This document discusses efforts at Sheffield Hallam University to improve student employability. It outlines four interconnected elements that comprise the university's employability offer: work-related learning, developing transferable skills, career planning, and personal development planning. Case studies are presented on interdisciplinary projects involving engineering and other fields to develop professional skills. The importance of career mentoring relationships with employers is also discussed. Graduate identity and the senior student experience are examined as factors in assisting the transition to working life.

1. 'Education for
Professional
Engineering Practice'
Professor Mike Bramhall

2. Keypoints
• Graduate employability at Sheffield Hallam
• HE STEM project
• Case Studies
• Venture Matrix
• Career Mentoring
• Embedding professional skills in courses
• Graduate Identity

3. STUDENT EMPLOYABILITY
ENTITLEMENT
All students at Sheffield Hallam will be entitled to and will engage with,
as part of their course of study, four inter connected elements which
comprise the employability offer:
•Well structured, supported and accredited work-related or work-
based learning
•Development of high-level employability-related transferable
‘skills’ and attributes embedded within the curriculum
•Integrated and timetabled career planning and preparation for
employment
•Personal and professional development planning and personal
academic tutorial support to monitor their progress and support
their transition to the world of work

4. HE STEM Project:
"Education for Professional Engineering
Practice"
An
Sheffield London South
Interdisciplinary
Hallam Bank Learning
Developing and Developing &
implementing supporting Environment that
Interdisciplinary creative practical
Academic lab based project simulates
Coursework work
professional
Loughboroug practice and
h
Developing a develops
virtual support
system for professional
interdisciplinary
project work engineering skills
in students

5. HE STEM Mini projects at
SHU
Electronic
Interdisciplinar Engineerin
y CPD g Design
Portfolios Incubator
Engineers
Without
Borders
Challenge

6. Engineering Disasters:
Student Conference

7. Digital Video Reporting
More Creative Reporting – shot on Students are actively involved in Team working is enhanced
location research
A video file is
submitted for
assessment
Student Presenter – developing
confidence
Working with Digital media

8. Eco House
• An ‘eco-house’ learning and teaching environment to
facilitate the development of sustainability literacy.”
Inspired by Jestico and Whiles
House of the Future, in Cardiff,
Wales, UK.
Recreated on a 1/5th scale
4 person family dwelling
Collaboration between engineers and
architects to integrate mechanical and
electrical services, and natural ventilation
and passive solar heating.

9. How the eco-house was
embedded into the curriculum:
Student Working Party
• Multi-disciplinary team
• Appreciate the impact of their decisions on the
perspectives of others
• Collaborating to develop holistic solutions
• Working party responsibilities:
1. Selection 1. Integration
2. Development 2. Commissioning
3. Sponsorship 3. Monitoring
4. Building
Communicate to develop
practical solutions through
innovation

10. Innovation- working across
boundaries "A Sustainable Marriage!"
Marriage between fashion and engineering
creates unique dissolvable
wedding gown'
newview : The Sheffield Hallam University newsletter
Summer 2010

11. Masters Students
'Video Conferencing'

14. Annette Baxter: Careers Adviser
Jeff Waldock: Principal Lecturer -Faculty Lead for Employability
a.r.baxter@shu.ac.uk j.a.waldock@shu.ac.uk
Sheffield Hallam University
Developing Employer Engagement in STEM through Career
Mentoring
Aims Progress
 To enhance the employability skills of 
Engineering and Maths students Mentors recruited from Finance, Foreign
Exchange Trading, Government Statistical
 To help students research career Service, Tata Steel, Siemens…
opportunities related to their studies
and make informed choices about their
futures
 See relevance and application of their
studies in the workplace
 Create a network of professional
contacts
 Enhance confidence /understanding of
the recruitment process  Recruiting mentors and mentees is on going
 Support the transition of students from
University into graduate employment
Unexpected issues and resolutions
 Starting the project later in the year than expected meant
we could not recruit mentors and mentees at the 'peak'
time of the year.
Resolution: This 'false start' gave us chance to 'trial/pilot' the
scheme with 2 maths students
 Restructures in the university have meant promotional
leaflets and publicity have been held up
Resolution: Used alternative forms of publicity eg direct mail
via email, social media eg LinkedIn and Facebook,
powerpoints on plasma screens around campus and on VLE.
Effective and cheaper though not as professional.

17. Graduate Identity/ Senior Year
Experience
"The Senior year Experience
plays a significant role in
assisting students to
recognise the value of their
university experience, thus
increasing their satisfaction
and enabling a more
successful transition to
working and professional life"
Prof Alf Lizzio, Griffith University The Senior Year Experience

18. Graduate Identity
• Sense of mastery, strategic knowledge and
integration of what they have learned
• Sense of employability, connecting to the world
of work
• Sense of community, locating themselves in the
broader professional community
• Sense of leadership, status, maturity, contribute
to the university and the community (e.g.
mentoring)