Value of work-integrated learning to support student transition into career roles

Sarah Carnegie, Newcastle University, UK

Email: sarah.carnegie@newcastle.ac.uk             

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Abstract

There is increasing awareness of the importance of engaging with external organisations to build student skills and experiences relevant to the ‘real-world’, aiding their transition into career roles.   Final year undergraduate students studying Business Management and Marketing and Management at Newcastle University Business School have an option to take a ‘consultancy’ module as their 40-credit capstone / final project in place of a more traditional dissertation.  The students work in teams of 6 to 8 students for an external client addressing a business problem, initially agreed by academic staff as being relevant and feasible.  Once allocated to the client the students take on responsibility for client management, development of a detailed project proposal, design and execution of appropriate research, and identification of costed recommendations, which are then formally presented to the client.  

Previous research confirmed that specific skills gained on this module support transition into career roles.  These include, active participation in meetings, coping with multiple and competing deadlines, willingness to take the initiative, and the value of networks. The structure and content of the module has been consistently refined ensuring that students actively reflect on developing their skills and the impact of these on their future careers and employability.