Employability Strategies for Students Without Employment Experience

1. Employability without Employment Experience: The Apprentice meets Academia Dr Peter Morgan Senior Lecturer University of Bradford School of Management

2. Workshop Outline: Background Activity 1: Identification and Evaluation of Employability Strategies One strategy Activity 2: Developing Plans and feedback Evaluation - The experience: tutors and students Activity 3: Potential Application & Enhancements Discussion

3. Our situation - Undergraduate: Alerts about employment data, esp Graduate Level Employment Explicit credit-bearing skills provision (Stages 1 & 2) Highly respected careers development service % of students from WP backgrounds 53% from Pakistan & 12% from WB % of students studying locally 41% living in parents home & 64% from Yorkshire, 2007-8 stats Around 40 UG students going on placement (out of total cohort of around 215)

4. Activity 1: Identification and Evaluation of Employability Strategies What would you suggest as a solution?

5. Some thoughts Placements Projects Simulation Part-time / Social Activities Support resources Transferability Control & 3 rd Parties

6. Our General Solutions: Student Development Provision Enhanced local careers provision Careers Coach Extend PT provision Use School advisory board Academic provision Add stage 3 module

7. Developing the Module: Nature: 10 credit, optional For 3 year students only Content: Highly practical, career relevant Employee selection techniques Delivery: Involvement of real managers + MBA students Interactive, 2 hour workshops Assessment: 25% CV/CL; 25% PDP; & 50% REAL AND PRACTICAL GROUP EXERCISE

8. Skills: Networking with professionals Professionalism in communication Leadership Delegation Teamworking Presentation Skills Planning & Project Management Proactivity & Initiative Creativity Critical Thinking

9. Developing Assessment: CV & Covering Letter (25%) PDP exercise (25%) Based around MBA & stage 2 module framework Something assessed in groups Something Real, Developmental and Practical TRANSFERABLE

10. A 12 week job interview In a self-selecting group Raise money for charity Which charity? How? Finance? Admin approval, documentation required before presentation Presentation: 5 minutes + 10 mins Q&A How successful were we in raising funds for our chosen charity?

11. Activity 2: Developing Plans and feedback Develop an idea for raising money for the charity Suitable for groups of 6 be legal; bring your group good PR (i.e. be ethical) be practical within the time and resources you have be accessible to all, including the visually impaired, the disabled, etc. be something which would bring the charity and School of Management prestige and good PR, if they were to do your idea by themselves raise as much money as possible

12. Example

13. Evaluation: 1 Students found this a very different and enjoyable module Most enjoyable aspects: contributions from guest speakers, assessment methods, working in a group, highly practical & active; Least enjoyable: Sessions (2 hours) were too long (Friday afternoon), poor communication with stakeholders;

14. Evaluation: 2 Tutor Reflections: workload for students is too great, admin with stakeholders needs improving; Other stakeholders: students did an excellent job, I would employ them. Practical, enjoyable, useful. Its good to practically get stuck into something.

15. Evaluation: 3 Clear Learning objectives: 4.03 Well organised content: 3.92 Stimulating Sessions & activities: 3.83 Appropriate Teaching Methods: 3.73 Responsive lecturer/tutor: 3.98 Assessment helped my learning: 3.96 Clear guidance on what was expected in class: 3.84 Overall, worthwhile: 3.98 PDP: 20% to 95% CV & CL: 24% to 87% Group exercise & Presentation: 34% to 86%

16. Skill Transferability:

17. Activity 3: Potential Application & Enhancements Could this work with students elsewhere? What issues will need to be thought through? How could the assessment be enhanced?