1. The formative use of the HEAR: supporting student experience and career planning….
Welcome 

3. Previously…the HEAR Proposals (2007)…
a Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) will be the central vehicle for recording all university-level undergraduate higher education student achievement in all UK higher education institutions.
The HEAR will be a single document, based on, and developed from, the current academic transcript, and incorporating the European Diploma Supplement (so first and foremost an academic record...)
The HEAR will contain information which the institution is prepared to verify. Further work should be done on how to measure and record skills and achievements gained through non- formal learning…

4. Recognising achievement beyond the curriculum
A tool kit for enhancing strategy and practice
‘The growth in award schemes offered by higher education providers reflects calls from government, professional bodies and employers to provide greater preparation for students in the skills they need when entering graduate employment. Moreover, in light of increased focus on the quality of the student experience, awards also add value by making higher education more relevant to the lives of learners and helping them to recognise that there is more to learning in higher education than just studying a subject.’
Stimulus papers at:

5. The context now…
Formative use and accommodation of lifewide learning achievements of growing interest at national level…
On the ground… limited but growing activity… some possible explanations for this.
Pre-existing processes; challenges in using HEAR within existing systems, evidence that Registry colleagues are leading…
So - a ‘work in progress…’ linked to the use of technology (by institutions and employers), to valuing the wider student experience, to re-energising tutorial support, to bringing practice together, to connecting with employers recruitment strategies…

6. HEAR and student engagement…
‘We have made the HEAR accessible to both students and staff via our internal system, and are encouraging it to be used as a reference point for personal development planning and progress review. We have provided personal tutors with initial guidance re: using the HEAR to support planning and reflection, and are working with one of our academic departments on a project to develop a new approach to personal development planning, to make PDP more dynamic and appealing and empower students to take a lead in managing their university career.’

7. HEAR and employer engagement…
1. SMEs are the key employers of our graduates rather than blue chip multinationals.
2. So, rather than ask employers to come to us we are going to try to outreach to them.
3. Differentiate employer as consumer and as a contributor.
4. Raising awareness of HEAR and its benefits - critical first step.
5. Initial actions:
Local Chamber of Commerce - contact, presentation;
Written briefings for our Employer contacts (thanks CRA!);
Promotional video.

8. Today… how
1. the implementation of the HEAR might support students in making the most of the opportunities provided by the student experience, thereby potentially maximising their employability claims;
2. careers and employability staff can contribute to this process, with the potential to support:
earlier and more structured career awareness and planning processes;
more effective applications for employment.

9. Using the HEAR to support employability - emerging scenarios and their implications for action…
Rob Ward, Director, CRA & Kerry Hyde, Assistant Director, Career Development Service, University of Leicester

10. Employers come in all shapes and sizes…

11. Grades matter, but other things matter too… a perspective from Google
“ Your degree is not a proxy for your ability to do any job.
The world only cares about — and pays off on — what you can do with what you know (and it doesn’t care how you learned it)…
.. in an age when innovation is increasingly a group endeavour, it also cares about a lot of soft skills — leadership, humility, collaboration, adaptability and loving to learn and re-learn. ”

12. Myths vs Emerging Scenarios

13. Supporting student development…
As a prompt to support student thinking about their own development, and employability potential, from earlier in their undergraduate career…
Paper HEAR, virtual HEAR data reflected back to via student portal and/or end of year HEAR provided via trusted third party organisation.

14. An aide memoire…
A direct prompt for action eg to help when filling in an application form,or developing their CV, manually…
Paper HEAR, virtual HEAR data reflected back to via student portal and/or end of year HEAR provided via trusted third party organisation.

15. Document share/verification…
Document share - the applicant grants access by to a specific employer to whom they have applied in support of their application. (requires employer to register with University, student controls access).
Virtual HEAR (PDF) delivered by institution or trusted third party organisation.

16. Electronic matching/talent mining…
Through electronic matching - ‘talent spotting’ - by the use of software that facilitates an interrogation of students/applicants achievements by potential employers.
HEAR held as a data set.

17. Data Exchange…the ‘Connect your HEAR’ scenario
HEAR held as a data set, needs to conform to technical specification. As of lunchtime, you are ahead of the game on this…

18. Postgraduate study/university recruitment…
How far do the rationales for employers apply…
HEAR has the potential to add value to postgraduate selection and recruitment processes by:
providing a clear and standardised template for considering candidates
assisting selection
facilitating better applications - as an ‘aide memoire’ for students
exposing / diagnosing gaps - Section 4 provides a ‘diagnostic opportunity’ to ensure applicants are appropriately supported on programmes
replacing academic references
being a trusted document
Where is your institution up to…
How far do the rationales for employers apply…
HEAR has the potential to add value to postgraduate selection and recruitment processes by:
providing a clear and standardised template for considering candidates.
assisting selection - in highly competitive programmes, where requirements are stringent, the HEAR can provide a welcome additional layer of detail..
facilitating better applications - as an ‘aide memoire’ for students, who may not find it easy to marshal evidence to support their claims for specific capabilities or characteristics (e.g. working in teams).
exposing / diagnosing gaps - Section 4 offers a detailed breakdown of the skills likely to have been developed within a programme > may provide a ‘diagnostic opportunity’ to ensure applicants are appropriately supported on programmes.
replacing academic references
being a trusted document.
Where is your institution up to…

19. The HEAR: can be digital or paper;
can be available to a student from Day 1 at university;
can link with applications systems to draw out information.
We need to bring students with us – promotion of benefits is key.

20. Over to you…
What can you (we) do (practically) to make this scenario a reality?
Are there any factors to consider / barriers to overcome?
How can we overcome the barriers? What help is needed to achieve this?
Who do we need to influence for greater impact?
How can we effectively promote the HEAR? What tools would be useful?
In what other scenarios –beyond those already identified - could the HEAR be used to improve graduate employability?

22. Thanks, and farewell… FORTHCOMING ATTRACTIONS:
The HEAR for Postgraduate Research Students:
An Online Webinar, 6 June 2014
CRA HEAR ACADEMY 2014
A specialist initiative to support institutional implementation.