The OECD Career Readiness project makes use of quantitative evidence to investigate how teenage career-related activities and attitudes are associated with better adult employment outcomes. Review of multiple national longitudinal datasets confirms 11 indicators of better outcomes linked to the ways in which teenagers explore, experience and think…

The OECD Career Readiness project makes use of quantitative evidence to identify how teenage career-related activities and attitudes are linked with better adult employment outcomes. Review of multiple national longitudinal datasets confirms that teenage experiences of the workplace through part-time working and volunteering are routinely…

Given the recent focus on the employability and earnings of university graduates in the UK, there is a need to explore the employability initiatives offered by higher education institutions (HEIs). Work placements and work experience offered through HEIs aim to improve students' job readiness, and ability to secure suitable jobs after graduation,…

At Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia, the majority of students engage in paid employment alongside their studies; and, every student has the opportunity to engage with work-integrated learning as a key component of their academic course. This paper explores an innovative structured approach the university has initiated to align these two…

Purpose: This paper seeks to challenge the view that student part time employment detracts from academic attainment and presents evidence that when linked to formal undergraduate study provides rich learning experiences. It also explores the extent to which formerly accepted pre-requisites for work based learning (WBL) apply in this model and how…

This article discusses the findings of a research project which examined the participation in workplace learning of Australian school students in the post-compulsory years. The study was carried out in two States, New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia (SA), in the latter part of 2000. Primarily focusing upon work experience, formal vocational…

The purpose of this study was to describe the recent extent and distribution of work experience of young people in Scotland, using data from the Scottish Young People's Survey (SYPS). SYPS, based on a 10 percent sample of all schools in Scotland, is conducted biennially in spring by mail and achieves a response rate of around 80 percent. In the…

The study reported in this document canvassed the views of part-time Scottish community education workers, their employers, and their trainers about training needs and how adequately those needs were being met. Of primary concern to the study were the characteristics and roles of part-time staff, the level of satisfaction with existing training,…

This report examines survey responses by Scottish part-time youth workers, their employers, and trainers about program training needs. Of primary concern to the study were the characteristics and roles of part-time staff, their level of satisfaction with existing training, and their attitudes toward a modular training system. A total of 96…

A study examined student participation in work experience and workplace learning programs using 1996 and 1997 data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth on a cohort first sampled in 1995 when students were in year 9. Findings related to work experience programs revealed few differences between students who took part in work experience…

In view of the increasing emphasis on work experience in higher education (HE), a research project was undertaken to identify and compare current practices in the area of work-based learning in undergraduate programs. The study, which focused primarily on work experience in the United Kingdom, involved a literature review and site visits and…

A project carried out in New South Wales and South Australia examined ways in which Year 10, 11, and 12 students experience workplaces. A questionnaire administered to students in 13 schools received 1,451 responses. Case studies in five schools included interviews and focus groups with students and teachers. Interviews and focus groups with…

A research study in Australia examined the nature, extent, and methods of workplace learning for school students. Following a literature review that found that the proportion of school students who work part-time is increasing but that there is relatively little research on the learning outcomes of either work experience or work placements,…

Australian school students' views regarding their learning from paid and unpaid work in the workplace were examined. The data sources were as follows: (1) a questionnaire administered in 13 schools in New South Wales and South Australia to students in years 10, 11, and 12; (2) school and locality-based case studies; and (3) interviews with…

A project aimed to use United Kingdom full-time undergraduate student work experience as the vehicle for development of the students' skills to improve their subsequent employability upon graduation. It took an employer-led approach to develop a model transferable to other employers and higher education (HE) institutions. Arrangements were made…