How do students and organisations get value out of work placements?

There are many benefits to work placements, both to the student and the employer, but there is little research in terms of how students get value from them. In this episode of the Research and Innovation Podcast, Dr Helen Hughes and Dr Sally Moore discuss what work placements are and why it’s important to find out more about how students develop during a placement. This podcast episode was recorded remotely in July 2020. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available at:  https://business.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/download/190/podcast_episode_10_-_transcript About the speakers: Dr Helen Hughes is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School and the Programme Director for the British Psychological Society accredited MSc in Organisational Psychology. She leads the Faculty-wide ‘Year in Industry’ module, taken by students who take the industrial placement year during their undergraduate studies in the Business School. Her research areas include the ways that social interactions influence and shape jobs and careers, and new ways of working, job design, job crafting and work organisation. Dr Sally Moore is an Industrial Engagement Teaching Fellow in the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds. She leads the School's placement modules which enable students to work in various food and nutrition related roles, including in the food industry. Sally is a Registered Dietitian and her current research interests involve consumer engagement with nutrition labelling, food legislation and public health nutrition initiatives and policy. Her interests in innovation in higher education, and her PhD research, stem from her experiences leading the nutrition team for a major UK food retailer, supervising placement students, and recruiting graduates. Helen and Sally are working together on a multi-disciplinary project that seeks to better understand how students develop their skills during a work placement, the rate of development, and how their skills and development are perceived within their placement organizations. To hear more about the project, or to get involved, please visit https://business.leeds.ac.uk/dir-record/research-projects/1736/understanding-the-value-of-a-work-placement