Providing the right resources for students who work alongside study

From balancing class schedules and homework with employment shifts and deadlines to dealing with financial pressures and fatigue, students who work can find the obstacles they face overwhelming. The number of college students who work alongside study is significant – more than half of UK university students had paid employment, reportedThe Guardian in June 2024. In the US, about 40 per cent of full-time undergraduates had a job, according to 2022 figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

At Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), almost a quarter of our students work.

Students in this situation, including first-generation and mature students, must learn to maximise the positive effects of their efforts (such as gaining professional skills) and minimise the negative outcomes (difficulties with time management). Working can improve students’ employability and earning potential after graduation, according to studies, and these benefits can be balanced against short-term impact on engagement with course content and academic performance. 

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This article explores how universities can support students to achieve a healthier, more secure work-study balance.

1. Meet the needs of the student

Each group of working students has different needs, from undergraduates with part-time jobs to professionals who study alongside full-time work. Universities must endeavour to meet these varied needs in a nuanced way.

Finding a flexible job that accommodates their study schedule can be a game-changer for working students, so university career services can help students with job vacancies, particularly part-time opportunities or internship listings, and job-seeking advice.

Student support services may also have advice for those who work from home on how to stay connected and avoid feelings of isolation.

2. Maintaining work-learn-life balance

Working students may face time-management challenges around attending classes, completing assignments and studying for exams. However, universities should ensure that adequate academic support services, such as access to tutoring, writing centres and study groups, are available. These resources can help students stay on track and improve their academic performance. 

If resources allow, the design and timing of the study can be customised to the students’ personal and professional circumstances.

This support can come at classroom level, too. Institutions can prepare professors or academic advisers with skills to offer guidance and support. Students should be reminded that it is OK to ask for help when they need it, before life and work demands become too much. Teachers can also encourage students to seek support from colleagues, partners, roommates, friends or family. 

Personal coaching, as well as time-management and stress-management classes, could be incorporated into student support services.

3. Learning trilogy

When students work, the commitment and support of their employer will also influence how well they can achieve work-life balance. In light of this, universities can explore support that might range from how they use the workplace as a learning site (work-integrated learning) to recognition and encouragement based on professional development.

A “learning trilogy” is a partnership between a university, a company and a student. A contract outlines each partner’s contribution to the overarching goal of effective and efficient education. This type of legal agreement is common in the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management at MUST. (Universities can facilitate such contracts through internships.) During their internship, students write an internship report, and they take no classes during that period. The maximum duration for class time in MUST is six hours per day. Therefore, educators can support students who work by releasing their time.

This partnership formalises the elements critical to academic success, such as how much vacation time the employee should give up for course participation, how much money the company will set aside for education, how long the qualification should take to complete, and how the university should plan the programme in terms of content and scheduling to meet the needs of both the organisation and the professors. This could include, for example, incorporating company themes into project work or scheduling weekend seminars and lectures. Universities can manage this relationship to support students who need to work through flexible arrangements for school hours and academic progress. 

Scholarships and bursaries can also underpin a work-study combination. For example, the Melco scholarship programme, which was created to support local talent development in Macau, entitles recipients to receive full tuition fee assistance for up to a four-year undergraduate degree. 2019 scholarship awardee Annie Wong said: “It was a great challenge for me to take care of my work, family, and studies simultaneously when I was in the second year of university, due to family reasons. However, in the end, I completed the programme with satisfactory results by this successful way to support students who work.” 

From scholarships to in-class support, universities and colleges can develop policies and target appropriate resources to support students who work, both to assist them to completion and prepare them to succeed in future employment.  

Cheong Fan is a lecturer at the School of Liberal Arts at Macau University of Science and Technology.

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