The relationship between industrial placements and final degree results: a study of engineering placement students

The significance of industrial work placements (i.e. the work-based component of sandwich degrees) on students’ professional development and employability is widely accepted amongst many work-related learning professionals and academics alike. Indeed, the UK government-sponsored report by the Confederation of British Industry validates such claims. However, in recent times, many work-related learning professionals have begun to explore the assumption that work placements not only improve employability skills but also academic performance. This paper considers the view held by practitioners that students undertaking an industrial work placement often graduate with a higher degree classification. The paper builds upon results from more comprehensive longitudinal research from Mandilaras (2004) and Gomez et al. (2004). Using statistical tools such as a regression and a t-test, this paper assesses the results of an institutional study of engineering undergraduates at the University of Leicester, with the aim of exploring whether there is a relationship between placement students and higher final degree results. The analysis offers evidence that suggests a positive association between completing an industrial placement and achieving a higher degree result in the final year of an engineering degree. The paper concludes that the results (i.e. the positive association between industrial placements and academic performance) should be utilised by higher education leaders and academics to inform good practice in curriculum development in higher education; thus recommending that, where plausible, vocational degree programs are embedded with work-related learning components so as to maximise pedagogy and enhance applied learning.

Published abstract. Show less