Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, C. F., & Webster, G. (2018). The impact of work placement on graduate employment in computing: Outcomes from a UK-based study. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 19(4), 359-369.
This study followed recent computing graduates into the workplace and explored their undergraduate experiences of work placements and subsequent impact on graduate employment. Whilst studying at one of 14 Scottish universities, participants (n=99) had registered interest in a student placement. Factors influencing the ability to secure a placement included recognition of the benefits derived from completing a placement, and parental experience of higher education. We found that graduates had benefited from work experience financially, earning more than those who had not completed placements. They had also found graduate positions more quickly and were more likely to be in work than those who had graduated without completing a placement. The study provides evidence of the long-term benefits of work placements to inform students, university staff, employers, and, where appropriate, to influence government policy in increasing access to student work placements.