SKILLS DEVELOPMENT SCOTLAND INTERNSHIP SCHEME
PROJECTS STARTING APRIL 2017 ONWARDS
Application Deadline: 22 February 2017 at 5pm
Skills Development Scotland
Centre for Work-Based Learning Internship Opportunities
Background:
The Centre for Work-Based Learning (CWBL) is a collaborative venture involving Skills Development Scotland (SDS),the University of Strathclyde’s International Public Policy Institute and other partners. The overall vision of the centre is to establish the value of work-based learning in the Scottish education and training system. The CWBL will work with education and industry to provide a focus for evidence-led policy and practice in work-based learning.
Work-Based Learning (WBL) is an inherently multidisciplinary area involving research in the fields of Economics, Education, Human Resources, Management Science and more. The CWBL aims to become a space where academics, policy makers and practitioners working in these fields can come together to co-produce a world-class programme of research, policy and practice around Work-Based Learning activities.
To progress these aims the CWBL has identified four key interrelated work streams. These are Futures – which asks what skills will the Scottish workforce need to best meet future challenges and how do we develop them? Impact – which analyses the impact of WBL on modern economies; Review – which considers current WBL practice, policy and research; and Influencing Change – which looks at the culture and perception of WBL across stakeholder groups.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND HOW TO APPLY
What is an Internship?
An internship is a non-salaried work placement. The SGSSS-SDS Internship Competition gives current SGSSS students (all students registered for a PhD degree in Scotland, however funded) the opportunity to apply to undertake an internship.
Please note that these internships present opportunities to work outside the topic area of a student’s PhD to develop a range of transferable skills, enhance employability and provide the experience of working within a public sector organisation.
Working arrangements
All internships areon a full-time working basis for three months (13 weeks). A monthly stipend equivalent to the ESRC standard maintenance stipend will be paid to students on internships.
The intern will work alongside the project team at the SDS George Square Glasgow office and the CWBL at the University of Strathclyde. The intern should be available during normal working hours. Supervision will be shared between SDS and the CWBL.Please see the separate SGSSS document “Additional Information” which provides guidance on travel and accommodation reimbursement.
Successful applicants and their University supervisor will be asked to sign an agreement document prior to commencing their internship, covering administrative details such as procedures for annual leave, etc.
Eligibility
All SGSSSpostgraduate students registered for a PhD who are,at the time of application, in full time study in a social science discipline (or part time but able to commit to full-time internship) , are invited to apply for the projects described below. Please note we cannot accept applications from non-social science students please check the SGSSS website for Pathway information which specifies the disciplines we cover.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the scheme and UKBA regulations, students on a Tier 4 visa are not eligible to apply for internships.
SGSSS prefers applicants to be in their second or third year of the PhD to apply due to the experience required to fulfil the internship opportunities. The internships will start no earlier April 2017 onwards. This scheme is open forall students notwithstanding how their PhD is funded, as long as other criteria are met, such as nationality and eligibility to work in the UK.
If successfulall students will take an interruption of studies so that they are not eligible for fees during the internship. Research supervisors need to give permission for students to apply for these opportunities. Successful applicants will receive the equivalent of a standard ESRC maintenance stipend for the three months while on internship.
How to apply
Applicants should submit an online application form available on the SGSSS website, which includes space for a statement of support from your principal supervisor, along with atwo-page CV.
The deadline for applications is5pm onWednesday, 22nd February 2017.
Although you can apply for more than one, candidates can only undertake one internship.
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their applications and areas of interest by telephone with SDS contact in advance of submitting their application. If there are questions about the scheme as a whole please contact Lynne Robson or Rosie McCready:
Contact for Enquiries: Dr Lynne Robson or Rosie McCready
Email: or
Telephone: 0300 013 2144 or 0300 013 2360
Students are encouraged to carefully consider the information requested in the application form and pay particular attention to setting out their expertise in particular research methods to address the desired skills listed. Applicants are often not required to have academic experience in the policy area of the internship unless specified in the project description. As stated above, SGSSS strongly encourages students to choose opportunities to work outside the area of their PhD topic in order to gain wider experience.
Selection process
Interns will be selected by the SGSSS on the basis of their written application. An informal telephone discussion with applicants may also be held before final allocation of internships. It can take sometime to work with SDS hosts to place applicants so we may not be in touch for approximately 4 weeks after the deadline. Either the SGSSS or SDS will inform you of the success of your application and may contact you to offer you a place or to seek further information from you. If you have not heard back from us within 6 weeks of the deadline then please contact SGSSSinternship scheme on the email below:
Additional information
SDS Scheme Managers are Dr Lynne Robson or Rosie McCready
Email: or
Telephone: 0300 013 2144 or 0300 013 2360
For more information about SDS:
Reporting Requirements
Once the internship has finished, students are required to submit to the SGSSS an End of InternshipReport within 2 months of completing the internship; outlining the project in which they were involved and providing feedback on their experience of working in SDS. We also expect that interns are willing to take up opportunities to speak to other students about their experience e.g. at the SGSSS Summer School.
The Internships
Internship Title1 / Future Casting – What will Scotland’s Workforce look like in 2040?
2 / Measuring the Impact of the Scottish Apprenticeship Family on the Scottish Economy
3 / Partnerships for Successful Work-Based Learning Pedagogies
4 / Structures and Partnerships for Work-Based Learning Standards
Internship 1; Future Casting – What will Scotland’s Workforce look like in 2040?
Project Brief:
Working within the Futures work stream we are looking for a researcher to gather evidence that will enable us to forecast a number of potential scenarios for the future of the Scottish economy. Looking to the year 2040, we would like the researcher to use historical economic data and existing global projections to analyse trends that will influence the future of work in Scotland, and the shape of the Scottish Economy. Areas of focus include: employment levels, sectoral shifts and potential societal impacts.
This quantitative analysis will be combined with the qualitative primary and secondary research being carried out by the Futures project team to create a set of illustrative scenarios for what the landscape may look like in 2040.
This will feed into a project that has already commenced in SDS to investigate skills for the future (Skills 4.0) and the researcher would be expected to work alongside the project team to ensure research outputs are incorporated in the project fully. Skills 4.0 is investigating the concept of the 4th industrial revolution (Industrie 4.0) and its impact on skills requirements for the future with the ultimate aim of building these skills needs into work based learning products, services and standards.
Skills required:
Experience in quantitative research methods, economics and a high-standard of written communication skills.
Internship 2: Measuring the Impact of the Scottish Apprenticeship Family on the Scottish Economy
Project Brief:
The OECD, in collaboration with SDS, have developed a comprehensive framework for measuring the longer term impact of Modern Apprentices (MAs) on the individual, the employer and the wider economy. The framework presents a number of suggested outcome measures such as wage and employment premia, productivity and well-being. It also outlines the recommended approach on how to examine these measures in the short to longer term.
Working within the Impact research stream, this internship will focus on extending the existing framework to the recently developed Foundation and Graduate Level Apprenticeships. Key issues to address and review will include: identifying a suitable control group for the individuals and employers in each case of the new apprenticeship, identifying key measures and identifying existing and required data to examine the measures.
The intern will feed in to all ongoing work of the Impact stream for the CWBL. Whilst the exact scope of the work is still to be confirmed it is likely that the outputs will include a summary literature review of existing research in this area and to develop a detailed understanding of the new apprenticeship offerings. The main output is to extend the existing framework for MAs, outlining areas that map directly to the new Apprenticeship offerings and also where there are fundamental differences in the approach or challenges, and to suggest an appropriate research methodology.
Skills required:
Essential: Good quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, good econometric skills, good communication skills
Desirable: experience of working with longitudinal data sets or labour market data.
Internship 3: Partnerships for Successful Work-Based Learning Pedagogies
Project Details
Pedagogies is a key theme within the Review stream of the CWBL research programme. Work in this theme aims to develop a framework through which appropriate pedagogies (traditional and contemporary) can be designed to provide relevance and progression in the work-based learning journey.
Establishing good working relationships between multiple stakeholders is of critical importance in design and delivery of successful work-based learning experiences. Stakeholders include, amongst others, leaners, co-learners, employers, schools and universities. With a particular emphasis on pedagogical practice this research will look across a broad range of work-based learning models to provide insight into the types of partnership structures that exist between stakeholders.
This research is concerned with getting the right partnership models in place that can deliver quality work-based learning experiences. Outputs for this internship will include a report outlining best practice in the area of stakeholder partnerships in work-based learning.
Skills required:
Excellent writing and communication skills, experience in qualitative research methods.
Internship 4:Structures and Partnerships for Work-Based Learning Standards
Project Brief:
Working within the Review work stream this research asks what are the structures & partnerships for work-based learning standards internationally?
Standards set out the criteria by which people are judged safe to practise in their chosen job. Some standards relate to initial training for a job role and some to post-qualifying development. Standards are set by a range of organisations and interests such as industry representatives, professional organisations, awarding bodies or higher education providers. Most standards include criteria specific to the job role and other generic criteria such as the capacity to analyse, evaluate and reflect.
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (2009) highlights that while most European countries use or are moving towards using learning outcomes there are different definitions of learning outcomes across European countries and questions about what constitutes competence and how it can be measured.
This research will investigate how standards influence work-based learning practices across an international perspective and the partnerships that are necessary to ensure they are rooted in providing skills and learning needed by industry. Outputs for this internship will include a report outlining best practice in work-based learning standards.
Skills required:
Excellent writing and communication skills, experience in qualitative research method.
1