Julie Hansen (QUT) Greg Thorne (Uni of Sunshine Coast) Erin O’Connor (Uni of Minnesota, USA Shari Walsh (QUT) What can I do with a 3-year Psychology degree? Encouraging active career development in undergrad psychology students

Psychology Education in Australia SIX-YEAR TRAINING MODEL Bachelor’s degree: 3 years Honours year: competitive entry; minimum requirement for registration Masters degree or supervised practice: Professional training (2 years) OVER 60% OF 3-YEAR GRADUATES DON’T GAIN A PLACE IN 4 TH YEAR Often feel they’ve reached a dead end / ‘failed’ / learnt nothing useful 3-YEAR DEGREE IS THEORETICAL Strong education in psycho0logical science, based on scientist-practitioner model Little or (usually) no practical experience Graduate skills that can lead to rewarding careers in diverse settings

Liberal Arts degree for the 21 st Century? PEOPLE SKILLS Understand human behaviour; can apply psychological knowledge (?) Interpersonal skills, (possibly) counselling skills, teamwork skills RESEARCH SKILLS Research design &critique; data analysis Problem-solving & critical thinking; Evidence-based analysis & argument WRITING SKILLS Disciplined, concise and evidence-based style

But psychology students lack awareness of the value of their degree Evident from: Student consultations + feedback from careers counsellors Psychology students’ disproportionate eagerness for Careers Day information Course Experience Questionnaire Suggested improvements to the course: practical experience; practical experience; practical experience..... The curriculum! Designed as a stepping-stone to further study – not as an end in itself

Career Development agenda UK: Employability agenda; Life-wide Learning; Psychology Student Employability Guide USA: Psychology graduates should emerge from their program with realistic ideas of how to implement their psychological khowledgte, skills, and valued in occupational pursuits in a variety of settings. APA learning goals for UG psychology (Goal 10) AUSTRALIA: Peak discipline bodies should develop strategies to assist undergraduate students to learn about the application of psychological knowledge to self and others Graduate attributes for undergraduate psychology (Cranney, ALTC) Good for students – and good for the discipline! Graduates of our undergrad programs should be advocates for psychology, who value their knowledge and skills, who know what differentiates them from graduates of other disciplines, and who can apply psychological knowledge in a wide range of personal and employment contexts.

Our experience so far.. EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Careers development workshops; graduate & employer seminars; a strong partnership with Careers & Employment Volunteering workshops.... Transformative! INCORPORATED INTO THE CURRICULUM 1 st year core unit – Psychology in Professional Contexts 3 rd year elective – Psychology in the Community

Psychology in Professional Contexts 1 st year, semester 1 core unit designed to encourage students to actively engage in career development Introduction to profession; study & career pathways; career development; student e-portfolio Guest lectures from graduates and employers in a wide range of psych-related areas Focus on careers for both 3-year graduates and registered psychologists

Student evaluations are mixed... High ratings for quality of teaching – but mixed response to the unit I have heard from a few different people (and i am not one of them) that they questioned the relevance of certain parts of the unit. They didn’t quite understand why we were doing what we were doing. I personally feel that everything I have learnt in 000 has been really beneficial and relevant to the start of my university experience. I had questioned whether i was in the right degree program and 000 helped me realise i am in the right place. I really enjoyed hearing about the journeys of different psychologists and found their stories to be inspiring. It gave me an understanding of what I have to do to become a psychologist.I had no idewa about the training and study required to do so. I really enjoyed the guest speakers as they opened up my minid to so many different areas of psychology. A work in progress!

Psychology in the Community Final semester, 3 rd year elective Career preparation + 50 hours volunteer work in community Assessment: Portfolio A: Preparation – skills audit; resume; selection criteria; identify & research an organisation; identify learning goals; interview prep Presentation at mini-conference + satisfactory completion of placement; achieved learning goals Portfolio B; reflective essay; future directions...

Student evaluations Overwhelmingly positive Average unit evaluations of 4.7 out of 5 (cf faculty average of 3.6) Best aspects Finally, a chance to gain real world experience It was incredibly helpful to be able to see psychological concepts in action I now know what practical skills \i have and what \i need to develop them more The best aspect was applying knowledge and skills we had learnt into the workplace All the advice on getting jobs, writing resumes, addressing selection criteria, interview practice and techniques was VERY relevant and extremely helpful A fantastic subject to finish with. Allows people to develop the skills required for job applications and working in the real world.

Other positive outcomes Volunteer at Child & Youth Mental Health Service > research assistanc > honours project > psychologist Volunteer at youth refuge > elected president of management committee > job “I didn’t realise I was competent” Volunteers / trainee telephone counsellors at Lifeline > telephone counselling supervisors Volunteers at Careers & Employment service > hired to help write uni-wide online careers modules Volunteer at research centre > research assistant > honours project

Where to from here? Review & revise1 st year Psychology in Professional Contexts Embed use of student e-portfolio across the degree RE-invigorate and expand extra-curricular careers seminars Encourage culture of community engagement & volunteering Extend Career Mentor Scheme to 3 rd year students Currently for 4 th year students only Difficult to find 3-year graduate mentors