1. The Long March towards Embedding Employability
John Clarke
Assistant Director Student Services
(Employability and Life Skills)‏
University of the West of England

2. Introduction Where we’ve reached now The journey so far
The biggest challenges
The future
What I've learned

3. Where we are now
Graduate Development Programme (GDP) – all FT undergraduates (levels 1,2,3)‏
Facilitated group tutorial framework of delivery
Level 2 GDP prime focus for employability
Including newly developed e-learning resource MyFuture
Institutional strategy on employability (signed off May 2007)‏
Institutional Employability advisory group June 2008
Faculty strategies Jan 2009
Lead role for careers service and significant new investment

4. The journey: part 1
Spring 2002 first employability paper adopted by Learning Teaching and Assessment Comm.
December 2004 Employability Strategy group formed (led by Student Services)‏
January 2006 draft Employability strategy paper finalised for new VC arrival
New VC sets employer relationships as core mission for institution and establishes new approach to setting policy on key issues
Key role for external management consultants

5. The journey: part 2 Draft strategy shelved
New employability project established led by Professor Kath Ross (from nursing)
Aim to explore what employers want from graduates and how we could deliver it
Central project group, five sub groups, employer interviews
Parallel development of Graduate Development Programme initiative
Project funding for careers team to develop e- learning resource

6. The journey: part 3
Revised Employability Strategy adopted in summer 2007
Autumn 2007 GDP level 1 rolled out
Reorganisation within Student Services
Careers, volunteering and international student support brought together under Employability and Life Skills heading
Winter 2007 Employability project report
2007/8 series of staff development activities on employability
led by careers team and Professor Ross

7. The key challenges
Dealing with frustrations of changing institutional priorities, personalities and politics
Accepting the changing role for a careers service when employability becomes and institutional priority
Engaging careers staff with an occasionally incoherent process of change that is significantly altering their role
Completing a new e-learning resource

8. The future
Consolidate GDP across undergraduate provision and then look further
Embed MyFuture as high quality, responsive resource for staff and students
Develop new levels of employability support
More intense individual support (coaching)‏
Certificated skills programme
Consolidate structural role at faculty and institutional level for careers

9. What I've learnt Stick with it!!! Play to your strengths
Professional expertise, knowledge and dedicated resource
Be flexible and responsive to corporate agenda's
Value engagement of senior academics
Use senior management endorsement carefully
It can be very powerful, but possibly shortlived