The document describes the University of Hertfordshire's large-scale assessment centre simulation program, which started as a pilot with 400 business students and has now expanded to include over 2000 students across various academic disciplines. It discusses how the program was inspired and implemented, its partnership with local employers, positive student and employer feedback, and impact on student confidence and employment outcomes. The university hopes to continue growing the program to better prepare more students for the job market.

1. Large scale assessment
centre simulation:
probably the largest in
the UK if not the world!

2. • How did UH make
the vision a reality?
• What could work
at your institution?

3. How did UH make it a reality?
• Inspiration
• Gaining ’buy-in’
• The pilot
• Partnership working
• Scaling up
• Impact
• Influencing at a senior level
• Future aspirations
• An invitation

4. Inspiration

5. Gaining ‘buy-in’
• Influencing key
stakeholders
• Securing the budget

6. The Pilot
• 400 Business students
• Watford football club
• What went well
• What didn’t!

7. Partnership Working
• Thank you to everyone involved in organising and helping to run this
event. 700 students who now feel confident to pursue employment
opportunities is a great achievement. This will hopefully help our
employability metrics, but most importantly it will be one more way
in which we transform the lives of our students. (Dean of Business
School)
• This was a major effort involving several groups. Sophie and Anna’s
leadership was excellent and they and their teams ensured a very
complex event ran very smoothly indeed. Ali, thank you for joining as
an assessor all day and giving our students the benefit of your
expertise. To Janette, Anne, Tim, Simon, Gerlinde, Peter, and Lynne,
thank you for volunteering your time and for supporting the students
at each stage. Together, we created an event that has already had a
strong positive impact on our students. (Lecturer Humanities)

8. Scaling up
• Student feedback
• Accommodating changes
• Supporting the schools

9. Impact – student numbers
400
2016
1000+
2017
2000+
2018

10. Impact
Following the pilot in 2016 there was an increase in students (who had taken part in the
assessment simulation) securing placements with desirable employers:
• Tourism: 39% increase
• Marketing: 30 increase
• Events: 8% increase

11. Impact
Stats from the 2017 Assessment Centre
In the pre and post assessment centre survey, students were asked how confident they felt
about applying for graduate projects / industry placements
Pre-assessment survey Post-assessment survey
24% felt unconfident 5% felt unconfident
58% felt somewhat confident 42% felt somewhat confident
15% felt confident 43% felt confident
4% felt very confident
10% felt very confident

12. What the students said …
“The experience was fabulous,
as it helped me to learn how it
is best to be employable with
companies in the future. All
the activities were very useful,
as it gave me a chance to test
various abilities to see my
strengths and weaknesses of
being a successful applicant
when applying for jobs”
“I enjoyed the interview
the most as I was very
nervous at the start, but as
I went in I did really well
and also got offered a job”
“I feel a lot more confident
now with the whole
process and how it may be
set out in the future. I
wouldn't feel like I've been
thrown into the deep end
at a real one”
“I enjoyed the group task the most as it
was the most challenging but also had a
realistic feel to it”

13. Impact

14. Influencing at a senior level
Lord-Lieutenant of
Hertfordshire: Robert Voss
The whole morning, - team working, presentations
and interviews were of the highest calibre and our
students were blessed to have such high quality,
intense development and feedback from
experienced ‘real word’ professionals, I doubt they
will ever experience such a transformational morning
in their future careers.
Robert Voss, my fellow governor and I made a point
of expressing our admiration of the assessment
training initiative at the university governors board
meeting this afternoon and asked that our
appreciation be recorded and minuted. (Tony
Hughes, Governor at the university)

15. Fast Tracks
Half day session with employers and careers advisers:
• Ice breaker
• Interview practice – different types of interview
• Group exercise
• Info on deadlines and vacancies

16. What the students said …
Session was extremely
useful and has helped
ease some worries
This workshop was
fantastic. I loved the
practical exercises
Helpful to kickstart my
placement search
Really glad I came,
learnt a lot from the
recruitment process
A very interactive and
informative session

18. What the employers said …
The number of students
we were able to interact
with was great. FDM
Really enjoyed being part of
the fast track sessions. Was
able to give them some real
life examples of how to get
the best out of interviews
and applications.
Enterprise Rent a Car
The students had the chance
to ask questions and get
answers from us and the
careers advisers.
Many of the students walked
out confidently after the
session and I had a talk with
one of the students about my
placement and she was very
interested. Computacentre

19. Student feedback summary
• 19.5% of the 190 students selected that they were not
confident in the knowledge of the recruitment process
by selecting option 4 of 5 on the confidence scale
before they attended the session
• However..
• 85% of students that attended then selected that they
were confident in the knowledge of the recruitment
processes by selecting option 4 of 5 on the
confidence scale after they attended the session

20. Discussion points
• What would you need to do to get one of
these schemes off the ground?
• What barriers or challenges might you face?

21. Expect the unexpected

22. Discussion point
• What can you go back and so now
for next year?

23. Invitation
Joinusatoneofouraward-
winningAssessmentCentre
Simulations
5th –8th November
19th –22nd November

24. Thank You
www.smart-resourcing-solutions.com / enquiries@smart-resourcing-solutions.co.uk /
ask@herts.ac.uk
a.levettt@herts.ac.uk
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