A lucky draw? Theorising how work placements develop diverse university students’ career stories

Figures & data

Table 1. Four Stages of Career Identity Formation for Inclusive University Work-Based Placements (based on Law 1996).

Stage	Description
Sensing	Stage where students may have ambiguous and/or untested ideas of what careers they may like to pursue or how they can contribute to the labour force (i.e. likely to occur pre-placement). These feelings may be formed from various experiences including prior study, work, or relationships. For diverse students, these are often interpreted already through societal norms and narratives, which have signalled to them what they are capable of, or what is expected (or not) from them.
Sifting	Stage in the placement experience where students begin comparing their career ‘senses’ to a reality or specific working environment. They may also be exposed to aspects or specifics of the career they had not expected, including barriers or obstacles, which may further influence their career stories and goals. Students through this process also begin to clarify their beliefs of what is required in the career and how inclusion is or is not supported.
Focusing	Stage in the placement experience where students reflect on their own skill sets, capabilities, and working preferences within the career. In this stage they begin to negotiate how they may join or operate within the career. Diverse students also recognise specific accommodations and/or factors (e.g. working environment, technology) that may be needed to succeed in the career and balance these with what seems possible in the career or environment.
Understanding	Stage where students begin to draw cohesive conclusions about how they performed in the placement. These reflections form a narrative about who they are, their strengths, and what career(s) they would like to pursue (i.e. their career story). The learning experience is further situated across their broader life experiences which supports a story about how they have, and continue to plan to, contribute to the labour force and society.

Law, Bill. 1996. “A Career Learning Theory.” In Rethinking Careers Education and Guidance: Theory, Policy and Practice, edited by Anthony Watts, Bill Law, John Killeen, Jennifer Kidd, and Ruth Hawthorn, 46–72. London, UK: Routledge.

 Google Scholar