For many students, part time work has become a necessity, not a choice. That’s the reality we now live in.
Our Student Working Lives project, conducted at the University of Central Lancashire, considers students’ increased reliance on part-time work – and how universities are best placed to support them in acquiring good quality employment that enhances their graduate aspirations.
Last year’s Advance HE/HEPI Student Academic Experience survey highlighted that students, on average, are working 13.5 hours a week alongside their studies.
Our own research, which surveyed students studying a range of business disciplines across the university, showed that our students worked on average 18 hours a week – with home students working an average of 23 hours a week.
These were characterised by jobs in low-paid sectors, unrelated to their course, within health and social care, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors.
