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Embedding Employability – What is the One Thing I can do?

Embedding Employability – What is the One Thing I can do?. Gareth Hill, Swansea University Chair of the AGCAS Cymru group on employability in the curriculum. g.d.hill@Swansea.ac.uk https://www.linkedin.com/in/gareth-hill-3a68a937/.

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Embedding Employability – What is the One Thing I can do?

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  1. Embedding Employability – What is the One Thing I can do? Gareth Hill, Swansea University Chair of the AGCAS Cymru group on employability in the curriculum. g.d.hill@Swansea.ac.uk https://www.linkedin.com/in/gareth-hill-3a68a937/

  2. How can we create a ‘tipping point’ for employability within our University?

  3. How to build a better marriage – how can we develop and grow our relationships?

  4. Overview of the work of AGCAS UK and AGCAS Cymru groups UK focus is on developing a toolkit to embed employability how we best embed employability. Wales group is looking at the ‘One thing’……… How to cultivate an effective partnership with academics: • Principles of Embedding Employability within the Curriculum • Key Learning Points and Challenges from the group’s work • An operational model of embedding employability in the curriculum • Recommendations

  5. Principles of Embedding Employability within the Curriculum • Based upon HEA employability in the curriculum principles • Expanded upon these and updated…. • Useful in considering what’s our aim? Are we being effective? What do we need to do differently? • A key starting point in developing the work of the groups

  6. Principles – how does each of these impact upon your role?

  7. What has the AGCAS Wales group done so far? • Let’s produce something useful that can consider best practice, but also be informed by what academics think • We have developed case studies • Developed a ‘snapshot’ to ‘test the employability temperature’ within departments • Written a summary which outlines best practice and makes recommendations

  8. What are the challenges in building a strong relationship with academics and embedding employability?

  9. Challenges… 1. Influence the University Strategy ‘top-down’

  10. Challenge 2. How can a Careers professional influence things bottom up? Engaging academics: -Being clear about what we have to offer -Genuine partnership working -Understanding the motivators/drivers

  11. Being clear about what we have to offer • Having a framework for employability within the University is important e.g. skills checklist, employability learning outcomes • Sending a overview booklet to academics on what we do to ‘start the conversation’. Allows them to see what works well in other subjects. • Employability integrated into learning outcomes

  12. Partnership • Genuine partnership working with academics, co-planning of curriculum, co-delivering • Embedding employability into assessments within modules, giving it credibility to students • Embedded into personal tutor system, so academics re-inforce key messages, and signpost correctly

  13. Challenge 3 – Understanding the views within the Department about employabilitySnapshot of academics….questions asked 1. Does employability matter? 2. How are you driving it forward within the curriculum? 3. How can the careers service further support you in embedding employability within the curriculum?

  14. A department is made up of staff of different personas……… • The survey itself has been successful in acting as a catalyst to stimulate debate within subject areas about: • What employability is? • What does embedding employability mean? • Where does it best fit our curriculum? • How can we work in partnership with careers? • What do all staff in the department need to know as a baseline about employability and how should they signpost?

  15. Motivating academics to embed employability – the motivators/drivers…….

  16. Drivers…… • We can work in partnership to support your subject • We can use data to inform our work with your students such as career destinations from Graduate Outcomes, Career Registration survey, NSS etc • We have expertise in ‘career development learning’ • We can share with you examples from other subject areas of what works well • We can share LMI with you • We can help your curriculum meet more fully the needs of employers

  17. More drivers • Subject level TEF • Employability makes up an increasing % of how a university is assessed • Students won’t want to come if the employability ratings are poor

  18. Challenge 4 – How can we use data effectively in our discussions with academics? • Making sure the curriculum is grounded in the real world, getting the students real world experiences • Using Graduate Outcomes, LMI and careers registration data to tailor individual approaches and maximise our impact on students. Making the curriculum fit for purpose in 2019. • ‘Data gives us power’, but needs to be used with care!

  19. Recommended Operational model of Employability in the curriculum • Stage 1 ‘Understanding’ • Start from understanding the perspective of academics – coffee, meet a number of times, empathy, endurance • Ask staff to complete the snapshot within their department and discuss the responses internally • This is the ‘readiness/motivation’ stage

  20. Stage 2 ‘Informing’ – model based on HEA framework • Agree what employability is • Framework, booklet, discussion, case studies • Use of data –career registration, Graduate Outcomes, LMI • Agree how we can support staff and students

  21. Stage 3 ‘Review and map’ • Discussion • What has been working well • What works well in other subjects • Input ideally at the planning stage

  22. Stage 4 ‘Action’ • Delivery *Getting students to reflect as part of their learning is key. This needs to be embedded within employability teaching/learning • Learning outcomes contain employability • Assessment – students gain marks for completing employability components • Teaching/assessment is grounded in the real world, and based on employer needs

  23. Stage 5 ‘Evaluate’ • Monitor, evaluate and measure impact • Use of career registration, Graduate Outcomes, student / staff feedback to do this

  24. The Operational Model Survey within department Careers Adviser research to be well informed and understand the department Preparing/outlining our offer to the department

  25. Recommendations to AGCAS Cymru • Follow the operational model outlined, with the starting point being asking departments to complete the snapshot 2. To move to true embedding of employability we need: -employability to be assessed on all courses and to be written into learning outcomes -to work in a genuine partnership of equals with academics. This can be demonstrated through course planning, co-delivering, reviewing and improving our delivery

  26. Recommendations (cntd) 3. Recognition that Careers professionals have expertise in Careers Education, and need to be integral to creating a tipping point in embedding employability within the curriculum. 4. Careers services need to recognise the importance of high level strategic support for this work and seek to influence those at PVC level. Structures need to outline responsibility and accountability.

  27. Discussion What specific actions could you take in your role in the next few months to cultivate a better relationship between careers staff and academics?

  28. Any questions? g.d.hill@Swansea.ac.uk https://www.linkedin.com/in/gareth-hill-3a68a937/

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