Preparing our students for the best job not just any job Jonathan Ayto - (Eportfolio Support Officer) Presenting on behalf of Fiona Powling - (Practice Education Support Nurse) Introduce yourself - presenting on behalf of Fiona Powling. Background to use of PebblePad at York Since 2013. Mentors and personal supervisors provide feedback and assessment in practice portfolio Eportfolio Support Team setup to help implement the use of PebblePad throughout the Department

Current uncertainties Introduction of associate nurses Removal of NHS bursary Brexit At a glance, good employability -  99.4% of nurses and 100% of midwives gained employment at the end of the programme. Vacancies are high in the local and national market However, there are uncertainties on the horizon and we want to ensure our students remain employable and are adaptable. Examples of changes: Associate nurses –may reduce demand for degree level registered nurses Currently, many students study and stay in the local area. They are often recruited by employers who they have completed practice placements with and so have built a connection=. The removal of bursary opens up opportunity for overseas recruitment. May mean students don’t stay in local area and are therefore competing for jobs nationally and globally with employers who they do not have any previous relationship with . Students will have to work harder to sell themselves. Intro of fees will also increase expectation amongst students - want assurances they be able to gain employment at end of programme. Brexit - remains to be seen the affect this will have on healthcare and the NHS On the University and national agenda’s to ensure graduates remain employable in a changing market Our responsibility  to support long term career planning So how can PebblePad help?

PebblePad and employability PebblePad can: Provide a lifelong portfolio of evidence Demonstrate use of technology Showcase professional development to employers through a simple URL. Support revalidation process We want our students to showcase their abilities and professional development to help them stand out PP provides a platform to enable students to do this - present their achievements in online portfolio - photos, files, qualifications, certificates, shared with employers via web Offers a richer view of the candidate than the standard CV and cover letter. Students can build their own online portfolio to document their career. Easy for employers to access this richer view of the candidate as a link can be put in to any application form or CV Using technology helps students show more varied skillset Will help with revalidation - from April 2016 Nurses and midwives are required to revalidate every three years with the NMC. Submit evidence of learning, practice hours and reflections on practice.

Encourage students to: Our approach Encourage students to: Take up the alumni account Collect evidence throughout their programme Understand how PebblePad can support job applications Encouraged to take up an Alumni Account to keep portfolio work beyond graduation.   Encouraged to gather evidence throughout their programme - not left until the last minute This is promoted at York by: Face to face group sessions Support team offering guidance online and via telephone Careers fair - hosted six months prior to graduation to prepare students for employment

Collecting evidence contemporaneously Privacy and suitability Challenges Student engagement Collecting evidence contemporaneously   Privacy and suitability Most student have indicated they will develop their portfolio but there is some reluctance. Some aren’t willing to engage with PP any more than they need to - want to do the bare minimum to get themselves through the programme. Nursing and midwifery programmes are applied disciplines - assumption that students who enrol on the programmes plan to secure a job as a on completion We make the students aware of the potentials of PP early in the course - not until the reality of applying for a job kicks in that the students really start to engage with it Have to consider best time to tell students about preparing their portfolio. Too early and students are preoccupied with course requirements. Local Trust employers start their recruitment for graduates about 6 months before students complete their programme Too late and you have missed the opportunity to collect evidence. Students seek reassurance that their account is secure. They are used to work auto-submitting and want reassurance that the University can’t access their personal work. We encourage students to be mindful about what they send prospective employers and only send evidence that is relevant to the job they are applying for.

Aim to give students every advantage Gather evidence of uptake Moving forward Aim to give students every advantage Gather evidence of uptake Lifelong portfolio of evidence for new graduates or NMC revalidation Graduate employability high on all University agendas Any advantage we can give is valuable - higher education’s contribution to the workforce. PP offers an advantage. Now that PP is successfully embedded, our next step is to collect data on the students’ use of it post graduation to inform our approach   Only one year has so far completed the programme with PP Survey feedback and our increased knowledge will help guide how we use the system to help employability In summary we think PP gives students a platform to build a life long portfolio. The portfolio can be used showcase their professional and personal development and help promote themselves in a changing marketplace.

Any questions? Graduate employability high on all University agendas Any advantage we can give is valuable - higher education’s contribution to the workforce. PP offers an advantage. Now that PP is successfully embedded, our next step is to collect data on the students’ use of it post graduation to inform our approach   Only one year has so far completed the programme with PP Survey feedback and our increased knowledge will help guide how we use the system to help employability In summary we think PP gives students a platform to build a life long portfolio. The portfolio can be used showcase their professional and personal development and help promote themselves in a changing marketplace.