SOLSTICE & CLT Conference th & 6 th June 2014 Preparing students for the graduate labour market: from ‘unfreezing’ to ‘action’ Paul Greenbank, Centre for Learning and Teaching

Soft currencies Skills Values Personality traits Hard currencies Evidence from curricular and extra-curricular activities Personal capital Narrative of employability Source: Adapted from Brown and Hesketh (2004)

Values influencing student approaches to preparing for the graduate labour market BarriersFacilitators Present orientationFuture orientation System 1 thinkingSystem 2 thinking DependencyIndependence Conformity to ‘norms’Autonomy External locus of controlInternal locus of control Risk aversity(Calculated) risk taking ‘Purist’ orientation‘Player’ orientation

UnfreezingChangeFreeze

Self- persuasion Group work Activity- based learning

UnfreezingChangeFreeze

Year 1 & summerYear 2 & summer By the end of summer, just before Year 3Year 3 Unfreezing - Awareness of nature of graduate labour market - Critical reflection on decision-making - Case studies/ analogical encoding - Identifying future possible-selves Developing career objectives Developing and evidencing personal capital Reflecting on progress Continuing to develop and evidence personal capital Revisiting future possible- selves Refining career objectives Developing skills for the recruitment and selection process Formulate clear career objectives Evidence of personal capital fully articulated Develop strategy for applying for jobs Apply for jobs Reflect on progress and if necessary take action to overcome setbacks

Greenbank, P. (2008), ‘An investigation of the factors influencing student participation in collaborative approaches to examination preparation’, in E. O’Doherty (ed.) The Fourth Education in a Changing Environment Conference Book, Informing Science Press, California, Chapter 14, pp Greenbank, P. (2009a), ‘Re-evaluating the role of social capital in the career decision-making behaviour of working class students’, Research in Post-Compulsory Education, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp Greenbank, P. (2009b), ‘An examination of the role of values in working class students’ career decision-making’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp Greenbank, P. (2010) Initiating Change in Career Decision-making: an action research approach, Research Study for the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU), Manchester. Available at: [accessed 25/3/14] Greenbank, P. (2011), ‘Improving the process of career decision-making: an action research approach’, Education and Training, Vol. 53, No. 4, pp Greenbank, P. (2013), ‘Implementing an action research project: a case study in making decisions and managing challenges’, International Journal of Research and Method in Education, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp Greenbank, P. (2014), ‘Career decision-making: ‘I don’t think twice, but it’ll be all right’ ’, Research in Post-Compulsory Education, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp Greenbank, P. (2015), ‘Still focusing on the ‘essential 2:1’: exploring student attitudes to extra-curricular activities’, Education and Training, forthcoming. Greenbank, P. & Hepworth, S. (2008a) Working Class Students and the Career Decision-making Process: a qualitative study, Research Study for the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU), Manchester. [accessed 19/3/14] Greenbank, P. & Hepworth, S. (2008b), ‘Improving the career decision-making behaviour of working class students – do economic barriers stand in the way?’, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 32, No. 7, pp Publications