From the University of Ljubljana comes an interesting idea – providing placements for students within the University’s administration to help run the university.
A paper analysing the program found that the program was useful in providing relevant experience to students – and presumably also helped the university with a low-cost administrative workforce. A win-win for those who advocate for student’s voices to be better heard in university decision making, but an interesting by product of the program was the finding that students involved in the program struggled with university ICT systems.
The students were not required to have specific ICT skills, but found they had much to learn on the job to be able to use required systems.
In findings that have been the lament of Australian employers for years, the survey of students conducted for the study, “highlights discrepancies between software learned at the faculty and those commonly used in workplaces, emphasizing the need for alignment.”
The report found that students had language, analytical and critical thinking skills valued by employers, but that the institution needed to re-think how it taught ICT to students, “ensuring alignment with industry demands to better prepare students for their future careers.”
