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Purpose: This paper seeks to evaluate short-term, unpaid placements offered to students reading for a degree in Public Policy within the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy, University of Malta. They provide added value to their tertiary education experience. Elective placements were offered in 2012 and became a mandatory requirement for students pursuing a three-year Bachelor of Commerce degree in Public Policy in 2018. To date, no research has been carried out on these placements and this may serve as a model for a post-evaluation assessment. Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected from students who undertook placements, embedded within the Public Policy undergraduate programme. A document analysis of selected student and placement supervisors' reports was carried out to complement the students' responses to an online questionnaire. Findings: Placements are of value to students as they served as an introduction to the working world. They enable students to establish connections with the course content and carry out research. They were exposed to real-life situations, developing their knowledge, acquiring soft skills, and learning new tools, sought after by employers. These placements were valued as a route to graduate employment tailor-made to the degree's requirements. Students were able to embark on a soul-searching, introspective discovery and journey which made them mature and shed light in the direction of future work prospects. Originality: Placements provided exposure to relevant organisations and personal enrichment in terms of acquiring skills, autonomy, and independence. Students with placement experience are also more likely to secure future employment, relevant to their undergraduate degree. ; peer-reviewed

PurposeAlthough women have advanced in the economic sphere, the gender pay gap (GPG) remains a persisting problem for gender equality. Using Acker's theory of gendered organisations, this study strives to gain a better understanding from a macro and micro approach, how family and work-related policies, especially family-friendly measures (FFMs), and their uptake, contribute and maintain the GPG in Malta and specifically within the Financial and Insurance sector.Design/methodology/approachTwo research instruments were used. National policy documents were analysed through the gender lens, followed by structured interviews with HR managerial participants within this sector.FindingsFindings suggest that at a macro level, family and work-related policies could be divided into two broad categories: A set of family-friendly policies that contribute to the GPG because of their gendered nature, or because the uptake is mostly taken by women. These include make-work pay policies, which initially appear to be gender neutral, but which attracted lower educated inactive women to the Maltese labour market at low pay, contributing to an increase in the GPG. Second, a set of policies that take on a gender-neutral approach and help reduce the GPG. These include policies like the free childcare and after school care scheme that allow mothers to have a better adherence to the labour market. At the micro level within organisations, pay discrepancies between women and men were largely negated and awareness about the issue was low. Here, "ideal worker" values based on masculine norms seemed to lead to covert biases towards mothers who shoulder heavier care responsibilities in the families and make a bigger use of FFMs. Because men are better able to conform to these gendered values and norms, the GPG persists through vertical segregation and glass ceilings, among others.Research limitations/implicationsSince not all the companies in the Eurostat NACE code list participated in this research, results could not be generalised but were indicative to future large-scale studies..Practical implicationsAt the macro and policy level, some FFMs take on a clear gendered approach. For example, the disparity in length between maternity (18 weeks) and paternity leave (1 day) reinforces gender roles and stereotypes, which contribute to the GPG in the long run. While some FFMs like parental leave, career breaks, urgent family leave, telework, flexible and reduced hours seem to take on a more gender-neutral approach, the uptake of FFMs (except childcare) seems to generate discriminatory behaviour that may affect the GPG. When considering the make-work pay policies such as the "in-work benefit" and the "tapering of benefits", this study showed that these policies attracted lower educated and low-skilled women into the labour market, which in turn may have further contributed to the increasing GPGs. On the other hand, the childcare and after school policies relieve working mothers from caregiving duties, minimising career interruptions, discriminatory behaviour and overall GPGs.Social implicationsThis study confirmed that organisations within the Financial and Insurance sector are gendered and give value to full-time commitment and long working hours, especially in managerial roles. Managerial positions remain associated with men because mothers tend to make more use of FFMs such as parental leave, reduced, flexible hours and teleworking. Mothers are indirectly penalised for doing so, because in gendered organisations, the uptake of FFMs conflict with the demands of work and ideal worker values (Acker, 1990). This maintains the vertical segregation and widens the GPG within the Financial and Insurance sector.Originality/valueBy using the gender lens and taking a wider and more holistic approach from the macro and micro level, this study highlights how interlinking factors lead to and sustain the GPG in the Financial and Insurance sector in Malta.

The digital revolution and automation are accelerating changes in the labour market and in workplace skills. Affected by changes in international economics and opportunities for employment, in the workplace individuals seek to acquire relevant skills and retain transferable skills to be employable and to remain in employment. Contemporary Challenges in Social Science and Management Part A and B explore in detail the theoretical competency framework to address these gaps and shortages in different disciplines and sectors. The global drivers of change are analysed and the opportunities and challenges for skills development are investigated, include the transition from education to employment in knowledge-based sectors in different countries. Enriched and strengthened with European case studies of real-life situations providing a practical and industry insights, the volumes collate experts in Economics, Finance, Public Policy, Human Resources, and Risk management, contributing on employability, labour markets, sustainability, and skills of the future from across the globe. Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis publishes a series of current and relevant themed volumes within the fields of economics and finance. Both disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies are welcome.