International Placements in Chemistry & "Kultur Brillen"
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Transcript of International Placements in Chemistry & "Kultur Brillen"
CAS
Wallace
Dr Ray
International Placements in Chemistry
International Placements in Chemistry
The University View
and “Kultur Brillen”
Presentation (with minor editing) given at the University Network with Industry in Chemistry and the University Network with Industry in Biosciences Meeting in Idstein, Germany 28th October 2016
Why do I feel that there is no overarching university view?
Because we all see things differently and from our own perspective. Hence a definitive ‘University view’ is impossible although many of us will identify common themes of importance
Whilst you might be right in thinking that the majority of universities would say that international placements are a good thing, when it comes to their practical commitment to them and the resources that they put into them then a different story can start to unfold
• Many university websites enthusiastically describe the benefits for students of a placement abroad –often this refers predominantly to study at a foreign university
• Valuing specifically a work placement abroad is much harder to identify although examples of employment are included in case studies on placements abroad
• Subject disciplines/departments (for example business) where a work placement is part of their culture do highlight these opportunities and their benefits independently on their websites
The latter websites are generally aimed at students. Finding examples of policy and opinions is much more difficult but they can be found
….. three examples
What are the benefits of a quality placement?
BENEFITS FOR THE INSTITUTION
• Improvement in the university’s reputation amongst students• Raising the institution’s profile• Increased positive contact with employers• Form part of a broader, institution-wide emphasis on business engagement
The National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) is an independent and not-for-profit membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports university-business collaboration across the UK
International (work) Placements in Science
One Academic’s View
We can imagine opinions on placements and commitment to them will diverge even further if we look at things on an international basis
This is because:
• No two universities are alike• No two countries are alike, indeed no two
regions are alike• Universities differ in the power and autonomy
of individual faculties & departments• Some universities are ‘central management’
led, others are academic led
Firstly some data from the UK
Twenty Higher Education
Institutes provided
approximately 70% of all
placements to businesses and
industry. Table lists the
institutions and average
number of placement students
over the period 2002-10
JACS (the Joint Academic Coding System)
Some snippets from
So what are my personal reflections and conclusions from over 30 years experience of sandwich courses?
Additional benefits of work experience abroad over and above employment and technical skills
• Culture and community - working abroad shows a student’s desire to get stuck in and work alongside local people
• Sink or swim - demonstrate to potential employers that they can cope in a multicultural, multilingual working environment
• Language skills - these are hugely valuable to employers • Get up and go - moving abroad and finding work experience shows motivation, independence,
maturity and adaptability• Travel - a bonus• Graduate employability – the student will became an applicant that stands out from the crowd
“Working in another country forces students to step outside their comfort zone, which opens up opportunities to develop new skills and have new experiences.”
This is where I come at last to raise the issue of “Kultur Brillen”A term coined by the German-American
anthropologist Franz Boas many decades ago
This idea has been developed and expanded in recent years by Martin Lindstrom a Dutch brand strategist and author
• “When we spend too much time in the same environment, we tend to become blind to our surroundings. In reality, our cultural glasses are out biggest handicap.”
• “The reality is that the roadblock holding back progress and transformation isn’t our surroundings. Rather, it’s our own minds. Our perspective. Our Kultur brillen.”
• “Humans are ruled by inertia. We have a tendency to cling to what is comfortable, to what seems to be working – until finally, the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of change.”
These things are none the less true when it comes to international work placements and apply to students, academics, employers & university managers
What might be seen as perfectly normal or possible in one academic environment or by an employer in one country because of their local conditioning, history and culture might seam alien and at best, impractical to others
On my final slide I will show you why many British chemistry students will not want to undertake an industrial placement abroad which might not have been apparent to you because of “Kultur Brillen”
……… but first some data again from the E4E Education for Engineering report
Barriers to placements (quotes from the report)
Students
The overwhelming barrier to increased take-up of Sandwich Courses is down to
students, despite the fact that there are substantial benefits for the individual in taking
up placement opportunities. The issues cited are in the main, practical. The barriers
include the need to fill out application forms during busy periods of the year, uncertainty
in securing a placement, strong peer group pressure to opt out of taking up placements,
finding a placement close to the university or parents’ home, a preference to
concentrate on undergraduate studies and a desire to finish studies early to start work.
Institutions
For Institutions, there is a need to commit substantial human resource to developing
and maintaining relationships with employers. There is a need for close personal
contact with employers from academic and administrative staff. Where this relationship
exists, there are often repeat placements, as employers know that they will receive
good quality students. In terms of developing new business, there is again substantial
effort required to convince employers of the value of placements (particularly SMEs)
and to build relations and trust.
“Increasingly universities are using a careers
and placement team to find newemployer partnerships.”
“A developing problem is the lack of industrial
experience of a growing percentage of academic
staff. They have little knowledge of,
or empathy with industry and can consciously (or
sub-consciously) discourage
students from even considering Sandwich Courses”
Benefits
Problems
• Culture and community• Sink or swim• Language skills• Get up and go• Travel• Graduate employability
• Expense/further debt• UK placements pay full salary, most
foreign ones don’t• Poor foreign language skills• Loss of peer group as most students
will not spend a year out• Student from disadvantaged
background• Far from home & friends and travel
home difficult/expensive• Feeling like an outsider
Thank you for
reading