Alumni’s life and career stories Ben Hickman Research Director Zara Lawson Research Innovations Lead www.alterline.co.uk

About Alterline We work across the UK, helping clients in HE solve problems, develop strategies and deliver positive change. All driven by better understanding their students’ lives, experiences and needs Believe in doing work that we enjoy, and work that changes lives.

Research collaborations We work in three ways Research innovations Research collaborations Research solutions

It’s about understanding lives Context matters (students are people too!) What people say, isn’t always what they do The world has changed People relate to stories, we need to build empathy

Building a life, not just a career

The life story interview “The story a person chooses to tell about the life he has lived, told as completely and honestly as possible, what is remembered of it, and what the teller wants others to know of it.” (Atkinson 1998)

Using alumni life stories to understand their careers Life-story interviews Online diaries Career construction through… Career adaptability Self-concept Life-space

Career adaptability

Alumni had negative self-concepts prior to starting at LSBU LONELY JUDGMENTAL UNCERTAIN STOIC WORRIER RESOURCEFUL DEPRESSED CONFIDENT SHY LACKING CONFIDENCE INTROVERTED HARD-WORKING SCATTERED IMPULSIVE QUIET CLUELESS UNSURE BORED Three words alumni used to describe themselves before coming to LSBU – the larger the word, the more commonly used

Sudden realisations they wanted something more “Gradually I lost interest in [my job] and then decided by this time I was getting towards about 30 and I thought it was about time I settled down and got myself a proper career. So I looked around and decided on occupational therapy.”

Work as a teaching assistant Computer science teacher Going to university isn’t showing concern in and of itself Leave school Work in court service Work in advertising Work as a teaching assistant Work in a bar Voluntary roles Film degree at LSBU Computer science teacher

Self-concept

Social conscience defines the career choices students make “So losing people like that* you wonder how can I, with all these smarts, help to improve things so no one loses someone like I did… it helps drive you to be more focussed on helping people rather than making a quick buck which is why some people do engineering.” *Alumnus lost his father unexpectedly in his late teens

Their monetary ambitions were clear, but modest “I wanted a career change and studying at LSBU helped me achieve that and I wanted to earn more, which LSBU also helped me achieve.”

Life-space

The ‘early in life’ mature student The ‘settled’ mature student Three life spaces within LSBU The ‘typical’ student The ‘early in life’ mature student The ‘settled’ mature student

Making and measuring impact

Where does impact happen? “In my first year I said I couldn’t do this can I re-do the year? [My lecturer] said no, you are going to do the two essays you have missed and re-sit. Thanks to him he pushed me through it and I think I was more focussed in the second and third years because I spoke to people about getting help. Through uni, I learned how to ask for help.”

CONFIDENT PROFESSIONAL AUTHORITATIVE HAPPY TECH-SAVVY INFORMED LSBU transformed alumni’s self-concepts – and increased their career readiness HAPPY METHODICAL AUTHORITATIVE TECH-SAVVY SATISFIED CONFIDENT STRONG INFORMED HARD-WORKING MOTIVATED PROFESSIONAL INDEPENDENT KNOWLEDGEABLE Three words alumni used to describe themselves after leaving LSBU – the larger the word, the more commonly used

Building inspiring stories which resonate with current students

Making and measuring impact – Food for thought Do you truly understand your students’ aspirations? Are your measures of success aligned with these? Have you sat down with your alumni to understand and learn from the impact your institution is having on their careers and lives? Do you think and deliver in a segmented/personalised way?

Ben Hickman Research Director ben.hickman@alterline.co.uk @benhickman109 Zara Lawson Research Innovations Lead zara.Lawson@alterline.co.uk 0161 605 0862 www.alterline.co.uk @AlterlineAction