Penny Longman, UCL and Ladan Hong, KCL Equipping non-traditional students for success in a changing job market through programmes of enhanced support Penny Longman, UCL and Ladan Hong, KCL

Our aim: to stimulate ideas for enhancing institution-appropriate careers support for non-traditional students Construct strategy to identify priorities Evaluate current provision Design new initiatives

What we will cover Non-traditional students and the changing job market The case for targeted interventions Using data Shaping enhanced provision Developing an intensive programme Institution-wide collaboration

Non-traditional students and the changing job market Observations, anecdotal and research evidence Reports such as Elitist Britain1 Advantages of internships, contacts, social/cultural capital Core skills & qualifications gained in school Impact of parental influence Hurdles in recruitment processes2 BBC programme Breaking into the Elite (29 July 2019) Progression…

The case for targeted interventions Uneven playing field Less use of careers service ‘Career innocents’3 Outreach (over?)-emphasises the career rewards of a degree Access and Participation Plan priorities

Using data to identify priorities at UCL Research into DLHE differentials Focus groups National level data on outcomes4 APP data Data to identify students - problematic Using data to identify priorities at UCL

Shaping a programme of enhanced provision Importance of relationship More ground to cover Encouragement to engage Employer priorities ‘cost’ of work experience Daunting environment? Barriers to access Structural factors

UCL Careers Extra Personalised e-mail contact Longer appointments (+ continuity) Priority booking Circulation list Dedicated workshops Work-based experience bursary Accessing our services review Wider influence

Using data to evaluate impact Tricky! Increased engagement - measurable Learning gain Graduate outcomes – not yet

What are your institutional priorities?

What challenges may they face?

Careers+ Careers+ Careers support for under-represented students & EMPLOYABILITY KING’S CAREERS Careers+ Careers support for under-represented students  Specialist Careers Consultant  30min appointments 2 weeks’ advance booking Exclusive internships Drop-ins Dedicated workshops Exclusive employer events Careers+

Global Internship Programme: Careers+ Fully supported & funded 6 month programme 1 week paid micro-internship at KCL 4 week internship in Hong Kong Tailored workshops Drop in sessions Reflective workshops & 1-1’s Global Internship Programme: Careers+

Developing an intensive intervention Landscape Target Data Collaborate Prepare

Challenges Eligibility Application process Cost External stakeholders Expectations and commitment Resources

Adding WP emphasis to existing activities What ideas do you have? Current activities What works Challenges New ideas Adding WP emphasis to existing activities

Joining the dots Support services Access and Widening Participation Academic departments Community of practice / Functionally aligned groups SU Global mobility Alumni

Contacts p.longman@ucl.ac.uk ladan.hong@kcl.ac.uk UCL Careers Extra website King’s Careers+ website (under development)

Select references 1 Sutton Trust/Social Mobility Commission (2019), Elitist Britain 2019: The educational backgrounds of Britain’s leading people, available from https://www.suttontrust.com/wp- content/uploads/2019/06/Elitist-Britain-2019.pdf 2 Brown, P and Hesketh, A with Williams S (2004) The Mismanagement of Talent: Employability, Competition and Career, Oxford: OUP 3 Term coined by Dr Paul Redmond, used in presentation at High Fliers National Graduate Careers Conference, 2013 4 Numerous studies look at differentials in outcomes for students from different backgrounds (and other varying factors) Some look purely at earnings, such as Britton, J, Dearden, L, Shephard, N and Vignoles, A ‘Is Improving Access to University Enough? Socio‐Economic Gaps in the Earnings of English Graduates’ in Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 81, No. 2, pp. 328-368, available from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obes.12261 Others look more holistically, such as Davies, P, Mangan, J, Hughes, A and Slack, K (2013), ‘Labour market motivation and undergraduates’ choice of degree subject’, in British Educational Research Journal, Vol. 39, No. 2, April 2013, pp. 361–382 available from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01411926.2011.646239