About the prospect2alumnus project and its purpose to empower students employability. As told in Rome on May 8th 2015

1. Presentation for Minsitero dell’Istruzione dell’Università e della Ricerca.
Simon Whittemore, Head of Change Programmes, Enterprise, Jisc
19/05/2015 Creating new Employability Skills-match
Services: an innovative UK-Italy collaboration

2. Diving digital innovation in UK education
and research
Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 2
A registered charity working on behalf of UK higher education, further
education and skills to champion the use of digital technologies.

3. Jisc: four interlocking Directorates
Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 3
Jisc
TECHNOLOGIES
Jisc
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
JiscDIGITAL
RESOURCES Jisc
DIGITAL FUTURES
Account management,
consultancy, advice
e.g. JANET high
speed network
eg Summer of
Student Innovation
Content procurement;
Shared services;
 Enabling efficiencies, creating opportunities and saving UK education millions of pounds.
 Supporting innovation, change, capacity building and digital capability......

4. Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 4

5. Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 5
Co-design Challenges
• Research at Risk
• Learning Analytics
• Digital Capability
• FELTAG (Further Education focussed)
• Prospect to Alumnus
http://www.jisc.org.uk/rd/how-we-innovate/co-design

6. Prospect to Alumnus Co-design Challenge:
Improving the student experience
Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 6

7. Employability components
• Prospect to Alumnus (P2A) has a strong focus on employability.
• Education to employment disconnect (eg McKinsey*), as identified by
CINECA
• Employers, students & national agencies need access to verified and
consistent information on students….
…..their achievements, work experience and employability
• UK HEIs and FECs need to show that the experience of their paying
graduates equips them to flourish in the world of work.
• P2A: benefiting institutions by providing dynamic online matching and data
services for students and employers.
*http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/social_sector/converting_education_to_employment_in_europe
Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 7

8. Employability Data Services project
in collaboration with CINECA
Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 8
a) Employability Skills Match* and Data Services**:
using open badges, enable students to demonstrate extra-curricular
skills and capabilities which match skills needs defined by employers’
consortia, especially soft skills
b) Learner Cradle to Grave Data service***
..that allows students to own & manage a digital record of their
educational & extra-curricular achievements throughout their lifelong
& life-wide learning. Supporting student credit transfer and mobility.
*CINECA are building .Bestr, their Lifelong and lifewide L3 skills-match service;
Jisc Employability Skills Match and .Bestr will have common core
Project also informed by AMUE (France) and SIGMA (Spain).
**This will be extended into an Employability Data Service, enhanced by an updated Higher
Education Achievement Record (HEAR)
***This will integrate HEAR, Personal Learner Record, Enterprise Passport and open badges.

9. CBI Survey:
Attitudes and Aptitudes
Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 9
Three levels of skills
and behaviours?
Soft skills and ‘interdisciplinarity’ critical
for employability & vital for the economy.
i) qualities or character attitudes
such as determination, empathy,
resilience, versatility;
ii) soft skills or aptitudes such as
problem-solving, communication
skills, customer awareness;
iii) domain specific (or sub-domain)
skills such as IT expertise,
economics, illustration/drawing
SimonWhittemore, Jisc P2A blog

10. Employability Data Services -benefits
Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 10
• Improved student employability portfolios and opportunities
• Recognition of learners’ extra-curricular achievements skills (not currently
recognised by HEIs) – attitudes and aptitudes
• Better preparation for the learners for the world outside study
• Publication of and consensus on the skills employers groups’ require most –
soft skills (CBI Survey, UK) , eg versatility, resilience, empathy,
• More vacancies filled with the rights skills
• Improved shared understanding between employers, univs/colleges &
learners of cross-domain skills and needs
• Boosting learning gain & economy, creating innovation opps.
• Helping to create and value T-shaped graduates – versatile with domain
knowledge depth + cross-domain skills & attitudes

11. P2A Blog http://prospect2alumnus.jiscinvolve.org/wp/
Prospect to Alumnus – Employability Skills match and data services – Simon Whittemore 080515 11
Vi ringrazio!
Comments
welcome.
Simon.Whittemore@jisc.ac.uk
0044 7796 336502
skype: simonwjisc