LTSE 2016: PU
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Transcript of LTSE 2016: PU
Practical Initiatives to Develop International Students' Employability Skills
Us
Ricky Lowes - Lecturer
Siwan Tyack - Careers Consultant Mohammad Goudarzinasab -Student
Aims of session
We shall describe how academics and the Careers and Employability service at Plymouth University are working together to support the development of international students’ employability skills via: • campus-wide services and events for international students • specific curriculum support for modules seeking to embed employability
• We will report on student response to these developments and show how
one particular student has used his time at Plymouth to develop employability competences.
Employability
‘turbulent career environment’
Employability: ‘…work specific active adaptability….that enhances an individual’s likelihood of gaining
employment.’
(Fugate et al, 2004)
Employability & HE
Department for Business Innovation and Skills (2011) recommends all HEIs should have an employability strategy and should consider compulsory elements of employability in degree programmes
Employability & international
students
Siwan Tyack Careers Consultant
Context
FIGURES FOR 2015/16 ENROLEMENT:
• 22,992 students enrolled
• 1,769 (7.7%) identified as international students*
• 699 (39.5%) from China/Hong Kong
*inc. EU students
Plymouth Careers and
Employability offer
• Careers & Employability team incorporates careers
guidance, placements team, employability support,
student jobs and Jobshop
• Each faculty has a link Careers Adviser
• We deliver a range of campus wide and faculty specific
events throughout the year
Specific Challenges for
International Students
• As with all students, international students need to be
‘career ready’ when they graduate
• Cultural awareness
• Some employers may be put off recruiting international
students if they feel that the process is difficult
Plymouth University provision for
International Students
• International orientation week
• Global Employability Week
• International Student Employability conference
• International Students Advisory Service (ISAS) sits within
the Careers and Employability service
• IBM challenge
Developments/strategic aims
• Collaboration in research led by Dr. Rong Huang
“Engaging international students in employability
activities”
• Dedicated Careers Adviser for International Students
• Development of links between ISAS and Careers service
webpages
Our job: to skill students in
awareness and self-efficacy
English Language Centre
Modules
English for International Finance develops interview skills and evidencing of skills and experience via CAR technique – the oral assessment is a job interview English for Global Communication – transferrable skills via a consultancy project: group work, understanding other cultures, communication skills, project management, conflict resolution, self-management, learning how to learn, evidencing skills via CAR technique. English for Academic Purposes – Career Development Project
We are supported by our relationship with the Careers & Employability Service
The project
Synergies
Under-pinning
language skills
Research and writing
Intercultural team work
Interaction with informant
Synergies
Language skills
Employability awareness
Evaluation
For a graduate to stand the best chance of securing occupations in which they can be satisfied and successful, it is essential that they receive some education in career development learning. (Dacre Pool and Sewell 2007 p 284)
Whether the project had any value for students in terms of raising their awareness of the factors that
affect career development.
Method
Questionnaire Feedback
Analysis of students’ work
Questionnaire
48/50 students completed the questionnaire.
Gave insight into their previous career plans and whether or not these had changed, and their level of confidence about planning and managing their career.
Showed only 25% had engaged with the Careers and Employability Service outside the module.
Indicated that the project can be considered to have had a positive effect in raising their awareness.
Findings
Thematic analysis of 10 Essays
• Q: What factors, both personal and external, can influence the
development of a person’s career? Which of these factors are
particularly important for you personally, and why?
Theme Example
Theory 14
According to Krumboltz’s planned happenstance theory unpredictable opportunities will come up and have a large impact on career development
Personal development 10
This project allowed me to analyse my personal situation, reassess my goal and aspirations and gain a greater determination.
Mindfulness / awareness 8
Preparation before may increase the possibility of seizing the opportunity, eventually improving the skills and exploiting potential capabilities
Factors (9); Personal 8; Family (7); Choice (5); Informant (4); Value of project (3)
Feedback Themes
learning how to develop their own career; meeting local people; communicating with people from different cultural
backgrounds (both other students and locals) the project was enjoyable. The career development project is the part I enjoy most. I think it is a good chance to both communicate with local residence (sic) and start to build our future plan. (2015-16) I found many useful recommendations through different theories, make a friend by this lovely activity (2014-15)
Student feedback
The other module help me also to my future plan. In ‘People Management’ I must writing a reflection about myself, what I learn during this class, where I see me in the future? So the english class and the career project help me so much to do a choice for my future plan. (2015-16)
Conclusion
In addition to developing students’ language
and communication skills, the project raises
their awareness of factors that can affect
careers.
Experience at PU Background Educational opportunities Extra curricular activity Networking Work opportunities
References
Bridgstock, R (2009) The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: enhancing graduate employability through career management skills, Higher Education Research & Development, 28:1, 31-44, DOI: 10.1080/07294360802444347
Chakkrabotty, A. (2016) What the great degree rip-off means for graduates: low pay and high debt http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/19/degree-graduates-low-pay-high-debt-students
Dacre Pool, L & Sewell, P 2007, 'The key to employability: developing a practical model of graduate employability' Education and Training, vol 49, no. 4, pp 277-289
Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (2011) Supporting Graduate employability HEI Practice in other countries Research Paper Number 40
Fugate, M., Kinicki, A. J., & Ashforth, B.E. (2004) ‘Employability: A psycho-social construct, its dimensions, and applications.’ Journal of Vocational Behaviour. 65 pp 14-38
Harvey, L. (2005) “Embedding and integrating employability” in New Directions for Institutional Research, Special Issue: Workforce Development and Higher Education: A Strategic Role for Institutional Research, Volume 2005, Issue 128, pages 13–28, Winter 2005
Times Higher Education International Student Survey 2015.
Waltz, M. (2014) Improving student employability. Jobs.ac.uk. [online] Available at http://www.jobs.ac.uk/media/pdf/careers/resources/improving-student-employability.pdf Last accessed 31/5/15.
Yorke, M and Knight (2003) ‘Employability and Good Learning in Higher Education .’ Teaching in Higher Education, 8:1, 3-16
QUESTIONS?