Accrediting high-school students’ part-time work to support effective transitions to,through and beyond university

Abstract

Models of accrediting work-based learning are now commonplace in universities. The purpose of this viewpoint article is to highlight an opportunity for universities not only to accredit students’ part-time work against the degree award but also to extend the process into schools by accrediting the part-time work undertaken by year 12 and 13 students against their future degree studies. The operations and benefit of adopting such an approach from the perspective of all stakeholders are discussed. Accrediting year 12 and 13 students, and giving appropriate unit credit against the subsequent degree studies, provides universities with enhanced relationships and potential student buy-in and thereby may increase recruitment. It also brings the employability agenda to the forefront and aids students’ transition to university. The approach described here offers universities an opportunity to develop relationships with schools and colleges and to encourage buy-in for students to progress to degree programmes. While students’ part-time work activities have received much academic scrutiny, the suggestion to accredit pre-university students’ work experience to gain accreditation for future degree studies offers a distinct proposition for universities. There are also a number of challenges to be addressed if it is to work effectively, and these too are outlined.

Keywords

Accreditation student buy-in school–university transition work experience

In a recent viewpoint article, Evans and Richardson (2017) suggested that there was an opportunity for universities to accredit part-time work activities undertaken by students while studying for a degree. This suggestion was based on the premise that such part-time work provides skills, attitudes and behaviours demanded by employers. As an alternative, therefore, to providing the typical work-based opportunities for students, such as placements and internships, universities could look to integrate and accredit students’ part-time work as part of the degree programme.

The proposal put forward in this article is that universities might extend this approach into schools and colleges, similarly to accredit the part-time work of those students. College and school sixth-form students will often be doing the same types of job before going to university as they do during their degree studies. Some who continue living at home while at university will potentially retain the same job throughout the degree period that they first took on while at school or college. If universities can accredit the part-time work students undertake while studying for their degree against those degree studies, then there is also an opportunity to accredit any work activity students complete before entering university, also against the degree.

Universities thus have an opportunity to work with school and college students to accredit individuals’ work activities and so to establish and build a symbiotic relationship. In this article, we expand on the advantages of this approach with regard to the enhanced stakeholder relationships and facilitated transition into higher education it could provide.

The current proposition: Accrediting university students’ part-time work

Increasing numbers of university students are working part-time while studying (Boyce and Stone, 2015), often due to financial burdens (Crockford et al., 2015). While this can impact negatively on study demands and academic performance, especially when long hours are undertaken (Curtis, 2007; Robotham, 2012), part-time work activity not only familiarizes students with the world of work (Billet and Ovens, 2007) but also helps them to develop skills, attitudes and behaviours that are demanded by employers (Evans et al., 2015). Students are orienting themselves to the world of work, and at the same time are accumulating skills from their work activities that will make them more employable graduates (Hills et al., 2003; Martin and McCabe, 2007).

An initial review of the skill needs of part-time jobs that students typically undertake – such as hospitality, bar work, events, sales (see, e.g. the websites student-jobs.co.uk and studentjob.co.uk) – and comparing them to the demands of graduate positions (see, e.g. the websites graduate-jobs.com and milkround.com), highlights similarities in person-specification requirements, including effective communication, problem solving and decision-making, teamworking and customer service delivery.

The skills being developed in these part-time positions are therefore often those demanded by businesses for graduate jobs (CMI, 2014). As Davies (2000) and Evans and Richardson (2017) recognize, this yields an opportunity for universities not just to welcome and encourage but to embrace and integrate the part-time work activities of their students by accrediting the part-time work-based experience against degree learning outcomes, thereby reinforcing the employment credentials of their graduates.

Universities are increasingly recognizing the need to demonstrate the commercial credibility of their degrees and to raise the employability skills of their students (Andrews and Higson, 2008; Tomlinson, 2007). Work-based learning is becoming an integral element of degree studies (Lester and Costley, 2010), as universities look to develop skills in their graduates that employers demand (Finch et al., 2013; McMurray et al., 2016). While this work-based learning typically comprises placements and internships, especially vital for vocationally oriented disciplines such as nursing and education, students themselves are obtaining requisite work experience through their part-time employment (Evans et al., 2014). It therefore seems appropriate that universities should accredit this part-time work as an integral element of the degree award.

Models of the accreditation of prior work experience (APEL) are now commonplace in the higher education sector, as a means of facilitating non-standard entry to award programmes (Hamill and Sutherland, 1994) and as a substitute for a placement activity (Tempest et al., 2007). Chisholm and Davies (2007) even argue that full accreditation for awards should be permitted. Nonetheless, there are still tensions regarding the perceived commoditization of the student experience through recognizable blocks of knowledge and the facilitation of like-for-like accreditation against awards (Dismore et al., 2011). While McLernon and Hughes (2004) argue for a more structured, formalized process of accrediting work experience, inherent complexity can be off-putting for staff engaging with the APEL process (Gallacher and Feutrie, 2003). Armsby et al. (2006), therefore, advocate flexibility, with the tutor acting as an integral adviser, to support students’ learning throughout the process. Moreover, Dagavarian and Lakin (2003) emphasize that accreditation should be given only for relevant knowledge, and so exploration of the context, reflection on experience and subsequent writing up are important elements (Chirema, 2007; Lester, 2007; Mortari, 2012).

However, it is reflection on the part-time work that is a crucial element in the process of recognizing and accrediting work experience (Higgins, 2011). Critical reflection is also important in enabling students to learn from the experience (Bulman et al., 2014). Yet, as Gray (2007) notes, critical reflection is a difficult skill, especially since students reflecting on work experience tend to focus on the more technical skills, and ignore the softer ones (Smith et al., 2007). Consequently, students need to be supported by tutors (Coulson and Harvey, 2013) to raise awareness of work activities and also to encourage improvements in practice (Morris-Day, 2013) and self-development (Davis et al., 2014).

Tutors will also need to support students in writing journal documents to facilitate the critical reflection. Nonetheless, portfolios can be produced electronically (Wright and Stallworth, 2002), or journals developed through student blogging (Chong, 2010; Stoker, 2015; Yang and Chang, 2012), both of which reduce the administrative burden and potentially raise levels of student commitment. These can be enhanced by encouraging an online community environment (Ferguson et al., 2016; Kuo et al., 2017) to enable students to communicate and support each other in the writing and reflection process.

The new proposition: Universities take one step backwards into schools

The part-time work that students at university typically undertake is of the same type and level as that undertaken by sixth-form students studying for ‘A’ Levels or similar end of school qualifications. According to Rokicka (2014), in England, nearly one-third of students aged 16 or older work part-time while studying. Those who continue to live at home while at university may well continue with the same part-time job they began while at school. The same opportunity to develop a portfolio, or journal of work experience, together with a critical commentary, should therefore also be available to those sixth-form students who work part-time while studying.

In this light, the proposal presented here is for university staff to engage with schools and colleges to support those students currently working part-time in the development of a portfolio of work experience, together with the requisite critical reflection. This activity can then be used to gain partial or unit accreditation against their future degree studies. It could also potentially be used to reduce the cost of the tuition fee, which might be important where students are price-sensitive: universities might have lower delivery costs later in the degree programme by avoiding the necessity of supporting students through work placements. It could, finally, also reduce the students’ workload when they are studying for their degree – important in balancing study–work–social commitments.

An outline of the process can be briefly stated. Once a school had agreed to participate, a member of the university faculty would lead an introductory workshop for interested school students currently in part-time employment to explain the scheme and describe the recording and assessment requirements. The students would be given access to the university’s virtual learning environment, which would contain all the key information relating to the scheme, exemplars of portfolios, and templates to guide the students’ work. Regular half-day follow-up workshops, led by university staff, might be provided at the school to assess progress and provide further guidance on the process. School staff would provide encouragement to students rather than get involved in the tuition or assessment process. This does, however, limit the number of schools that the university might be able to engage with – which would be dependent on the appropriate members of faculty being available to lead the process, engage with the schools and assess the completed portfolios. Universities often have a small number of relationships with local schools which have actively supported progression. The accreditation of students’ part-time work offers an opportunity for universities to develop progression relationships with a wider range of schools and potentially to support widening participation.

Critical reflection on the work experience is particularly important though and should be integral to the students’ learning process (Herrington et al., 2014). However, Quinton and Smallbone (2010) note that schools have limited opportunities to engage in critical reflective practice, possibly due to student numbers and orientation to assessment outcome measurements. University tutors would therefore need to provide instruction on reflection and on the completion of an appropriate portfolio. As Durkin et al. (2016) argue, innovative activities in universities need resourcing if successful outcomes are to be derived, and so this proposal requires adequate resourcing to be effective and staff also need to be supported in the process.

The proposal helps to develop the relationship between the school, the student and the university – something universities have traditionally done badly (Klie, 2013) although, as Waskowski (2015) notes, relationships with stakeholders are particularly complex in most business sectors. Biaton (2015) highlights the importance to universities of developing relationships through the participation and involvement of stakeholders, especially potential students. By interacting with students at school level, the university helps to build a relationship base early in the lifecycle (Oluseye et al., 2014) and creates mutual added value for those concerned (Ramachandran, 2010). However, developing relationships is largely dependent on the establishment of effective communication channels (Filip, 2012; Nicholls et al., 1995), and university tutors working alongside school students on the proposed activity will help in this respect. Additionally, the development of interpersonal relationships between school students and university tutors can help to drive loyalty (El-Manstrly, 2016). Loyalty is typically derived from a complex mix of factors, but Liu et al. (2011) stress that the level of customer intimacy enhances trust and customer tie-in. In addition, the accreditation of students’ part-time work against the degree will add value to the relationship with the potential reduction in cost and workload at university increasing the cost–benefit outcomes, and thus potentially increasing buy-in.

The proposed activity could also help students with the transition to university, as they will have developed a closer connection with university life. One of the problems highlighted by school leavers entering university is their sense that they are inadequately prepared academically (Setlalentoa, 2013). In this light, Thomas (2012) highlights the benefits of universities’ early engagement with students to prepare them for the subsequent academic rigours. Maunder et al. (2013) recognize that this approach removes some of the uncertainty associated with going to university. Knox (2005) notes that students who undertook an introductory module benefitted from a smoother transition from college to university. Early engagement gives school students a greater level of awareness of what is expected on the degree – an important element in the transition process (Berger and Malaney, 2003). Similar to the proposal presented in this article, Bolt and Graber (2010) describe the successful delivery of a university programme to year 12 students that provided a preparatory module which received credits in the degree programme once the students had been admitted.

The student journal suggested in this proposal is one of the primary sources of development and forms a basis for future self-development, both as an academic learner and as a professional (Davis et al., 2014). Students can therefore retain and update accordingly as they proceed through the degree programme, completing a portfolio that will enhance their graduate employment prospects. In addition, the journal also encourages critical reflection, something with which students often struggle when they begin university courses (Tate and Swords, 2013).

We do not suggest, in setting out this proposal, that students should be able to join later in the degree programme, using credit transfer to jump a stage – which typically causes problems in the development of the critical analysis skills (Millman, 2013) important in gaining a higher classification.

Conclusion

The proposal described in this article has attractions for all stakeholders. School students develop a tangible product in the portfolio of work experience that provides them with a base for recording subsequent work experience – which should help support future employment aspirations. With employability at the forefront of the proposal, raised awareness in the students could improve graduate prospects over the long term (Ehiyazaryan and Barraclough, 2009). Students need to promote the skills they have developed through part-time work to graduate employers; the portfolio gives them a record from which they can draw examples of practice. School students also benefit from the relationship with the university in gaining some unit accreditation against their degree and also from working with tutors. Thus, they acquire insights that help to shape their expectations of university work and that should therefore lead to reduced anxiety and assist with their transition to university and degree studies.

Schools could develop a more tangible relationship with the university than is achieved by attendance at career days and similar liaison activities through the proposed enhanced provision at year 12 and progression for their students to a degree programme.

One criticism that employers make about recruits, especially for graduate positions, is the emphasis that applicants place on their academic study rather than on any relevant work experience they have gained and on how that experience might relate to the position sought (Evans et al., 2015). This proposal places greater emphasis on the value of work experience from the outset of university engagement.

The tangible reward for students of partial tuition fee remission should result in greater buy-in for the university. The university gains from working with potential students at an early point, maximizing the opportunity to develop a relationship that will improve recruitment. In addition, the relationship should also improve students’ transition to university and their grasp of critical reflection and thinking skills.

While some argue that accreditation should be contextualized around studies (Gallacher and Feutrie, 2003), it is not an element of the curriculum that is being accredited in this proposal, but work experience that is common for those in part-time jobs while studying for ‘A’ levels or a degree. Nonetheless, the proposal presented here is a viewpoint of the authors, which needs to be implemented as a pilot study. The proposal could also be extended to include those students on the UK’s Young Enterprise Scheme (see: https://www.young-enterprise.org.uk/), which already extends from primary school children to university students. The programme is primarily geared to providing young people with employability skills, incorporating career development, personal planning, financial acumen and personality assessments, many of which can be found in a typical first-year undergraduate personal development module. In addition, the Young Enterprise Company Programme, aimed at college students, provides insight into and experience of running a business and covers a range of skills such as marketing, financial planning, branding and entrepreneurship.

Footnotes

Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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