Assessing the value

Abstract

Purpose -The objective of the pilot study reported on here was to identify some of the more elusive "costs and benefits" of work-based learning (WBL) placements. This was addressed by exploring the views and experience of a small number of human resource development (HRD) professionals who currently offer supervised work-based learning placements to full-time post-graduate HRD students. Design/methodology/approach -The small qualitative study outlined was a pilot, focused initially on the perceptions of one set of stakeholders within the placement process, the HRD professionals. By means of questionnaires and interviews the participants were invited to reflect on their interpretation of the tangible and intangible costs and benefits to the organisation, the supervisor/mentor, the student and the university. Findings -The findings imply that there are a number of non-financial costs and benefits that may not be widely recognised but which may have significance when seeking/agreeing placement opportunities.Research limitations/implications -This is a small-scale study, and may have limited transferability. Practical implications -In due course the study will be extended to examine the perspectives of other stakeholders. Originality/value -Evidence from the literature suggests that obtaining and sustaining good quality WBL placements can be difficult. A reflection on potential "non standard" costs and benefits may assist organisations to weigh up these more ephemeral but potentially important factors and aid decision-making about the viability and desirability of offering WBL placements and at the same time develop awareness of non-standard costs and benefits amongst those seeking to set up placements for their students.

Measuring the value of placements to employers

“…In the course of our exploration of the concept of placement value, we made several observations and discoveries about the way value is currently represented in the placement value discourse. Our review of the literature demonstrated that the concept tended to be presented descriptively (Ferguson, 2014; Morse, 2006). For instance, value from placements was described in terms of how it supported student employability or provided employers with a fresh pair of eyes, and so on.…”

“…Furthermore, they found that 89% of employers felt they had benefited from hosting a placement (Atfield et al, 2009: 43). The benefits of ‘fresh eyes’ for a business have also been described (Abukari and Costley, 2015; Morse, 2006). Placement students may be able to view the organization from an alternative perspective to their host, informed by skills and knowledge gained during their studies (Benjamin, 2013).…”

“…Morse (2006: 737) suggests that informally (without the need for any formal evaluation tools) organizations may make an ‘assessment of the costs and the benefits of the placement’. The use of a cost–benefit approach echoes the customer value literature.…”

Criminology placements: work-based learning and organisational “buy in”

“…The full benefits of this collaboration, why organisations invest in placements and how the IPM facilitated this process, will be discussed in more detail. Morse (2006) in her assessment of the value of work-based learning placements found that the benefits for all organisations "far outnumbered the costs...., but these were hard to evaluate even in monetary terms or definitively in relation to development or utility" (2006, p. 744). Although this study has not had the opportunity to evaluate the monetary value to organisations, there is clear evidence of development opportunities for the staff through the utilization of the creativity of the student and the subsequent employment of the student by their placement hosts.…”

“…The organisations that provide placements for the Applied Criminology course at the University of Worcester work with the university and the student to ensure formal learning outcomes are achievable, as well as personal interest explored. Morse (2006), in her assessment of the value of work-based learning placements for post-graduate human resources students, states that cooperation of academia and business is of considerable significance in relation to the preparation of future employees and the students' readiness to learn. Placement of the student at the "right" organisation, therefore, is imperative, and when Duignan (2002, p. 215) discusses effective placement management in vocational courses, he observes that "inappropriate placements" can generate negative outcomes and thus supports the authors IPM (Eason and Bramford, 2018), that student choice alone may not necessarily be the most appropriate.…”