Notes from activity at HEA-funded workshop 'Work-based learning in Politics and International Studies: from theory to practice'. The workshop brought together key stakeholders in the delivery of work-based learning and employability skills in the Politics and International Relations (IR) disciplines including academics, employers and careers advisors. Through presentations and discussion delegates had the opportunity to share best practice on existing work-based learning schemes and developing employability skills. This presentation is part of a related blog post that provides an overview of the event: http://bit.ly/1x0KPae For further details of the HEA's work on Employability and Global Citizenship in the Social Sciences see: http://bit.ly/17n8Knj

1. Workshop
on
Work-­based
Learning
in
Politics
and
International
Studies,
Oxford
Brookes
University
7
April
2014
Breakout
session
on
Skills,
Ethics
and
Employability
Notes
summarising
key
themes
of
the
discussion
Engagement
in
(local)
politics/government
as
a
source
of
empowerment
• Making
sense
of
the
system
–
being
critical
But
should
employability
be
a
central
concern
for
humanities
and
social
sciences?
• What
is
the
point
of
university
education?
Creating
workers
or
empowering
citizens?
Employability
has
been
“hijacked”
• Employers
are
interested
in
university
educated
new
employees
–
is
employability
really
needed
as
an
agenda?
Employability
is
flexibility
–
being
able
to
use
and
apply
your
skills
and
knowledge
• One
size
fits
all?
Possibly
not…
Who
provides
the
necessary
skills
for
employ-­‐ability?
Schools,
universities
and
FE
colleges,
employers?
Disconnect
between
21st
century
youth
and
the
“language”
and
culture
of
politics
as
a
challenge.
• Whose
responsibility
is
it
to
bridge
the
gap?
Q-­‐Step
as
an
initiative
in
providing
quantitative
skills
to
make
“students
useful”
for
placements
providers
and
leading
to
increased
employability.
Cultural
tensions
in
the
employability
“paradigm”
being
ignored
and
neglected?
Potential
tension
between
the
student’s
interests
and
the
employer’s
interests
(learning,
developing,
etc.
vs.
“employing
cheap
labour”?)
• No
finger-­‐pointing
but
there
is
a
serious
ethical
concern
of
placement
students
regularly
filling
gaps
where
organisational
resources
cannot
meet
the
need
for
employing
enough
people.

2. Payment
as
an
issue?
Minimum
wage
for
work
placements?
• Ethical
issues
linked
to
the
potential
payment
(collusion
between
employer/employee)
• Not
for
profit
organisations
might
find
this
as
a
very
difficult/impossible
requirement?
Do
we
teach
the
“abstract”
or
the
“real
world”?
• Applying
theoretical
knowledge
–
talking
about
the
real
issues
Unequal
access
(structured
inequalities)
Terminology
(work
experience,
placements,
internships
etc.)
• Same
thing
with
different
words
or
actually
different
meanings?
What
work
is
relevant?
How
much
can
you
engage
with
it?
Minimum/maximum?
Student
well-­‐being
and
welfare
–
anxieties
and
worries
• How
do
we
as
academics
and
placement
providers
take
the
welfare
aspects
into
consideration?
• Unintended
consequences
from
well-­‐meaning
programmes
etc.?
Whose
responsibility?
• How
do
we
keep
the
student’s
interest
at
the
central
focus?
o Are
work-­‐placement
learning
and
employability
projects
really
addressing
the
interests
of
the
students?
Agendas
driven
from
outside
of
academia
but
we
still
are
left
to
deal
with
it
–
also
the
unintended
consequences.
• How
important
is
this?
o Is
it
so
important
that
all
students
should
engage
in
it?
o Are
we
willing
to
take
the
consequences
of
the
voluntary/selective
model
(students
who
engage
with
this,
get
on
pole
position
for
jobs)?
Employability
as
a
term
is
individualistic
–
also
individual
responsibility
if
you
fail
Myth-­‐busting
with
work
placements
is
needed
• What
is
it
really
about
and
what
does
it
really
try
to
achieve?
• Focus
on
the
process
of
a
work
placement
or
the
outcomes
it
produces?
• Managing
students’
expectations
We
share
a
number
of
anxieties!!!