Work Based Learning

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Work Based Learning EntrepreneurshipGerry
McAllister, Kate Greenan Sylvia
AlexanderUniversity of Ulster
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Overview

• Evolving curriculum/National Agenda
• employability
• professional skills training
• UU strong emphasis on vocational education
• Industrial collaboration
• Work-based Learning
• Entrepreneurship
• Supporting students
• VLE (WebCT)

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What goes round comes round
Research/ Curriculum
Industrial Collaboration
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Academic/Industrial Partnerships

• Technology transfer
• Work-based learning
• Teaching company schemes
• Incubator centres/Science Parks
• CPD
• Curriculum design
• Entrepreneurship

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Work-based Learning at UU

• Industrial placement
• MSc in Work-based learning
• TCS Associates
• Software Engineering
• Industry based Professional Doctorates
• D Inf
• D Man
• D Ed.
• D Eng

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Placement

• Mandatory on all undergraduate programmes
• Currently on HND Jordanstown
• Transition from Associate Bachelor to Honours
  Degree Programmes

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Placement Process

• Valued by students and employers
• 2001/02
• 300 Students with 124 Companies
• Paid employment
• Pre-requisite for final year
• Recent Problems
• Downturn in IT sector
• difficulties finding placement
• minimum length of placement

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The process

• Students Placement preparation - year 2
• Student submits CV
• Job specs requested from employers
• Job specs circulated to students
• Students select appropriate opportunities
• Interviews arranged
• Restriction - Must accept first offer
• Academic supervision during placement (twice)

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Supporting students on placement

• Legal duty/obligation to students
• Health Safety Issues
• Visits Dictated by
• distance
• resources
• staff expertise
• student numbers
• Placement visitors
• many eases workload
• few consistency

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Pre-placement

• Lectures/seminars on
• process
• CV preparation
• interview techniques
• preparing for work
• Carried out by placement tutor
• New ideas for further industrial input

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During placement

• Advice on
• Deliverables required
• Visits
• Where to seek help
• Visiting tutor
• address concerns of student of employer

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Post placement

• Assessment
• Student Report/log book 40
• Employers report 30
• Visiting tutors reports (2) 30

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Placement tutor roles

• Finding/vetting potential placements
• history of placement
• personal contact
• local/well-known employers
• Allocating and briefing visiting tutors

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TCS programs

• 2-year industrial programs
• TCS associate employed by the university
• Nationally Funded by TCD
• Associate placed in a company with a defined
  project
• Academic and Industrial supervision

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TCS Benefits

• Substantial financial benefit to the university
  and company
• Well defined training program for a new graduate
• Ideal academic/industrial partnership
• Existing strong UU history
• Good hit rate

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Intertrade Ireland

• Cross-Border Trade and Business Development
  Implementation Body
• Established as part of new Political Structures
• Particular Focus
• Benefits to be derived by SMEs through the
  placement of a graduate or diploma-holder

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Fusion

• All Ireland Knowledge Transfer Initiative
• Based largely on TCS model
• Operates on cross border basis
• Sectors Targeted include
• Software
• ICT
• Design(Multimedia)
• Current Pilot Phase 18 month programs

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Benefits and Procedures

• Funding available for academics to act as
  consultants
• University can claim
• 10K p.a. for academic support
• 2K p.a. for travel and subsistence
• Academic commitment 2 days per month
• Managed under consultancy procedures by
  Technology Transfer section of Research office

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Vocational Education Entrepreneurship

• A more vibrant local economy
• High value jobs
• Harnessing of local talent
• Take advantage of new graduates with fresh and
  visionary ideas
• Enhance the reputation (and resources) of the
  university

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Support for Entrepreneurship

• Science Enterprise Challenge
• 12 Science Enterprise centres
• teaching enterprise and entrepreneurship to
  students
• NICENT

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NICENT Learning outcomes

• Demonstrate innovative thinking and creativity
• Demonstrate knowledge of future trends
• Identify steps required to research market for
  business opportunity
• Explain IPR w.r.t new idea generation and product
  innovation
• Describe the component parts of a business plan
• Familiarity with organizational support available
  to assist new enterprise development within UU
  and the local community
• Demonstrate team building ability
• Identify steps required w.r.t. new company set up
  and incorporation
• Key sources of finance available for business
  start-up
• Communicate new ideas effectively
• Familiarity with an e-learning environment

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Undergraduate Curriculum

• Introduce Business start-up ideas
• Teach Practical Business skills
• sources of funding
• accounts basics
• assertiveness training
• market research training
• Intellectual Property
• Build an Integrated Program

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Final Year

• Make students aware of options
• 1 Seek employment
• 2 Further Study/Research
• 3 Start a business
• Encourage entrepreneurial final year projects
• Business plan with final year project
• 20K awards
• Entrepreneurial Mentors

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After Graduation

• Provide support for transition - student to
  entrepreneur
• on going access to university facilities
• Incubate them
• infrastructure
• space
• communications
• computer

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Teaching entrepreneurship

• Classroom based
• WBL
• Personal Development Planning

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Supporting students

• VLE
• WebCT
• Reduces isolation during placement
• Making regular use of chat and bulletin board
• Encourages groupwork
• Students work collaboratively to resolve issues
  and achieve common aims without reducing
  individual responsibility
• Students have access to necessary support
  materials which aid understanding

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Student evaluation of WebCT

• Aid to communication
• Appreciate feedback from tutors and peers
• Easy and efficient to use
• Common environment for students from different
  backgrounds

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Conclusions

• New patterns in TL
• content
• delivery vehicle
• support
• Rewarding for both students and staff
• A more entrepreneurial culture?