Attitudes toward planned work experience for foreign students

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of selected foreign students at Iowa State University, their faculty advisors and selected Iowa manufactureres toward involvement in a planned work experience for foreign students. Items on the questionnaire mailed to those surveyed included key situational and personal variables, statements regarding attitudes toward involvement in a planned work experience, and terms and conditions providing logistical and administrative limits to the proposed model. Respondents were asked to indicate those terms and conditions which present the most concern relative to the success of a planned work experience;Findings determined that students\u27 attitudes toward involvement in a planned work experience differed significantly from those of faculty advisors and Iowa employers on over half the thirty items. These differences, however, were generally in terms of the degree of common agreement or rejection of the items. Items of broad agreement include statements suggesting that involvement would give the student participant useful management experience, advantages in professional advancement upon return home, and would not unnecessarily delay return home. Strengthened ties between academic departments and the business/professional community were expected to result from such involvement, and valuable cultural information transfers to the employer were expected to occur as well. Pay levels somewhat below regular salaries for comparable new American trainees were agreed to by a majority of respondents, but the desired minimum length of a planned work experience varied from approximately one year among students to an average of sixteen weeks, according to Iowa employers. The nature of the trainee assignment--rotation among divisions, special assignments, etc.--was agreed to be the term or condition of most concern to all parties in terms of success of a planned work experience. While the English language abilities of trainees were of concern to both employers and faculty advisors, they were not among the three most critical terms or conditions influencing success of a model program. Conclusions indicate that all groups broadly agree to the importance of a planned work experience and that Iowa export manufacturers were receptive to participation in such a model program