Edufair 2012

Employer Engagement In Higher Education

Pam CrawfordLesley GrayburnElaine WatsonRussell Whyte

Employer engagement overview

Policy context and issues associated with engaging with employers

(Pam Crawford)

CDC and employer engagement

(Lesley Grayburn)

Case Studies

Partnership Modules (Elaine Watson)

Making the Most of Masters (Russell Whyte)

Policy context

External:•Scottish Government Economic Strategy•Putting learners at the centre•Scottish Government emphasis on employability and employer engagement

HE drivers:•Quality agenda•Enhancement themes•Reputational issues and external scrutiny of graduate destinations and the student experience•Demonstrating economic and societal impact

National & Local Policy Context

“We have brought a focus to skills and employability – helping to improve

employability and students’ contribution to the economy and

society”

Mark Batho, SFC Chief Executive, Corporate Plan 2012

“Our target is to increase the proportion of our graduates

entering graduate level jobs to 85%”

University of Stirling, Strategic Plan 2011 – 2016

What does employer engagement mean in HE?

Forms include: attending events and fair; posting vacancies; sitting on relevant steering groups and advisory boards; providing work

experience, both stand alone and course related; mentoring; providing projects, both accredited and non-accredited; supporting

employability development.

Hogarth (2007 p.8) describes HEIs as offering employers, “a number of products, services and ‘outputs’, ranging from graduates, the facilitation of workplace learning and professional development, through to research and consultancy“

Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) developed a typology for employer engagement which describes employers as stakeholders, strategic partners and/or consumers.

• formal and informal• Strategic or reactive• employer-HEI partnerships can be

people-dependant rather than system-dependant, Lowden (2011)

Diagram 2: How forms and typologies of engagement relate to the continuum of engagement

LSDA typology

Consumer Stakeholder Strategic partner Passive engagement Influential engagement Recruitment Careers Fairs Work experience independent Advisory boards Work experience linked to courses

Forms of engagement

Hogarth (2007).

Issues around employer engagement for HE

• Capacity and framework – who does what and when?• Strategic approach – proactive rather than reactive• Fit – how does it fit with the learning profile?

Barriers: • Timelines; resources; pathways into the institution.

Benefits:• Employer perspectives; enhanced practice; leads to more

engagement; employability outputs; relevance of theory to practice.

Employers View

A third of graduate positions in 2012 will be filled by graduates who have already

worked in the organisation – either through industrial placements, vacation work or

sponsorships – and therefore are not open to other students from the ‘Class of 2012’

(High Fliers: The Graduate Market in 2012 (2012))

CDC & Employer EngagementRecruitment - StirlingPart time/seasonal vacancies through the Job ShopGraduate vacancies Internships and work experience opportunities Relationship management & developmentSMEs to multinationals

Recruitment – Scotland & BeyondScottish Shared Vacancies systemThird Sector Internship Programme/e-placementsVirtual Careers Fair

CDC & Employer EngagementStudent ProjectsActive Learning in the Community ModulesInternational Summer School Internship ModuleWork experience Partnership ModulesWork based projects for Masters students

In the CurriculumRun or take part in workshops in SchoolsBusiness simulationLink to academic colleagues

CDC & Employer EngagementCareers EventsWorkfest

This is Your Life

Forums

Presentations

Volunteering Fair – joint event with Volunteer Development Scotland and the Student Union

CDC & Employer EngagementStudent Enterprise and Self-employmentBusiness Gateway drop in sessionsLinks to PSYBTLinks to student enterprise

Links with AlumniAlumni Career Ambassadors/mentorsCareer profiles and case studies/contacts

Employer Engagement in Higher Education

Accredited Approaches to Work Related Learning

Elaine Watson

Background to our modules

“There is now an increasing emphasis on placement forming a component of an undergraduate education. Central to effective placement experience is the provision of well-organised, meaningful placements that enlist formal reflection on what has been learned and, where possible, how this relates to what the student is learning in the context of their degree studies.”

Graduates for 21st Century

Integrating the Enhancement Themes

Accredited WRL

CDC offer two 22 credit (level 8) modules:

1. Active Learning in the Community Generic (PDM9AL)

2. Active Learning in the Community Social Work (PDM9AW)

Active Learning in the Community

Background to the module (s) Developed by CDC in 2002 Provide a mix of academic study with

a practical work based placement Enables students to volunteer in the

Voluntary / Charitable sector Facilitates links with the university

and local community

Active Learning in the Community

Generic Open to all students Open to all year

groups Placements in a

variety of settings mainly in the charitable / voluntary sector

Social Work All 1st Year SW

students Mandatory module Placements in a

variety of Social Work related settings

Module Structure

Students undertake: 30 Hour placement over 10 week term 4 x 2hr Classroom based learning

Assessment: 5 On-line Reflective Logs (every 2 weeks) 7 minute Presentation Final Report 1500 words

Value of WRL

“The maximum work-related learning occurs when it is built into the students' degree programmes, with appropriate pre-placement advice and preparation, reflection on the learning after it has occurred and appropriate linkages made between the work environment and the academic programme.”

Assessment , Learning & Teaching

Value of WRL

Work-related learning allows students to improve their employability by:

Increasing their knowledge of the world of work Exploring links between theory and practice Developing self-confidence Aiding career and personal development planning Providing an impressive addition to the CV Providing useful employer contacts for later job

hunting / networking.

Academic Feedback

‘This module is an essential part of the SW degree preparing students at an early point for professional and ethical dilemmas of becoming a social worker. It has proved consistently useful in meeting the regulatory body’s fitness to practise requirement’

Judy Kerr

Teaching Fellow, Social Work

Employer Feedback

"I enjoyed the experience of working with our volunteer.  It was useful for the organisation and it was a real pleasure to see the presentations at the end of the module, and to see how much the students had gained from their experiences".

"The student presentations were of value for us as an organization in terms of getting students’ feedback and their objective view/perceptions of our service delivery".

“I feel that its beneficial to the staff team to have students on placement”

“

Student feedback

“Both modules are so beneficial in helping you gain essential skills and develop as an individual and ultimately know how to apply those learned skills to make you more employable when the time comes to graduate.”

“Reflective journals really helped me to understand my practice”

“The presentation and journals were a different way of working and learning”

“It’s an excellent module which is a lot different from any other. The course is interactive and fun”

New Developments

CDC currently working to develop new partnership module (s)

New Modules confirmed for Spring 2013 with School of Sport and School of Law

Discussions currently underway with: Maths, Biology, Film & Media and the School of Arts and Humanities.

Looking Ahead

CDC would be pleased to speak to staff from any subject area that may have an interest in developing work placement modules.

Please contact: elaine.watson@stir.ac.uk

Key Topics For Discussion

Current level of employer engagement:•Does your school/dept. encourage employer engagement – if so, how?•How do we approach employers?•How we respond to incoming employer queries?

Future engagement:•How can we better engage with employers?•What are the key barriers to employer engagement?