‘Employers’ perspectives on maximising undergraduate student learning from the outdoor education centre work placement

Recognising the growth in provision of vocational undergraduate programmes and the requirement for high quality work placement opportunities, managers from four residential outdoor education centres were interviewed to determine their perceptions on the components necessary to maximise student learning. The findings showed that the managers greatly valued the potential of a work placement; a need for clarity over the expectations for all stakeholders and that the placement remained authentic to modern centre life. Specifically it was felt that the students on placement needed to experience all aspects of work and not just the ‘glamorous’ bits.