1. Alumni’s life and career stories
Ben Hickman Research Director
Zara Lawson Research Innovations Lead

2. About Alterline
We work across the UK, helping clients in HE solve problems, develop strategies and deliver positive change. All driven by better understanding their students’ lives, experiences and needs Believe in doing work that we enjoy, and work that changes lives.

3. Research collaborations
We work in three ways
Research innovations
Research collaborations
Research solutions

4. It’s about understanding lives
Context matters (students are people too!)
What people say, isn’t always what they do
The world has changed
People relate to stories, we need to build empathy

5. Building a life, not just a career

6. The life story interview
“The story a person chooses to tell about the life he has lived, told as completely and honestly as possible, what is remembered of it, and what the teller wants others to know of it.” (Atkinson 1998)

7. Using alumni life stories to understand their careers
Life-story interviews
Online diaries
Career construction through…
Career adaptability
Self-concept
Life-space

8. Career adaptability

9. Alumni had negative self-concepts prior to starting at LSBU
LONELY
JUDGMENTAL
UNCERTAIN
STOIC
WORRIER
RESOURCEFUL
DEPRESSED
CONFIDENT
SHY
LACKING CONFIDENCE
INTROVERTED
HARD-WORKING
SCATTERED
IMPULSIVE
QUIET
CLUELESS
UNSURE
BORED
Three words alumni used to describe themselves before coming to LSBU – the larger the word, the more commonly used

10. Sudden realisations they wanted something more
“Gradually I lost interest in [my job] and then decided by this time I was getting towards about 30 and I thought it was about time I settled down and got myself a proper career. So I looked around and decided on occupational therapy.”

11. Work as a teaching assistant Computer science teacher
Going to university isn’t showing concern in and of itself
Leave school
Work in court service
Work in advertising
Work as a teaching assistant
Work in a bar
Voluntary roles
Film degree at LSBU
Computer science teacher

12. Self-concept

13. Social conscience defines the career choices students make
“So losing people like that* you wonder how can I, with all these smarts, help to improve things so no one loses someone like I did… it helps drive you to be more focussed on helping people rather than making a quick buck which is why some people do engineering.”
*Alumnus lost his father unexpectedly in his late teens

14. Their monetary ambitions were clear, but modest
“I wanted a career change and studying at LSBU helped me achieve that and I wanted to earn more, which LSBU also helped me achieve.”

15. Life-space

16. The ‘early in life’ mature student The ‘settled’ mature student
Three life spaces within LSBU
The ‘typical’ student
The ‘early in life’ mature student
The ‘settled’ mature student

17. Making and measuring impact

18. Where does impact happen?
“In my first year I said I couldn’t do this can I re-do the year? [My lecturer] said no, you are going to do the two essays you have missed and re-sit. Thanks to him he pushed me through it and I think I was more focussed in the second and third years because I spoke to people about getting help. Through uni, I learned how to ask for help.”

19. CONFIDENT PROFESSIONAL AUTHORITATIVE HAPPY TECH-SAVVY INFORMED
LSBU transformed alumni’s self-concepts – and increased their career readiness
HAPPY
METHODICAL
AUTHORITATIVE
TECH-SAVVY
SATISFIED
CONFIDENT
STRONG
INFORMED
HARD-WORKING
MOTIVATED
PROFESSIONAL
INDEPENDENT
KNOWLEDGEABLE
Three words alumni used to describe themselves after leaving LSBU – the larger the word, the more commonly used

20. Building inspiring stories which resonate with current students

21. Making and measuring impact – Food for thought
Do you truly understand your students’ aspirations? Are your measures of success aligned with these?
Have you sat down with your alumni to understand and learn from the impact your institution is having on their careers and lives?
Do you think and deliver in a segmented/personalised way?

22. Ben Hickman
Research Director
@benhickman109
Zara Lawson Research Innovations Lead
@AlterlineAction