Elizabeth Cornish Career Development Service University of Leicester The Leicester Award Gold: A more personal approach to career development and graduate recruitment Elizabeth Cornish Career Development Service University of Leicester

Aims and Objectives Explore how Careers Services can work in partnership with employers to help them develop relationships with students Identify a range of methods that can be implemented to help employers connect with students. Explore how a personal approach to career development and graduate recruitment could be implemented within your institution. Discuss how Careers Services can work in partnership with employers to help them develop relationships with students and identify talent. Identify a range of methods that can be implemented to help employers connect with students. Identify successful methods to enhance students’ commercial awareness and develop skills via experiential learning and employer collaboration. Explore how a personal approach to career development and graduate recruitment could be implemented within their respective organisation.

In what ways can students connect with employers at your institution? Write on post its Feedback to group Themes? Placements Employer presentations Careers Fairs Skills Sessions Networking events

The Award Structure Aims Develop higher level transferable skills Improve commercial awareness Provide with assessment centre/interview practice Identify talent Prep Session Sector skills Workshop + Challenge Presentation Assessment Centre Explain Leicester Award – 2 tier (standard recognises students achievements outside the curriculum and supports their career development. Gold allows successful students to interact with employers and develop higher level skills) Explain structure – 4 workshops – we ask employers to focus on one skill –something that they would be looking for within their recruits Explain aims Run a pilot – with ERAC Careers Appointment -Internship/grad application

Collaboration Transaction Interaction Old Way 1 off skills sessions and assessment of student presentations New way Longer term commitment & relationship with opportunity for more ROI Develop brand awareness through close interaction with students Talent spotting opportunity Base it on the business

Collaboration- Case Study: Future Leaders Pilot ‘The programme was probably one of the best I have been involved with both from a learning and development standpoint for the students but also from their engagement.’ - Ashley Hever Partnership with Enterprise Rent-a-car Focus on Leadership and Communication skills 4 session delivered over 6 months Outcomes 28 Students completed Enterprise interested in 5 Offered 1 Internship and 3 Graduate roles

A personal approach to working with employers Create a structure but allow for flexibility Enable ownership of content - adapted from Graduate Leadership Programme Encourage use of realistic business scenarios Allow for students to be assessed against employers own criteria Realistic business scenarios give fresh perspectives back to the business, while they are seeing them develop Employers see talent, and can assess against their own criteria.

Student Perceptions ‘This award programme has worked very well as it was one of the first to combine an organisation that that worked in tandem with us as students. I thought the level of interaction and engagement from the Enterprise Team was fantastic. The Enterprise Mentors and Team have set a very high standard in this Leadership Award.’ ‘Future leader is a good Leicester Award to get a insight of job market and from the communication with actual employers from the sectors.’

A personal approach to connecting with students Delivered by one employer over multiple sessions Experiential learning methods Networking Access to mentors Feedback from the employer Focussed on skills development How did we create an environment for employers to connect with students while remaining focused on students development and learning? Employers connection with students was facilitated by the learning and teaching methods of the programme Students felt that ERAC had really invested in their development because they were involved over several sessions. Helped to develop confidence Experiential learning via realistic scenarios students had to problem solve, research etc. Skills focus probably the most important initially

Challenges and Successes Marketing Conversion Challenges Degree disciplines and career goals Retention Marketing – skills focus Conversion – 2 taken on – ERAC interested in a number of others and a number of other students said they would be applying. (more tracking needed here –which is why we have added the application form stage at the end) Challenge to target particular students while making it open to all. Retention – had a large drop out rate largely due to timing. Ran over too long a period and students lost interest. Will be running the programme the first term which leaves more time for students to apply for grad scheme after it finishes

How could a personal approach be adopted at your institution? What would be the challenges? What factors would need to be considered? How could you involve employers? How would you engage students?

Contact Elizabeth Cornish Leicester Award Project Manager elc38@le.ac.uk