Out of the comfort zone: Enhancing work-based learning about employability through student reflection on work placements

Eden, Sally

Abstract

This paper examines the work-based learning about employability reported by 26 undergraduate Geography and Environmental Management students on part-time, unpaid work placements. The students' “reflective essays” emphasized their learning more in terms of emotional challenges than in terms of skills, as being pushed out of their “comfort zone” forced them to be more proactive, tackle unfamiliar activities and develop emotionally. This conceptualizes employability as more than skills and as integrative, reflective and adaptable. This also emphasizes that higher education institutions must support employability and work-based learning outside the academic zone and better integrate off-campus work-based learning with on-campus reflection.

Citation

Eden, S. (2014). Out of the comfort zone: Enhancing work-based learning about employability through student reflection on work placements. Journal of geography in higher education, 38(2), 266-276. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2014.911826

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 10, 2013
• Publication Date: 2014
• Deposit Date: May 19, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: May 19, 2015
• Journal: Journal of geography in higher education
• Print ISSN: 0309-8265
• Electronic ISSN: 1466-1845
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 266-276
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2014.911826
• Keywords: Employability; Work-based learning; Work-related learning; Work experience; Placements; Reflection
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/373994
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2014.911826
• Additional Information: This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of geography in higher education on 01/05/2014, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03098265.2014.911826