Work-based Learning Experiences Research Articles

Work-based learning experiences for students within the National Trade College of ASEM

Work-based learning exposes students to real-life work experiences, in which they can apply theoretical and technical skills as well as ensuring the development of practical skills. The article presents some experiences regarding work-based learning of the students from the National College of Commerce of ASEM.

The Impact of MCAST Apprentices on Insurance Companies Operating in Malta - A Manager’s Perspective

This study probes the MCAST insurance apprenticeship scheme and the impact of apprentices on the local insurance companies, acting as sponsors. This study is of particular relevance since the local insurance firms are experiencing growth but have the challenge of employee turnover and skills shortage. This research study investigates the work-based learning experience of students, the mentoring of apprentices and the supervising procedures adopted by MCAST and the insurance firms. The purpose is to analyse the impact of MCAST trainees on local insurance firms and depict practical recommendations to ameliorate the learning experience of the apprentices. The recommendations emanating from this study, assist MCAST to develop high-performance apprenticeship schemes and assist the local insurance industry, in the recruiting and training of young employees. This qualitative research gathers data through nine in-depth, semi-structured interviews and adopts the Grounded Theory Methodology to address the research problem and attain the stated objectives. The researcher adopts the constructivist approach incorporating an inductive and abductive stance. The findings emanating from the data illustrate the need to promote the insurance industry as a provider of stable and fulfilling careers with the possibility of job mobility. MCAST and the insurance firms need to enhance their collaboration to promote the insurance apprenticeship, among young learners, even at secondary level. An overhaul of the mentoring and supervising approach is needed to provide a work-based learning experience of excellence to MCAST apprentices. MCAST apprenticeship is considered by the insurance executives as the best training opportunity to recruit skilled workers and create networks. The scheme is cost effective to the firms and is considered as a long-term investment in human resources. A well-planned strategy to enhance collaboration and share knowledge between the leading VET provider of the Maltese Islands and the insurance industry is required for the benefit of the apprentices who are the future employees of the local insurance firms.

Applying a Mixed-Method Approach to Improve On-the-Job Learning and Job Satisfaction in a Cohort of Interns at a University Hospital

Introduction: Job satisfaction is vital for the optimal functioning of medical practitioners. Herein, we report our experience of restructuring the internship program by identifying the gaps, developing, implementing strategies to overcome gaps and sharing the results of the pre-implementation and post-implementation audit, as an example for establishing a system for improving intern’s work-based learning and satisfaction in a university hospital setting.Methods: Using Kern’s six-step instructional model, a prospective mixed-method study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital. In phase 1 (2013) gaps were identified by evaluating various aspects of the internship program. Strategies were developed and implemented to overcome the identified gaps. In phase 2 (2014-2016) the impact of these developmental strategies was assessed.Results: A total of 65 interns, 30 residents, and 22 faculty members participated in phase I, while 71 interns participated in phase II. The reformation of orientation sessions, including practical exposure and content of sessions, opportunities to enhance hands-on experience and supervision in inpatient areas, operating rooms, supervision by fellows, supervision for hands-on procedures, career counseling, and mentorship, led to significant improvement in satisfaction. It was identified that the lack of hands-on opportunities can be overcome by surgical skills-based workshops. These reforms led to an overall rise in intern satisfaction (50% vs 75.4%, p=0.02).Conclusion: Periodic restructuring of an existing program helps to improve the work-based learning experience and overall satisfaction among interns. This not only maximizes learning but also eases interns into their postgraduate life and workload subsequently enabling them to become more competent and well-rounded health practitioners.

Young@Heart clinic: a feasibility study of an undergraduate pharmacy student-led blood pressure and healthy lifestyle clinic.

Student-led clinics offer a work-based learning (WBL) opportunity for undergraduate healthcare students to engage with professional activities in a real-life setting. Participation is posited to provide experiential learning and prepare students for clinical practice. This study aims to assess the feasibility of establishing and engaging undergraduate students in one such initiative through the collaboration between one School of Pharmacy and local authority. The clinic was developed using a logic model and delivered in 2019-2020. A service specification and training were developed and provided to volunteering undergraduate pharmacy students. Anonymised service data were collected and process outcomes around student and public engagement were recorded to assess feasibility for longer-term embedding into the undergraduate programme. The clinic was operational for 20 days from November 2019 to February 2020. Student volunteers (n = 43, 36.7%) were trained and provided blood pressure screening and healthy living advice to 131 members of the public. Student drop-out occurred due to the voluntary nature of the initiative. Collaborative working with the local authority facilitated this WBL experience outside conventional clinical environments. The study demonstrated the potential for students to participate in service provision. This offers value to the local population through a health prevention service when a structured approach to the design and delivery of the educational experience is undertaken. The study provides insight into how the WBL can work, what it requires (e.g. resource, preparation), and learning to inform the wider implementation of this WBL into the undergraduate curriculum.

Staff Capacity Building and Accountability in Transition Services

Transition services, particularly those that feature work-based learning experiences, often require designated staff to spend the majority of their time in the field. They also require that staff have the skills and supports to properly and effectively deliver these services. Training and monitoring these staff is critically important to ensure youth with disabilities experience strong employment outcomes. Maryland PROMISE was a statewide experimental, multicomponent, and community-based transition project that served 997 youth receiving Supplemental Security Income and their families. To ensure that staff effectively delivered services, Maryland PROMISE provided carefully designed professional development activities that included training, field-based coaching, and performance monitoring. This article reports on the Maryland PROMISE capacity building activities for project staff, provides data on the results of that process, and offers implications for the effective delivery of community-based transition services.

Teacher Perceptions of Barriers to Providing Work-Based Learning Experiences

This study investigated teachers’ perceptions of barriers to planning and organizing work-based learning experiences (WBLEs) for students with intellectual disability. Participants were high school special education teachers who had at least one student with an intellectual disability age 14 or older on their caseload ( N = 256). Teachers were asked to complete an online questionnaire about WBLEs. We used content analysis procedures to analyze teacher’s responses to two open-ended questions about barriers to WBLEs that occur in the school and community. Although teachers reported barriers to school and community settings separately, their responses were similar across settings and collapsed into one set of themes. Barriers to planning and organizing WBLEs included opportunities, resources, stakeholder support, time, and support for students. We discuss the need for additional research about contextual factors that may relate to barriers as well as practical implications for how schools and teachers can address barriers.

Experimental analysis of multi-component intervention to support youth in integrated work settings

BACKGROUND: Work-based learning experiences provide secondary students meaningful opportunities to acquire skills needed for long-term employment. Students with disabilities engaging in problem behaviors on the job are vulnerable to having employment

The intern economy in the cultural industry: an empirical study of the demand side

ABSTRACT Internships are work-based learning experiences, but when they are unpaid and become the standard after formal education, they imply an opportunity cost and could add to the formation of obstacles to the socio-economic mobility that (public) education should seek to attenuate. The present study consists of an evaluation of the intern economy in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Based on data of over 900 available positions in the cultural industry, we examine the demand for internships by organisations and address issues such as substitution and efficacy in the intern economy. We discuss our findings in light of some proposed misconceptions regarding the education-based meritocracy, related to the diminishing role of educational credentials in hiring decisions, the changing role of education in socio-economic mobility, and the overlooked role of employers that prioritise the productive efficiency of their organisations over equal opportunities.

Creatively expanding research from work-based learning

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of creativity in work-based research and practice to yield deeper understanding of practice situations. Unexpected insights can lead one (or a team) to identify new approaches, tackling workplace issues differently, leading to unexpected outcomes of long-term impact.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on work conducted for a doctoral thesis, investigating the impact of work-based learning for recent masters graduates of a work-based learning programme. Fiction was incorporated into analysis of the data, creating play scripts to represent key aspects of the researcher's perceptions and interpretations for each participant.FindingsResearch participants experienced personal, professional and organisational impact, although there was considerable variability between individuals. Additionally, societal impact was wished for and/or effected. The approach to representation of analysis, which involved fictionalising participants' experiences, created a strong Thirdspace liminality. This appeared to deepen awareness and understanding.Research limitations/implicationsSuch approaches can transform the researcher's perspective, prompting insights which lead to further adventure and development in work-based research and practice.Practical implicationsManagers and employees taking creative approaches in the workplace can prompt wide-ranging development and, with professional judgement, be constructive.Social implicationsManagers and employees taking creative approaches in the workplace can prompt wide-ranging development and, with professional judgement, be constructive.Originality/valueThe creation of play scripts, representing an interpretation of participants' stories about their work-based learning experience, is an innovative feature of this work.

Traditional Students as Second Class Citizens through Modern Day Tracking

We used a qualitative case study approach to examine the schooling experiences of 40 current high school seniors and 20 alumni from an urban STEAM career academy comprised of 98% African American students from low-income families. Using tracking as a theoretical lens, we found that students in the high school STEAM career academy were stratified using a more modern, dual system approach - and were labeled as traditional and college preparatory. These schooling practices led to the traditional tracked students being treated as second class citizens as well as being denied access to high-quality curricula to prepare them to be college and career ready. Based on our findings, we recommend that school personnel customize curricula based on the interests of students and enable them all to participate in college preparatory activities as well as work-based learning experiences.

Internships and Work-Based Learning: Strategies for Enhancing Key Relationships

Internships and other work-based learning experiences provide significant learning and professional development opportunities for students at both high school and college levels. Work-based learning has been shown to have positive effects on retention and graduation rates as well as career development and motivation (Davis & Snyder, 2009). Employers report valuing internship experiences highly when filling entry-level positions, and surveys indicate that students find internships to be valuable and satisfying experiences (Brooks & Simpson, 2014).

Quality of high school programs for students with autism spectrum disorder.

The purpose of the study was to examine the quality of high school programs for students with autism spectrum disorder in the United States. The Autism Program Environment Rating Scale-Middle/High School was used to rate the quality of programs for students with autism spectrum disorder in 60 high schools located in three geographic locations in the United States (CA, NC, and WI). Findings indicated that the total quality rating across schools was slightly above the adequate criterion. Higher quality ratings occurred for program environment, learning climate, family participation, and teaming domains. However, quality ratings for intervention domains related to the characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (e.g. communication, social, independence, functional behavior, and transition) were below the adequate quality rating level. Also, quality ratings for transition were significantly higher for modified (primarily self-contained) programs than standard diploma (primarily served in general education) programs. School urbanicity was a significant predictor of program quality, with suburban schools having higher quality ratings than urban or rural schools, controlling for race, school enrollment size, and Title 1 eligibility status. Implications for working with teachers and school teams that support high school students with autism spectrum disorder should include a targeted focus on transition programming that includes a breadth of work-based learning experiences and activities that support social-communication domains.

Functional Approaches for Applying Work-based Learning into Electrical and Electronic Technology Education in Nigeria

The study examined functional approaches for applying work-based learning (WBL) into Electrical and Electronic Technology (EET) in northwest Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted to carry out the study. Random sampling technique was used to select two tertiary institutions offering Electrical and Electronic Technology. The entire 32 lecturers of EET from the two tertiary institutions and 64 supervisors of registered Electrical Technology firms in the two states making a total of 96 respondents were used for the study. Data were obtained using structured 48-item questionnaire titled ‘Functional Approaches for Applying Work-based Learning Questionnaire (FAAWBLQ)’. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages and mean ratings. In interpreting the results, work-based learning experience with percentage score of 50% and above were interpreted as ‘Practiced’ while those with less than 50% were interpreted as ‘Not Practiced’. Using 2.50 as the cut-off point, items with mean values of 2.50 and above were interpreted as ‘Agreed’. The results of the study showed that only 2 out of the 17 identified work-based learning components were practiced for skill acquisition in Electrical Technology in Northwest Nigeria. In addition, the study identified administrative, school-industry and resource inputs approach for effective application of WBL that will guarantee skill acquisition in Northwest Nigeria. The study recommended policies to strengthen a dynamic and robust WBL in technical and vocation education (TVE) in Nigeria and that work-based learning framework in Nigeria be carefully developed and overseen by Industrial Training Unit (ITU) of education sector to coordinate the synergy between training institutions and industry for improved skill acquisition of the teaming Nigerian youths.

Dissemination about natural radioactivity through work-based learning experiences

This work investigates the importance of Work-Based Learning experiences of Italian high school students and how some extracurricular basic knowledge may influence the student's intrinsic motivation.The Italian model, named Alternation School-Work (ASW), highlights the partnership between schools and workplaces or real life situations. So that, we consider the experience of about 120 students of three different schools located in Campania Region (South Italy).Our goal has been to educate students on topics such as environmental radioactivity and in particular about the public exposure to radioactivity of natural origin (cosmic rays, radon…), in the framework of Astroparticles' School of National Institute of Nuclear Physics, also introducing they in real measurement campaigns.Having improved knowledge about their country's geophysical features, the students have drawn up informative material and a simple survey to propose to the local population in order to understand the level of knowledge on the issue of radioactivity and the consequent perception of risk.The result has been that the students could know and deal with the problem, in a realistic way, from the point of view of scientific research, thanks also to the RadioLab project of National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), through which measurements of the concentration of radon gas activity have been carried out in the buildings of their own school complexes.

Understanding self-efficacy and the dynamics of part-time work and career aspiration

PurposeBuilding on the self-efficacy theory and self-theories, the purpose of this paper is to investigate students working part-time whilst pursuing full-time higher education in Cambodia. It explores individuals’ part-time working activities, career aspirations and self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachData were collected in a cross-sectional survey of 850 business and social sciences degree students, with 199 (23.4 per cent) usable responses, of which 129 (65.2 per cent of the sample) indicated they currently have a job.FindingsMultiple regression analysis confirmed part-time work as a significant predictor of self-efficacy. There was a positive recognition of the value of part-time work, particularly in informing career aspirations. Female students were significantly more positive about part-time work, demonstrating significantly higher career aspirations than males. Results also suggest that students recognise the value that work experience hold in identifying future career directions and securing the first graduate position.Practical implicationsThere are potential implications for approaches to curriculum design and learning, teaching and assessment for universities. There are also clear opportunities to integrate work-based and work-related learning experience into the curriculum and facilitate greater collaboration between higher education institutions and employers in Cambodia.Social implicationsThere are implications for recruitment practices amongst organisations seeking to maximise the benefits derived from an increasingly highly educated workforce, including skills acquisition and development, and self-efficacy.Originality/valueIt investigates the importance of income derived from part-time working to full-time university students in a developing South-East Asian country (Cambodia), where poverty levels and the need to contribute to family income potentially predominate the decision to work while studying.

Work-Based Learning Experiences for Students With Disabilities: Ensuring Compliance With the Fair Labor Standards Act

BackgroundWork-based learning strategies are often used in secondary transition settings to identify a student's strengths and interest related to competitive integrated employment. Transition professional must not only understand evidence-based practices for creating and supporting work-based learning, they must also understand specific statutory provisions outlined in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).ObjectiveThis article provides a targeted review of the FLSA to highlight specific provisions that transition professionals must understand when facilitating work-based learning activities in secondary transition settings.ConclusionsThe article will conclude with specific recommendations about how to implement and supervise work-based learning in compliance with the FLSA.

'Different Ways of Looking': A Study of Personal, Professional and Civic Rewards from International Work-Based Learning Experiences for Community Youth Work Students at Ulster University, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is emerging from a 30-year local conflict, with new democratic local structures and a new landscape for civic engagement having been established. Community youth workers are well positioned to nurture these new political and civic structures; however, after decades of insular living and thinking, global skills and attitudes are acutely needed. This study gauges the extent to which the international placement of Ulster University (UU) students can help build a population who is “forward- and outward-looking” and how these students’ new perspectives, skills and knowledge can be used for and beyond a “new” Northern Ireland. This mixed-methods study explores the impact of international student placements and their effectiveness in fostering “global-ready citizens”. Findings from this study suggest that the preparation phase must attend equally to both the fear and the opportunities of internationalisation that face the departing student. The study also points to key elements needed in the preparation of students to develop their role as cultural nesters rather than cultural visitors (in their new context). The study illustrates an alignment between the development of intercultural competence and the vocational competence of the community youth work profession. This natural alignment suggests that community youth work students and professionals could further embrace and extend their intercultural skills abroad and their multicultural competence at home for wider and deeper impact.

Factors influencing management development of MBA students: Exploring concerns of business schools in Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to explore factors that reinforce or obstruct business schools in Pakistan to develop managerial knowledge, skills and work-based learning experiences of MBA students. The study is prompted by growing debates about insufficiencies in business schools to prepare MBA graduates based on managerial capital needs in the regional markets. To understand the reasons of insufficiencies from business school’s viewpoint, this study employs qualitative interviews to explore factors that reinforce or obstruct business schools. Deans, faculty members and administrators of five different business schools in Hyderabad, Pakistan participated in this study. Responses of the participants are transcribed into verbatim reports and description of findings is structured in SWOT analysis format. Findings show sixteen different factors, comprising of four strengths, seven weaknesses, three opportunities, and two threats. There are more number of weaknesses of business schools to develop MBA students. However, business schools have some strengths and opportunities which they may utilize and improve. Radical changes would strive from the higher education authority. Conceptual framework presented in this study recommends that higher education authority may lead the change, cooperate between business schools and stakeholders, and support business schools to develop future managers and leaders through MBA programs.

Analysis on Research Trend and Components of Work-based Learning Experience Programs for Adolescents and Young Adults with Disabilities

Analysis on Research Trend and Components of Work-based Learning Experience Programs for Adolescents and Young Adults with Disabilities

Learning chemistry through placements: Building on good practice and identifying new opportunities

This article presents and discusses the results of a project that focussed on identifying new work-based learning opportunities for chemistry students. Firstly, we investigated whether typical chemistry employers, who traditionally host sandwich or year-long placements, are able to offer short-term (e.g. summer) placements as an alternative work-based learning experience. Secondly, we determined to what extent non-traditional employers of chemistry graduates are also able to offer relevant and appropriate placement opportunities for chemistry students.