1. Holly Prescott, Jayne Sharples and Dashi Alpion
The ‘Postgraduate Pathway’: helping postgraduate students navigate the changing demands of future labour markets
Holly Prescott, Jayne Sharples and Dashi Alpion
Tuesday 5 September 2017

2. The context… The context… Sutton Trust PG premium report in 2013
Feeling that ‘everyone has a degree’ so PG is needed to differentiate
Increased financial investment and ROI
Problems of under-experience and over-qualification
Government decisions and changing policies have without doubt impacted on the discourse and perceptions around PG study in the UK… increased UG fees were originally felt to deter students from PG study (the ‘post 2015’ effect), but Masters (and now PhD loans) seemingly make PG study more accessible. But… Is there hope? What does the future of work look like and what opportunities might this present for postgraduates? How can postgraduates make future skills gaps and priorities work to their advantage? How can our support to students considering further study help give them a balanced view, taking into consideration the demands of the future labour market? And how can we best prepare postgraduates to compete in the labour markets of the near future, based on what employers tell us they will be looking for?

3. Workshop aims Share employer research around key future skills
Understand how these skills correspond (or not) to those gained through a postgraduate degree
Practical pointers on how we as practitioners can:
Use this LMI to help students make career decisions at each section of the ‘Postgraduate Pathway?’
Help postgraduates to develop and articulate essential skills for the future?
Navigate challenges and obstacles associated with postgraduates’ entry into the labour market?

4. UoB Postgraduate (Employability) Pathway
PGT Support (by PGT Employer Liaison Officer, in association with College teams):
Employability Workshops
Online resources
Enterprise modules
‘Intensive’ support for International Students
Mentoring by industrial and/or PGR mentors
Support for applications to PhD Programmes
Introduction to UoB PG Pathways
Taught Programmes
1st Year
UGs
Penultimate /
Final Year UGs
Employment
Research Programmes
Pre-PG Support in collaboration with PG recruitment):
PG Application advice and support
PG related Career Planning
PG Funding advice
Research Internships for Research Track
Students
PGR Support (provided by University Graduate School, in association with Careers Network):
Engagement by employers / alumni
Employability Workshops
Online resources
1:1 support with dedicated PGR adviser
Postgraduate Enterprise Summer School)

5. Employer research around key future skills
Polymaths is an innovation-consulting firm that helps organisations discover innovative solutions to complex problems, through complexity science thinking and the computational sciences.
Tessella, Altran’s World Class Center for Analytics, is part of the Altran Group, a global leader in Engineering and R&D Services. Tessella uses data science to accelerate evidence-based decision making, allowing businesses to improve profitability, reduce costs, streamline operations, avoid errors and out-innovate the competition.
FDM Group is a professional services provider with a focus on IT and the UK’s leading IT graduate employer. FDM’s business model is both unique and robust, bringing people and technology together.
We are renowned for our dynamic Careers Programme, which gives graduates and ex-Forces personnel award-winning business and technical training in core disciplines. They then progress to represent FDM on client sites as our Consultants for a minimum of two years. With over 180 clients worldwide, we help them achieve specific business objectives within various sectors, including financial services, media, retail and insurance.

6. Rationale for choice of employers
Range of sizes from SME to large organisation
Ranges of sectors – engineering, public sector, consulting and HE
Map across to key skill and expertise areas such as technical, research and consultancy
Employers who recruit our postgraduates

7. The Questions
Do you hire staff with (a) Masters qualification (b) PhD?
Is there a different entry point for employees with a postgraduate degree? Or do they enter alongside employees with only an UG degree i.e. on a graduate scheme?
What are the benefits to you in hiring employees with a Masters or PhD?
Do you encounter any challenges with employees with a Masters or PhD?
5. What skills and expertise do you look for in applicants with a Masters or PhD?

8. In ten years time …….
6. Thinking about the direction your organisation is heading in and the changes in the wider sector, how do you envisage your hiring strategy changing in the next 10 years?
What skills, knowledge and expertise will you be looking for in new employees/ postgraduates in 10 years time?

9. Skills, Knowledge and Expertise in ten years time ….
Digital Technology
“We need to be more forward thinking – particularly in our approach to technology. Digitally the world is evolving …. We operate a hub and spoke model at CRUK so we can ensure our staff are technologically self-sufficient in order to deliver our key messages – this can include anything from agile working projects, to tracking our audiences through Google Analytics” - CRUK

10. In ten years time …. “Be able to work across disciplines.
Advanced critical and creative thinking
“Be able to work across disciplines.
Creative problem solving.
Not hampered by silo thinking – aware of how ideas
intersect in different fields.” Polymaths

11. In ten years time ….
Cutting-edge, high tech research
“The work we do is cutting-edge, high tech R & D, so the skills we look for will be driven by advances in technology and developments in the industries we work in.” Tessella

12. Recruitment strategy in ten years time ….
Bi-Modal hiring strategy
“First mode deep insight and technical skills are key.
The other mode will seek to test for genuine entrepreneurial and creative ability in a world where information is commonly shared but how it is used and interpreted for advantage will be at a premium”. University of Cambridge

13. In ten years time ….
“… we will continue to hire through our strength based model for the interviews but are looking to incorporate gamification within the recruitment process”. FDM
Drive, Collaboration , Growth, Strategic Awareness, Flexibility, Social Adaptability , Logical Mindset, Resilience

14. Group activities – 25 mins
UG-PG
Advising students to make informed career decisions (transition to further study)
PGT
Supporting Masters students to develop & articulate these skills to be ideal employees
PGR
Helping PGRs to develop & articulate these skills to employers

15. Feedback
2 future ideas!
PGRs
UG-PG
PGTs

16. Sharing ideas – UoB

17. @CareersPG www.intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/careers/postgraduates
Thank you!
@CareersPG