We need to talk about placements...

Ahead of our 'work' space event in Leeds on the 26th, Mike Grey of Gradconsult teases out the problematics of our privileging of 'the placement' as an experiential platform

Placements and internships are a crucial part of the employability agenda, but it is vital to recognise their limitations. In many sectors, disciplines, and regions, there simply is not the latent employer demand to deliver traditional placement and internship models to scale.

We have observed at some institutions that placements have regrettably become more of a student recruitment tool, particularly at Postgraduate level, than an employability initiative which can feasibly be delivered at the required scale. This is causing huge headaches to careers services and placement teams expected to deliver on these often insurmountable institutional expectations.

There is growing recognition that these models will only ever be part of the solution:

‘We note a correspondence between positive graduate outcomes, placements, mobilities and sandwich years and often make jarring conflations of association and correlation... Of course, this isn't to say that there isn't significant value to placement and mobility experience - this would be ludicrous. We should create far more opportunities and ensure that a far more diverse set of students gain access to them.’ Professor Mark Peace, Head of Education (Faculty of Education) at Manchester Metropolitan University

Placements and internships have become a key part of employers' recruitment practices but competition for roles in larger established placement employers is extremely fierce and opportunities aren't evenly geographically spread. In 2020/21 ISE employer members reported receiving a total of 401,732 applications for intern roles (77% increase from previous year) and 143,183 for placement roles (63% increase from previous year). In the Institute of Student Employers' Internship Survey almost half of roles (48%) were based in London.