Edufair 2012 Employer Engagement In Higher Education Pam Crawford Lesley Grayburn Elaine Watson Russell Whyte

Employer engagement overview Policy context and issues associated with engaging with employers (Pam Crawford) CDC and employer engagement (Lesley Grayburn) Case Studies Partnership Modules (Elaine Watson) Making the Most of Masters (Russell Whyte)

Policy context External: Scottish Government Economic Strategy Putting learners at the centre Scottish Government emphasis on employability and employer engagement HE drivers: Quality agenda Enhancement themes Reputational issues and external scrutiny of graduate destinations and the student experience Demonstrating economic and societal impact

National & Local Policy Context “We have brought a focus to skills and employability – helping to improve employability and students’ contribution to the economy and society” Mark Batho, SFC Chief Executive, Corporate Plan 2012 “Our target is to increase the proportion of our graduates entering graduate level jobs to 85%” University of Stirling, Strategic Plan 2011 – 2016

What does employer engagement mean in HE? forms of engagement typologies and roles definitions processes Forms include: attending events and fair; posting vacancies; sitting on relevant steering groups and advisory boards; providing work experience, both stand alone and course related; mentoring; providing projects, both accredited and non- accredited; supporting employability development. Hogarth (2007 p.8) describes HEIs as offering employers, “a number of products, services and ‘outputs’, ranging from graduates, the facilitation of workplace learning and professional development, through to research and consultancy“ Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) developed a typology for employer engagement which describes employers as stakeholders, strategic partners and/or consumers. formal and informal Strategic or reactive employer-HEI partnerships can be people-dependant rather than system-dependant, Lowden (2011)

Hogarth (2007).

Issues around employer engagement for HE Capacity and framework – who does what and when? Strategic approach – proactive rather than reactive Fit – how does it fit with the learning profile? Barriers: Timelines; resources; pathways into the institution. Benefits: Employer perspectives; enhanced practice; leads to more engagement; employability outputs; relevance of theory to practice.

Employers View A third of graduate positions in 2012 will be filled by graduates who have already worked in the organisation – either through industrial placements, vacation work or sponsorships – and therefore are not open to other students from the ‘Class of 2012’ (High Fliers: The Graduate Market in 2012 (2012))

CDC & Employer Engagement Recruitment - Stirling  Part time/seasonal vacancies through the Job Shop  Graduate vacancies  Internships and work experience opportunities  Relationship management & development  SMEs to multinationals Recruitment – Scotland & Beyond  Scottish Shared Vacancies system  Third Sector Internship Programme/e-placements  Virtual Careers Fair

CDC & Employer Engagement Student Projects  Active Learning in the Community Modules  International Summer School Internship Module  Work experience Partnership Modules  Work based projects for Masters students In the Curriculum  Run or take part in workshops in Schools  Business simulation  Link to academic colleagues

CDC & Employer Engagement Careers Events  Workfest  This is Your Life  Forums  Presentations  Volunteering Fair – joint event with Volunteer Development Scotland and the Student Union

CDC & Employer Engagement Student Enterprise and Self-employment  Business Gateway drop in sessions  Links to PSYBT  Links to student enterprise Links with Alumni  Alumni Career Ambassadors/mentors  Career profiles and case studies/contacts

Employer Engagement in Higher Education Accredited Approaches to Work Related Learning Elaine Watson

Background to our modules “There is now an increasing emphasis on placement forming a component of an undergraduate education. Central to effective placement experience is the provision of well-organised, meaningful placements that enlist formal reflection on what has been learned and, where possible, how this relates to what the student is learning in the context of their degree studies.” Graduates for 21st Century Integrating the Enhancement Themes

Accredited WRL CDC offer two 22 credit (level 8) modules: 1. Active Learning in the Community Generic (PDM9AL) 2. Active Learning in the Community Social Work (PDM9AW)

Active Learning in the Community Background to the module (s)  Developed by CDC in 2002  Provide a mix of academic study with a practical work based placement  Enables students to volunteer in the Voluntary / Charitable sector  Facilitates links with the university and local community

Active Learning in the Community Generic  Open to all students  Open to all year groups  Placements in a variety of settings mainly in the charitable / voluntary sector Social Work  All 1 st Year SW students  Mandatory module  Placements in a variety of Social Work related settings

Module Structure Students undertake:  30 Hour placement over 10 week term  4 x 2hr Classroom based learning Assessment:  5 On-line Reflective Logs (every 2 weeks)  7 minute Presentation  Final Report 1500 words

Value of WRL “The maximum work-related learning occurs when it is built into the students' degree programmes, with appropriate pre-placement advice and preparation, reflection on the learning after it has occurred and appropriate linkages made between the work environment and the academic programme.”reflection Assessment, Learning & Teaching

Value of WRL Work-related learning allows students to improve their employability by:  Increasing their knowledge of the world of work  Exploring links between theory and practice  Developing self-confidence  Aiding career and personal development planning  Providing an impressive addition to the CV  Providing useful employer contacts for later job hunting / networking.

Academic Feedback ‘This module is an essential part of the SW degree preparing students at an early point for professional and ethical dilemmas of becoming a social worker. It has proved consistently useful in meeting the regulatory body’s fitness to practise requirement’ Judy Kerr Teaching Fellow, Social Work

Employer Feedback  " I enjoyed the experience of working with our volunteer. It was useful for the organisation and it was a real pleasure to see the presentations at the end of the module, and to see how much the students had gained from their experiences".  "The student presentations were of value for us as an organization in terms of getting students’ feedback and their objective view/perceptions of our service delivery".  “I feel that its beneficial to the staff team to have students on placement”  “

Student feedback  “ Both modules are so beneficial in helping you gain essential skills and develop as an individual and ultimately know how to apply those learned skills to make you more employable when the time comes to graduate.”  “Reflective journals really helped me to understand my practice”  “The presentation and journals were a different way of working and learning”  “It’s an excellent module which is a lot different from any other. The course is interactive and fun”

New Developments  CDC currently working to develop new partnership module (s)  New Modules confirmed for Spring 2013 with School of Sport and School of Law  Discussions currently underway with: Maths, Biology, Film & Media and the School of Arts and Humanities.

Looking Ahead  CDC would be pleased to speak to staff from any subject area that may have an interest in developing work placement modules.  Please contact:

Key Topics For Discussion Current level of employer engagement: Does your school/dept. encourage employer engagement – if so, how? How do we approach employers? How we respond to incoming employer queries? Future engagement: How can we better engage with employers? What are the key barriers to employer engagement?