Developing skills via work placements in accounting: Student and employer views

Abstract

This paper evaluates the development of skills during a work placement year within a Scottish accounting degree. It discusses the history of placements within higher education, the advantages and disadvantages of placements from student and employer perspectives, and work placement as a vehicle for developing personal transferable skills. Students and employers involved in work placements agreed that they were effective in developing a range of skills. Their views were then compared with those of students at a similar university without a placement degree. Degrees including a work placement were found to be a useful complement to more traditionally structured degrees. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

Keywords

Author Keywords

students Employers placement Personal transferable skills

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Department of Finance and Accounting, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

Department of Accountancy and Finance, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Funding & Acknowledgements

Higher Education Academy

Lucas, U. and Tan, P. (2007). Developing a reflective capacity within undergraduate education: The role of work-based placement learning . Report of a research project funded by the Higher Education Academy and the Charitable Trusts of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/LucasLengTan.pdf .

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, CIMA

Lucas, U. and Tan, P. (2007). Developing a reflective capacity within undergraduate education: The role of work-based placement learning . Report of a research project funded by the Higher Education Academy and the Charitable Trusts of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/LucasLengTan.pdf .

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Developing skills via work placements in accounting: Student and employer views

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