Employability and entrepreneurship embedded in professional placements in the business curriculum

Procter, CT 2011, 'Employability and entrepreneurship embedded in professional placements in the business curriculum' , Journal of Chinese Entrepreneurship, 3 (1) , pp. 49-57.

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Abstract

Purpose This paper explains the practice of professional placements in a large UK Business School, grounded in literature and research concerning the relationship between professional experience and employability. It explores possible further developments of this practice into student entrepreneurship. Design The paper outlines the relevant literature and then describes the operation of the scheme in practice. It identifies relevant problems and discusses opportunities for both development and research. Findings Professional experience is of immense value to both students and the organisations that host them. Despite reluctance on the part of some of these two key stakeholders, it has the potential for further expansion in terms of number of students on placement, their location, their experience and integrating placements with entrepreneurship education. Practical implications Organisations may see the benefit of employing students on one year or shorter contracts, Universities not currently offering professional placements within the curriculum to their students may wish to adopt best practice, and those that are already involved may wish to consider the optional/compulsory element of the placement experience in order to address the reticence of many students to secure this experience. The paper suggests solutions to the well established question ‘Can entrepreneurship be taught?’ by investigating the idea of Enterprise Placements. Originality/value This work helps to explain, in a practical way, the opportunities and problems associated with the implementation of a placement scheme in the context of relevant literature.

Item Type:	Article
Themes:	Subjects / Themes > L Education Subjects outside of the University Themes
Schools:	Schools > Salford Business School > Salford Business School Research Centre
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Chinese Entrepreneurship
Publisher:	Emerald
Refereed:	Yes
ISSN:	1756-1396
Depositing User:	Chris Procter
Date Deposited:	07 Mar 2011 11:46
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2022 11:03
URI:	https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/12907

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