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Implemented by

City, University of London (City)

Careers Service – Employer Engagement Team

Target Groups

Level 4 and 5 students

What is it?

The micro-placements programme (MPP) aimed to encourage career exploration and enhance employability by offering professional work-based learning experiences to students, which last between 3-5 weeks. These experiences aimed to place students in a sector outside of their main degree discipline. Students develop the following skills on MPP: project management, communication, time-management, initiative, leadership and team work.

MPP included a multi-stage selection process, with students receiving tailored feedback at each stage which ensured learning gain. Students first expressed their interest in the programme by selecting up to 3 industry sectors outside their degree discipline and answering 2 motivational questions. They then attended 2 mandatory workshops on CV development, applications and interview guidance which were tailored to their specific school. They subsequently attended a further workshop dedicated to email etiquette, networking and personal branding to enhance confidence and self-awareness. Students then submitted supporting statements and CVs which were used to shortlist for interviews. The interviews were conducted conjointly by Careers staff and academics. Post-placement reflective activities which consisted of a video blog, action plan and reflective review were conducted with students to consolidate learning. The University was responsible for sourcing opportunities from employers.

Rationale

74% of employers do not recruit students based on subject discipline. As such, City wanted to develop an intervention that encouraged career-exploration and allowed for better understanding of the extent to which engaging in different forms of work-based learning can reduce the gap in graduate employment outcomes between WP and non-WP graduates.  MPP also allows services to work in partnership with academic leads within the institution to provide solutions to improving employability through broader access to professional experience.

Student Contact Time

Mandatory workshops: Two 2-hour workshops

Careers Service interview: One 30-minute interview per student

Placement preparation workshop: One 1-hour workshop

Employer led interviews: Up to 4 interviews each lasting between 30 minutes - 1 hour.

Key Process Considerations

  • Investing in thorough pre-placement preparation activities is crucial, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are relatively early in their studies with low career readiness.
  • Ensuring that pre-placement activities are scheduled in a timely fashion in line with other university processes is key to a successful intervention. Pre-placement activities also enhance academic and wider careers staff understanding of career readiness challenges faced by students.
  • Targeting companies who have a commitment to diversity and recognise the value of MPP is essential.
  • Communication to employers should concentrate on how MPP can support their corporate social responsibility agendas, by helping to attract diverse talent through raising their profiles with WP students.
  • Producing well-designed processes which minimise time required on administrative activities will enable staff to devote more time to matching students with employers.

Employer Input

  • Employers were responsible for conducting student interviews in the final stage of the application process.
  • Initially all participating degree programmes should work in partnership with employers to identify key graduate skills. This process will help to guide content for both the application process and placement preparation student workshops.
  • Employers should be encouraged to attend institutional events such as business breakfasts which aim to promote and develop new work-based learning opportunities.
  • Employer interest in MPP can be generated by promoting how the scheme might align with their Corporate Social Responsibility agendas.

Student/ Alumni Input

  • Following the completion of their placements, students should submit a reflective review and action plan incorporating eight skills that were developed during their Micro-Placements, alongside a video blog . These materials can be disseminated to future MPP students to encourage participation and engagement in the programme.
  • Students can be ambassadors for the programme and should be invited to to share insights with MPP students through talks and networking activities.
  • Alumni should offer projects with their respective organisations to encourage relationship building.

Academic Input

  • Governance should be led by a designated MPP Project Board comprised of academic colleagues from all departments involved in the project.
  • Academics should be involved in the student recruitment phase, i.e. through participation in interview panels.
  • Academics should be utilised to help reinforce the positivity of career exploration to students.

Key Resource Considerations

  • The Moodle learning platform can be used to enable the processing of a high volume of student applications to ensure all students receive feedback in a timely manner.
  • Institutional/academic buy-in is essential. This involves collaborating with academics who promote employability through the curriculum. This can be facilitated through an internal launch event.
  • Highly motivated careers staff to provide onsite support for WP students is essential.
  • During the placements contact should be made with employers and students to assess progress through visits and telephone calls.
  • The programme can be effectively promoted to students by academic staff in the curriculum, personal tutors, inductions and student newsletters.
  • The programme should be actively promoted to alumni to support the development of future projects.

What is the evidence base?

  • Large number of applications (552) and completed placements (200), highlighting student’s interest in the programme.
  • Approximately 30 employers offered students placement extensions or formal jobs.
  • A large majority of employers recommended MPP and would take part again (97%).
  • The charity sector was also receptive, with Save the Children International offering multiple projects.
  • Student and employer feedback on the project was very positive.
  • Success of MPP has led to further institutional funding.

Key Challenges

  • The high volume of interviews during recruitment presented a challenge which was overcome through developing a Project Board which helped to secure engagement from academic colleagues for interview panels, along with the use of Moodle which enabled the processing of a high volume of applications.
  • The concept of career exploration presented a challenge to students who believed their degree subject would link directly to their future career. This was overcome through engagement with academic colleagues who helped to reinforce the positivity of career exploration to students.
  • Interviewer availability and the development of new project processes all presented challenges when adhering to project timeframes. It was therefore important to maintain a responsive and flexible approach to delivering MPP to alleviate this burden.
  • Ensuring employers had the necessary resources presented a challenge. This was overcome though onsite support visits from careers staff and offering remote-working opportunities for students.
  • Consideration should be given to the discipline of prospective cohorts, as micro placements may not e appropriate to technical degrees were longer placements are more common.
  • Student drop-out was a challenge which was partly due to competing academic commitments. One way of overcoming this challenge is to make MPP credit bearing and strengthen the link with the curriculum.

Associated Resources

Contact Details

  • Mona Vadher (Head of Employer Engagement and Project Lead for Micro-Placements)
  • Email: mona.vadher@city.ac.uk
  • Phone: 0207 040 4682