The document outlines the University of Leicester's strategy to improve student employability. The vision is to ensure graduates have an "extra dimension" that makes them stand out to employers. This will be achieved through engaging stakeholders, increasing opportunities like internships and curriculum interventions, and enhanced support. Examples provided include integrating employability into course content and mapping activities to a transferable skills framework. Feedback is sought from attendees on supporting the vision through student engagement, curriculum development, and partnership with central careers provision.
3. Aim
“To ensure our graduates have
the extra dimension in order to
make them the stand out choice
for employers”
4. Context: labour market
“The jobless total for 16
to 24-year-olds hit a
record high of 991,000 in
the quarter, a jobless rate
of 21.3%”1
1 www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15271800
5. Context: White paper
“We will radically improve and
expand the information available to
prospective students, making
available much more information
about individual courses *…+ and
graduate employment prospects [...]
including on employment and
earnings outcomes...”
7. Context: how we compare
We’ve been going 95
1994 Group
Russell Group
the wrong way 94
Other
the last 3 years
93
% Employment
92
91
90
89
60 70 80 90 100
% Graduate Jobs
9. Context: employable graduates
Degree = employment
Degree + extracurricular = employment
UCAS tariff + 2:1 degree + good university +
extracurricular + work experience = employment
Higher UCAS tariff + 2:1 degree + top university +
Now extracurricular + work experience of measurable value +
own personal brand = employment
10. Context: Why employers target universities*
Reputation of faculty or university 5.06
Number of graduates hired previously 4.6
Relationship with university 4.47
Attitude to employability 4.12
Course content 3.97
Calibre of graduates according to… 3.42
Proximity to company premises 3.24
We have always gone there 3.09
Mean ratings on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 6 (very much)
*The AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey 2012
12. Ensure our graduates have the extra dimension
How to tell your story (‘after’ interventions)
Development of transferable skills
Post-graduation support (100)
Projects/competitions (1,000)
Curriculum interventions
Leicester Award (3,000)
Volunteering (3,000)
Internships (1,000)
Part-time (2,500)
Enterprise (500)
Funnelling and preparation (‘before’ interventions)
External Employers Alumni Parents
Internal Students Students’ Union Departments
Engagement/responsibility
13. Example: internships
A record 36% of this year’s graduate
vacancies with leading employers are
Internships (1,000)
expected to be filled by people who have
already worked for the organisation
during their studies*
* High Fliers Research, Graduate Labour Market in 2012: Annual review of graduate
vacancies and starting salaries at Britain’s leading employers, 2012
14. Principles
• Engage key stakeholders
• Offer increased opportunities
• Provide enhanced support
15. Engage: students
Them coming to us
– Careers
Zone, website
Us coming to them
– curriculum, ‘pop-
up’, social media
/
24. What others are doing: Liverpool JMU
World of Work
Development of soft-skills as a part of degree, with academic
modules integrating simulations of workplace situations and
curriculum input from employers and careers advisors. Students
can receive a ‘graduate skills transcript’ upon graduation.
25. What others are doing: Kent
Employability Points Scheme
The Employability Points Scheme rewards students who actively
engage in extra-curricular activities with work-related
opportunities. Students who have part-time employment, learnt
a new language, engage in business engagement and enterprise
activities, or are active members of clubs and societies, can earn
points for their active engagement with university life. *…+
26. What others are doing: Hull
The Hull History Partnership
The University of Hull has developed partnerships with Hull
History Centre and local schools and colleges to improve the
employability of history students in the region. It provides
training routes to and opportunities for young people wishing to
develop careers in History teaching, archives and heritage
work, research in universities, and work on public and
community History projects.
27. What others are doing: Manchester
Manchester Graduate Internship Programme
*…+ provides opportunities for the university’s graduates to gain
employment in paid graduate level positions.
All of the roles are paid, with an average salary of £15k per
annum pro rata, are based in Greater Manchester, and last for
between 4 and 12 months. *…+
In 2011 they advertised over 180 vacancies.
28. Why we need to take this seriously
We’ve been going 95
1994 Group
Russell Group
the wrong way 94
Other
the last 3 years
93
% Employment
92
91
90
89
60 70 80 90 100
% Graduate Jobs
29. Criteria for our involvement
• Compulsory attendance
• Value and impact
• Sufficient notice
• Our availability
N.B. This means some sessions we will no longer do
31. Ensure our graduates have the extra dimension
How to tell your story (‘after’ interventions)
Development of transferable skills
Post-graduation support (100)
Projects/competitions (1,000)
Curriculum interventions
Leicester Award (3,000)
Volunteering (3,000)
Internships (1,000)
Part-time (2,500)
Enterprise (500)
Funnelling and preparation (‘before’ interventions)
External Employers Alumni Parents
Internal Students Students’ Union Departments
Engagement/responsibility
32. Opportunities: extra-curricular
Clubs, Societi
Student Earn and World and
es and Volunteering
Champions Learn Media
Events
Part-time
Newspaper
Clubs and Jobs, Internships Students in
Course Rep Journalist and
Societies Officer and vacation Classrooms
* * work * Photographer *
Student
Student Enterprise Radio Journalist Volunteering
Engagement
Ambassador Award and Broadcaster Projects
* * Team *
Clubs and Student
Student Volunteering
Mentor Societies Exchange
Ambassador Award
* Member * * Programmes *
Sabbatical Languages at
Officer Leicester
Students in
Classrooms * = Leicester Award Programme
*
33. Course Rep
Benefits
• Represent your fellow students
• Influence University decisions
• Learn about University structures and governance
• Meet students from other courses
Skills you could develop
You could develop many skills but particularly:
• planning and organising
• leadership and supervising
• communication
• teamwork
34. Radio Journalist and Broadcaster
Benefits
• Gain essential experience
• Make vital media contacts
• Gain technical skills
• Inform and inspire others
Skills you could develop
You could develop many skills but particularly:
• using technology
• communication
• teamwork
• planning and organising
35. Principles
• Engage key stakeholders
• Offer increased opportunities
• Provide enhanced support
37. Graduates with the extra dimension…
Higher UCAS tariff + 2:1 degree + top university +
Now extracurricular + work experience of measurable value +
own personal brand = employment
38. …is what employers are looking for
A recent CBI survey found that 82% of employers
identified ‘improving student’s employability
skills’ when asked what universities should
prioritise.*
Applicants’ ability to demonstrate certain
competencies is the second most cited entry
requirement amongst AGR members at 63.9%.**
* CBI and UUK, Future Fit: Preparing graduates for the world of work, March 2009, p.7
** Association of Graduate Recruiters AGR Recruitment Survey, Summer 2011 Review
39. Ensure our graduates have the extra dimension
How to tell your story (‘after’ interventions)
Development of transferable skills
Post-graduation support (100)
Projects/competitions (1,000)
Curriculum interventions
Leicester Award (3,000)
Volunteering (3,000)
Internships (1,000)
Part-time (2,500)
Enterprise (500)
Funnelling and preparation (‘before’ interventions)
External Employers Alumni Parents
Internal Students Students’ Union Departments
Engagement/responsibility
40. Development of transferable skills
• Teamwork • Defining work objectives and
outcomes
• Communication
• Managing time and priorities
• Analysing • Developing a realistic action plan
• Problem solving • Using project management
methodology
• Planning and organising • Liaising with a range of stakeholders
• Leadership and supervision • Identifying, assessing and weighing
risks
• Using technology
• Developing a contingency plan
• Initiative and creativity • Allocating resources to tasks
• Self management • Carrying projects through to
successful completion
• Learning
41. How do we know we’ve got there?
95
1994 Group
Russell Group
Other
94
93
% Employment
92
91
90
89
60 70 80 90 100
% Graduate Jobs
42. UNIVERSITY of LEICESTER
Higher Education Achievement Report
6.1 Additional information
• Leicester Award and Departmental prizes
• Internships
• Consultancy projects
in future?
• Competitions
• ??
43. Work with us
• Tell your students about us
• Send your students to us
• Accommodate the minimum programme
• What can you do in your curriculum?
• Map to the transferable skills framework
• Your ideas…
46. Round table discussions
1. Do you have any questions about the vision/
strategy that we can take away from today?
2. How will you engage your students with the central
careers provision?
3. What do you think you will do following today to
help support the vision?
4. How can we take forward developing employability
in the curriculum with you?
Editor's Notes
Engage key stakeholdersgraduate employability extends beyond the responsibility of the Careers Service – students, the Students’ Union, departments and support services are all needed to help develop the extra dimension; students need to be engaged as early as possible in their university careers to ensure maximum preparation time;the majority of students rather than the current minority need to be engaged with the Careers Service;employers need to be engaged at a strategic level to build our reputation in meeting their graduate recruitment needs;the expertise of staff needs to be utilised to contextualise and support the employability message;alumni and parents need to be engaged appropriately to ensure the full breadth of our networks are utilised to good effect.Offer increased opportunitiesthere need to be more opportunities for students to develop the extra dimension, as such we will scale-up our interventions to provide increased opportunity;students only need to focus on one primary intervention in order to develop the extra dimension, as such we will increase access to opportunities by restricting access to multiple interventions;the curriculum for all courses will include compulsory lectures (as a minimum) in all years covering relevant careers and employability information and advice.Provide enhanced supporteach intervention will be accompanied by before and after support to ensure that students are appropriately prepared and effectively followed up;access to interventions will be made a competitive process to identify the best candidates and simulate selection processes. Those unsuccessful can be signposted to alternatives and helped via the Careers Service to address students’ weaknesses.
The framework integrates employability into everything we do; to help our students develop a more rounded set of the skills - the qualities that add value to an employer - we have a comprehensive framework that is integrated into teaching and assessment, and used to contextualise extra curricular activity.We know recruitment is costly so we are: Doing things differently - this is the first step in a broader strategy to support employers and give students the practical skill and experiences the needHelping the right students focus on your organisation - the framework helps our students develop skills, understand themselves and, more importantly, how their experiences meet your needs.Our students have the extra dimension; Leicester’s students can evidence the qualities and attributes employers need. More importantly Graduates from the University of Leicester will deliver what employers want.
Engage key stakeholdersgraduate employability extends beyond the responsibility of the Careers Service – students, the Students’ Union, departments and support services are all needed to help develop the extra dimension; students need to be engaged as early as possible in their university careers to ensure maximum preparation time;the majority of students rather than the current minority need to be engaged with the Careers Service;employers need to be engaged at a strategic level to build our reputation in meeting their graduate recruitment needs;the expertise of staff needs to be utilised to contextualise and support the employability message;alumni and parents need to be engaged appropriately to ensure the full breadth of our networks are utilised to good effect.Offer increased opportunitiesthere need to be more opportunities for students to develop the extra dimension, as such we will scale-up our interventions to provide increased opportunity;students only need to focus on one primary intervention in order to develop the extra dimension, as such we will increase access to opportunities by restricting access to multiple interventions;the curriculum for all courses will include compulsory lectures (as a minimum) in all years covering relevant careers and employability information and advice.Provide enhanced supporteach intervention will be accompanied by before and after support to ensure that students are appropriately prepared and effectively followed up;access to interventions will be made a competitive process to identify the best candidates and simulate selection processes. Those unsuccessful can be signposted to alternatives and helped via the Careers Service to address students’ weaknesses.
Engage key stakeholdersgraduate employability extends beyond the responsibility of the Careers Service – students, the Students’ Union, departments and support services are all needed to help develop the extra dimension; students need to be engaged as early as possible in their university careers to ensure maximum preparation time;the majority of students rather than the current minority need to be engaged with the Careers Service;employers need to be engaged at a strategic level to build our reputation in meeting their graduate recruitment needs;the expertise of staff needs to be utilised to contextualise and support the employability message;alumni and parents need to be engaged appropriately to ensure the full breadth of our networks are utilised to good effect.Offer increased opportunitiesthere need to be more opportunities for students to develop the extra dimension, as such we will scale-up our interventions to provide increased opportunity;students only need to focus on one primary intervention in order to develop the extra dimension, as such we will increase access to opportunities by restricting access to multiple interventions;the curriculum for all courses will include compulsory lectures (as a minimum) in all years covering relevant careers and employability information and advice.Provide enhanced supporteach intervention will be accompanied by before and after support to ensure that students are appropriately prepared and effectively followed up;access to interventions will be made a competitive process to identify the best candidates and simulate selection processes. Those unsuccessful can be signposted to alternatives and helped via the Careers Service to address students’ weaknesses.
If we apply this process to all our opportunities it gives more credence to the HEARwhich in time will give our students an opportunity with employers because their 6.1 extra achievement is verified and authentic and would be based on graduates gain transferable skills, this could help to break the UCAS issue that some students may face at our University