The Future of Work-Integrated Learning: Embedding HR Tech Practices in Higher Education

Professor Fiona Robson, Head of the School of Social Sciences and Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University Dubai

Universities have a responsibility to prepare students for their future career in terms of both skills and knowledge. In an increasingly technological world, managers of the future need to understand the capabilities of HR tech as well as being able to use it.

Exposing students to HR tech platforms can help to prepare them for their future career in HR in terms of skills but also understanding what is going on in the HR space – understanding the priorities and why use of technology is growing. Being familiar and comfortable with HR tech might help them to stand out in the graduate marketplace and from an employer’s perspective could help them hit the ground running. Being able to analyse data to inform organisational decisions is critical and HR tech gives them the ability to get good data and then learn how to use it to make appropriate data-driven decisions.

Real play rather than role play is particularly helpful for students as the learning is more meaningful, and they can visualise what would happen in the workplace. Therefore, using software which is being used in real organisations will add great value to their learning experience and what their future role might involve. Where University academics have strong relationships with industry, they may be able to use real data so that the students get a realistic experience and understand the complexity of what organisations have to contend with.

Where the HR tech has the capability to provide commentary based on the student performance in using it, this is a further source of information of formative feedback which helps students with their academic and personal development. Developing students’ confidence in using tech should not be underestimated as if they have the knowledge but are afraid to use it, their impact will be limited. Ideally, organisations are looking for graduates who are comfortable in learning to use new programmes and understand some of the teething troubles that can emerge when introducing new tech.

Involving HR professionals within the classroom adds significant value to students and helps them to understand the diverse nature of working in an HR team. Therefore where learning to use the HR tech platform can be married with having an HR professional to talk  them through how it can be used and the impact of using it, this would further strengthen their learning and experience. There can also be benefits for HR professionals, as they can gain perspectives from students that may differ from those they encounter in the workplace—particularly if they are interested in potential generational differences. Sharing their own knowledge and skills and presenting to University students can also be very beneficial to the personal and professional development of the HR professional.

Organisations are ideally looking for graduates who are confident in using technology and open to trying new systems and ideas, and therefore, if they have been exposed to different types of tech, this could give them an advantage. They can also learn about some of the wider things about technology implementation – for example, issues around ethics as well as the data protection and legal implications of having access to sensitive and confidential information.

Opening Doors with Internships

Internship programmes provide great insights into the industry and allow students to see the links between theory and practice. It also enables them to see all of the different internal and external factors which can have an impact on organisations, and this can be very eye-opening for them. Understanding the roles of different stakeholders is usually one of the key learning points from internships.

In the classroom, we can teach students the theory about organisational culture and individual and team dynamics; however, an internship is where they can see what this actually looks like. Being able to observe how different departments collaborate may help them to make sense of some of the topics they have studied as part of their degree programme.

We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of learning to build relationships in the workplace and to recognise and respond to issues like organisational politics. For some students, exposure to an internship can help cement their career aspirations in identifying which areas of business they find most interesting, and for some students they will be attracted to roles that they may previously not have been aware of.

As most businesses now have an international aspect, it is also valuable for interns to learn about the different angles of internationalisation and what this means for people in their day-to-day activities. Typically they may recognise it is common for organisations to have international customers but may not have considered international supply chains and the complexities of having employees in different countries which operate under different jurisdictions. It may also reiterate the importance of developing the cross cultural skills that they are taught by their lecturers.

If students’ internships are successful and they are identified as being potential talent of the future, the organisation may begin a longer-term relationship with them. For example, they may allow them to focus their dissertation within the organisation or offering them a job once they graduate.