Student Essay Competition 2011
The closing date for the 2011 Student Essay Competition is FRIDAY 2nd December.
Student Essay Competition 2010 - the Winner
The 2010 Student Essay Competition winner has now been chosen. The winning entry and that of the worthy runner up can now been seen on the Student Competition page.
The essay competition aims to help ASET promote the benefits of work-based learning by highlighting the value of such opportunities. Flyers and more information can be found here: www.asetonline.org/comps
Health and Safety Guidance
The new ASET guidance on health and safety for placement students was launched in May 2010. One day workshops to assist placement tutors and staff in their application of the guidance have taken place through the year. The Health and Safety for Student Placements Brochure is now available free of charge to member institutions (postage and packing will be charged at cost) and at £15 (plus postage and packing at cost) to non-member institutions. Please see ASET Publications page for further details.
The new guidance supersedes the ‘Health and Safety Guidance for the Placement of HE Students’ which has been in place since 1997, and is supported by legal opinion.
CBI and UUK - Future Fit Report - Tough Jobs Market Means Graduates Need Work Experience More Than Ever
ASET welcomes the new CBI and UUK report 'Future Fit - Preparing Graduates for the World of Work'. The report reemphasises the importance of employability skills and experience of the workplace while at university in equipping students to compete in the increasingly tough jobs market after graduation.
Some of the key recommendations of the report are:
• More universities should provide a dedicated resource focusing on the development of employability skills as part of degree courses, and use it to build long-term relationships with employers.
• More employers should offer work experience opportunities to students.
• Students should address employability issues from day one of their course, taking up the opportunities that are offered and regarding the acquisition of employability skills as a key part of their university experience, not an optional extra.
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ASET Annual Conference 2012
The 2012 Conference will be held at the University of Chester,Chester Campus, from4-6th September. Booking for conference will open in January with Early Bird discounts available until 31st May 2012.
CANUKE – UK-Canada student mobility scheme relaunched
ASET and its Canadian equivalent CAFCE have relaunched the CANUKE scheme, which supports the mobility of students between the two countries. Through the two national associations partnerships can been established between respective members (individuals) with an interest in exchanging students on work placements.
The main benefit of this scheme to UK HEI staff is assistance with the entry procedures for your students going to Canada. Canadian university prepared support letters regarding the exchange programme can be obtained which help the students circumnavigate difficulties they may encounter with security screening and obtaining work permits. The scheme has both UK Home Office and Canadian Immigration Department support.
More information can be found on the new CANUKE page of this site.
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ASET Honour Ex-Chairman and President
ASET honoured its former Chairman and President Dr Edwin Kerr at an event held at the University of Ulster in February 2009.
Edwin became Chairman of ASET in the late 1980s and served in that post for over a decade before becoming President. With a wealth of knowledge in the HE sector including a period as Chief Officer for CNAA, Edwin’s acute sensitivity to both educational and political implications served ASET well on many occasions.
Current Chairman John Wilson presented Edwin with a specially commissioned present featuring the ASET logo.
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Are E-Portfolios an Asset to Learning and Placement? – Free Glossy Report Summary
As the final piece of dissemination for the ASET funded research project on innovative methods in the assessment of work-based learning, a professionally printed glossy Report Summary has been produced for us by the research team at De Montfort University.
These can be ordered free by emailing the ASET office (aset@asetonline.org) with your details and required quantity, or from the publications page of our website.
The full report itself can still be found here.
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Research Paper on Placements and Academic Performance
A new research paper on ‘The Correlation between Industrial Placements and Final Degree Results’ has been completed. This paper can be found here.
Our full compilation of sector research papers can be found on our research page and we welcome new submissions at any time.
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Graduate Jobs Crunch Magnifies Placement Students’ Advantage (Sunday Times article)
The following recent article from the Sunday Times about how placement students are far better equipped to cope with the current economic climate might be of interest and worth highlighting to prospective placement students.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/article5535766.ece
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'Are E-Portfolios An Asset To Learning and Placement?' - Report
Following the dissemination event, this ASET funded research project is now available to read and download. Both an executive summary and the full report can permanently be found here. This report surveys and makes recommendations on innovative methods of placement assessment and has been described as “excellent review of an important and emerging method of assessment of placement learning” and “a seminal piece of work” by the peer reviewers. ASET hopes it will be of value to those contemplating these issues within their own institutions.
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The Importance of Good Placement Support and Information
ASET welcomes news from DIUS that student juries have highlighted the importance of good information and support regarding career development and work placements: www.dius.gov.uk/press/09-04-08.html
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QAA Code of Practice - Amendment
Following feedback and discussions with the higher and further education sectors, QAA has reworded the text in paragraphs 17 and 18 of this revised version to clarify the advice given on collaborative provision. Printed versions of this revised section will be distributed to institutions in the next few weeks.. More details and a pdf copy of the document itself can be found here: www.asetonline.org/advice.htm#qaa
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Need A Degree Boost? - Try A Sandwich (Guardian Article)
www.guardian.co.uk/graduate/story/0,,2184525,00.html
Whilst it is well known that placements enhance students' personal and professional development, this new ASET study shows that there are also very persuasive tangible benefits of integrating work and learning. Anecdotally it is always said that placement experiences improve students, both in their final year back at university and beyond, but this research will provide further hard evidence of this.
The source of this Guardian article, an interim report picking out the headline figures from the research, can be found here. The full research report will follow, also incorporating the most recent year's HESA statistics, and with detailed academic analysis.
The reason placement students achieve higher final grades is primarily because many students come back from their period of work experience with 'value added'. As a result of personal development in their time in industry they will have acquired new levels of maturity, self-confidence, self-discipline and responsibility, which all transfer back into their academic work and subsequent performance at level 3. In addition, it can also be seen that it is the more conscientious students who elect to undertake placements in the first place because they more readily recognise the long term benefits of them.
With regard to the employability figures, the year's work experience, the development of work-related skills for the graduate marketplace and contacts in industry (with 69% of students being offered permanent jobs at their placement employer after graduation), all make placement students much more attractive to graduate employers. Of course it is also not just the work in itself, but also the fact that it is undertaken in a supported environment that benefits students so much.
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Membership Renewals
Membership renewals for 2012 will be sent to our primary contacts in each member institution inJanuary 2012. ASET is a charity,and these subs, plus the hard work of the volunteers on our various committees, allow ASET to provide a range of training and services to our members. The annual rate of £175 covers all relevant staff, in all departments, across the institution. If you are not sure whether your institution is currently a member, or would like to find out who your membership contact is, please contact the ASET office.
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