…..
On each table is a pack of ‘barrier’ cards.
Each card has a barrier that may stop a student enrolling for a Placement
Year.
Working in groups identify the Top 5 most important barriers, and the
Bottom 5 least important barriers that may impact the likelihood of a
student to opting to doing a Placement Year.
If you think there are other barriers that may stop a student from
enrolling on a Placement Year use the blank cards to record these and
prioritise them with the other cards.
You have 15 minutes to discuss and prioritise the cards
We’ll ask each table for their feedback
The Barriers & Challenges
What factors affect a student’s decision on
whether they will or will not enrol on a
Placement Year experience?
What barriers and challenges do they
perceive and where do these perceptions
come from; are there any links to social
capital?
Can we identify the underlying challenges
students that create these perceptions?
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10. Your results Based on your discussions what additional or different support
would you have to increase student engagement with
Placement Years?
How could your findings impact on your institution’s approach
to employability provision?
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11. Our results: The survey findings
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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Prefer to focus on university studies
Cannot afford to undertake a Year in Industry
Already have enough work experience through placements outside of the Year in Industry module
Do not want to or cannot relocate
Do not want to give up existing part-time employment
Do not think placements provide one with valuable skills
Do not have any existing connections in the industry
Cannot find a placement to apply for
Do not know what industry to apply to
Do not know enough about the Year in Industry module
Do not feel that the Year in Industry is for them
Applying for a Study Abroad Year
Following advice from parents or tutors
Following advice from fellow students
Do not want Year in Industry job applications distracting them from their academic work
Concerned that Year in Industry experience is not important outside of the UK
‘Right to work’ or visa issues
Do not want to leave university friends
Other
Reasons why students do not choose YII
LUBS SoD

12. Our results: The interview findings
Overarching themes:
• Variability in student employability
knowledge on arrival at university
• Students engage in a process of
trading off
• Confidence/attitude determine how
students deal with barriers
• Influence of peer-to-peer
communication
best year of
my life
all these girls have
got so much out of
their placements
I thought that the year
being out of it would
maybe set me back a little
bit, so I was quite worried
about that
Treated
as a
lackey I’m going to be
old by the time
I graduateI wouldn’t really want to have to
go through the whole graduating
application process againfashion is not the best for
like pay internships…..but
that’s just the reality I
guess
A lot of people have got the
same degree…you’ve got to
do something outside
Kind of a snippet
of what the rest of
your career could
be
they (the school) already
do a lot to improve
employability, its just up
to you whether you want
to take the opportunity
How you demonstrate
those skills are definitely
going to be the next
thing to get you through

13. Summary
Project learning
• Placement Year decision is highly complex and
individual
• Barriers are similar for Placement and Non-
Placement students; the differentiator is the
attitude to dealing with barriers
• Pre-university influences should not be
underestimated
• Employer access during degree is important
influence on employability knowledge
• Some use of social capital to secure opportunities
and YII as a leveller (but not the whole story)
• Timeline for employability interventions is
important?
Recommendations?
• Make employability sessions compulsory
(interview skills) and/or embed in modules
• Opportunities for 1st/2nd years to talk to 4th year YII
returners – and buddying?
• Careers support generally good but always not
well-signposted and demand for 1:1 appointments
exceeds provision at times

14. Questions
Alice Shepherd a.k.shepherd@leeds.ac.uk, @AliSheph (Twitter)
Mark Sumner, m.p.sumner@leeds.ac.uk
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