Business-engagement: a perspective from a service provider Paul Blackmore Director, Centre for Employability Enterpris

2. Student body profile 8,500 UG; 3,750 PG; 250 PGRs (full-time) 1,000 EU; 1,870 International; (130 nationalities) 4 Faculties Arts and Social Sciences Science and Technology Management School One of only two 6* research-led Universities in the UK Rated No.1 in the North West Location North West England. Manchester 100 km, Glasgow 240 km, London 400km 50% of graduates remain in North West Largest graduate employers within 40km radius (National Health Service & Lancaster University - not a position shared by comparator Universities!) Student expectations +97% of students (recent survey) declare that they expect to improve their graduate employment prospects as a result of studying at Lancaster University

3. Careers Education central workshops and study programmes [ranges from CV/online application, psychometric testing, assessment centre workshops to assessed career planning modules in the curriculum and Enterprise skills and commercial awareness training relevant to succeeding in the recruitment and selection process] Careers Information vacancies, guides, labour market / employer information etc. [careers libraryproviding free guides, handouts and reference resources relating to occupational information, postgraduate study and funding, student and graduate job vacancies, employers, industrial sector and labour market information, and with the assistance of knowledgeable information staff] Careers Guidance �1-to-1�s with Advisers (CV checking, mock interviews etc) [1-to-1 confidential appointments available to all students on a daily basis providing advice on career choice, CV and application checking, help with preparing for recruitment and selection processes etc. Employer liaison and employer services - Employer/Alumni presentations, fairs, vacancies & job creation [making more connections and building relationships with employers, signposting to more jobs, attracting more employers to visit Lancaster University and organising more opportunities for students to meet employers, income generation through sponsorship and value-added services (reinvested in more services and products i.e. Futures etc.] Careers Education central workshops and study programmes [ranges from CV/online application, psychometric testing, assessment centre workshops to assessed career planning modules in the curriculum and Enterprise skills and commercial awareness training relevant to succeeding in the recruitment and selection process] Careers Information vacancies, guides, labour market / employer information etc. [careers libraryproviding free guides, handouts and reference resources relating to occupational information, postgraduate study and funding, student and graduate job vacancies, employers, industrial sector and labour market information, and with the assistance of knowledgeable information staff] Careers Guidance �1-to-1�s with Advisers (CV checking, mock interviews etc) [1-to-1 confidential appointments available to all students on a daily basis providing advice on career choice, CV and application checking, help with preparing for recruitment and selection processes etc. Employer liaison and employer services - Employer/Alumni presentations, fairs, vacancies & job creation [making more connections and building relationships with employers, signposting to more jobs, attracting more employers to visit Lancaster University and organising more opportunities for students to meet employers, income generation through sponsorship and value-added services (reinvested in more services and products i.e. Futures etc.]

4. Why do we need employers? Strategic drivers (University) Leitch report (+40% of adults graduated from HE by 2020) Sainsbury Review (STEM) Lambert Review (increased KT) Internationalisation agenda To inform institutional strategic aims Income for bespoke CPD courses Sponsoring of degree courses (Lancaster: Ernst & Young; MMU Bank of NY) Assist with professional accreditation of courses Students and parents as fee-paying customers want graduate employment outcomes Leitch Report - more than 40% of adults are skilled to graduate level and above (by 2020)- up from 29% in 2005. �Prosperity for all in the Global Economy: World Class Skills� ; Strengthening the employer voice on skills through creation of a new Commission for Employment & Skills, increasing employer engagement and investment in skills, reforming Sector Skills Councils who will simplify and approve vocational training; Launching a new 'pledge' for employers to voluntarily train more employees at work. If insufficient progress has been made by 2010, introduce a statutory right for employees to access workplace training; Increasing employer investment in higher level qualifications, especially in Apprenticeships and in degree and postgraduate levels; significantly more training in the workplace; Sainsbury Review - Government will invest �1 billion over the next three years to boost business innovation and technology development and will create a new science and innovation strategy; to improve STEM careers advice; Improved knowledge transfer between the research base and business through an improved Higher Education Innovation Fund, building up support for business-facing universities, and a doubling of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships to boost research-business Lambert Review - encouraging new forms of formal and informal networks between business people and academics, including the establishment of a business-led R&D employers� forum; and Universities to provide more information on student employability, and businesses to take a greater role in influencing university courses and curricular. Leitch Report - more than 40% of adults are skilled to graduate level and above (by 2020)- up from 29% in 2005. �Prosperity for all in the Global Economy: World Class Skills� ; Strengthening the employer voice on skills through creation of a new Commission for Employment & Skills, increasing employer engagement and investment in skills, reforming Sector Skills Councils who will simplify and approve vocational training; Launching a new 'pledge' for employers to voluntarily train more employees at work. If insufficient progress has been made by 2010, introduce a statutory right for employees to access workplace training; Increasing employer investment in higher level qualifications, especially in Apprenticeships and in degree and postgraduate levels; significantly more training in the workplace; Sainsbury Review - Government will invest �1 billion over the next three years to boost business innovation and technology development and will create a new science and innovation strategy; to improve STEM careers advice; Improved knowledge transfer between the research base and business through an improved Higher Education Innovation Fund, building up support for business-facing universities, and a doubling of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships to boost research-business Lambert Review - encouraging new forms of formal and informal networks between business people and academics, including the establishment of a business-led R&D employers� forum; and Universities to provide more information on student employability, and businesses to take a greater role in influencing university courses and curricular.

5. Which employers / related stakeholders? Large organisations ~ national, multi-national / global SMEs ~ local, regional, national and international Commercial, not-for-profit, public, NGOs, social enterprises etc. Business intermediaries ~ networks, sectoral bodies, government agencies i.e. ACCA, AGR, Chambers of Commerce, BusinessLink, Business Network International, NCGE etc. University �projects� engaging in related 3rd mission activities Prospective funding bodies for employment-related activity Students (as �self�-employers, current and future employers) Alumni

6. Barriers to employer engagement Employers have different needs i.e. skills, experience and expertise; requiring the need for universities to engage in regular contact and liaison activities Many employers do not have a dedicated HR officer or graduate recruitment team and require resource-intensive support Labour markets are constantly changing and require constant training, research and analysis by career practitioners and academics to indentify employer needs Maintaining relationships with business networks and employer contacts is extremely resource-intensive Location � not all Universities are based in industrial areas and liaison / networking activities are time-consuming and costly Formula for career success is more complex than ever Good degree + Career Management Skills + Personal Transferable Skills + (relevant) Work Experience + Enterprise skills + Commercial awareness Many employers are �hidden� (SMEs and overseas labour markets). Possible reasons: Feel that their �offer� is limited to students in terms of career path or experience or; Assume students and graduates are unrealistic in terms of development and remuneration or; Have limited or no budget for �talent attraction� and recruitment activities compared to larger companies in order to make students aware of the opportunities available

7. Approaches used Strategic approaches Acknowledge there is no homogenous group of employers with single set of needs; prioritise contact with employers and sectors of most relevance to student interests Position careers service with other external-facing departments to maximise access to relevant networks (CEEC is based within Research and Enterprise Services) Engage in �win-win� activities and partnerships i.e. employer-led activities improve the employer�s brand exposure, release HE staff for other related activity and inspire students Do not expend resources where there is a mismatch in employer needs and University expertise; sign-post to other �providers�. This encourages trust in mutually beneficial partnerships with other providers, encourages repeat-business with employers for their needs in the future and results in positive business referrals through their networks Income generation from providing value-added services to large companies provides revenue to engage with SMEs and sectors where connections are less developed Market success in order to demonstrate and build capacity for other projects Use employer testimonials rather than service descriptions to gain added credibility Adopt the philosophy that �your resources are only as limited as your employer- and business-intermediaries network�

8. Approaches used People-led approaches Create employer services team to develop contacts and expertise in specific markets Encourage relevant staff development activities to maintain credibility with employers Join existing and established networks in preference to creating new networks e.g. AGCAS, AGR, FEDORA,NCGE, business support agencies etc. Ensure staff are accountable for specific employer-engagement activity e.g. Outward knowledge transfer HRD (Human Resources & Development) for SMEs Talent attraction and branding services for large national/multi-national employers Student as agents of change and knowledge transfer/exchange Personal and professional development for Alumni through mentoring schemes and educational activities Inward knowledge transfer SMEs � feedback, endorsements, champions and marketeers of our services Large recruiters � information re: skills needs, contributions to skills development programmes and workshops, fees for talent attraction services Business intermediaries � input into educational programmes, up-to-date labour market intelligence, access to business networks Sign-posting to other relevant 3rd mission service providers within the institution