Career-informed degree programmes: How might they look in practice?

1. Career-informed degree programmes: How might they look in practice? Helen Williams

2. Career-informed degree programmesHow might they look in practice? • Career-informed degree programmes – what are we doing and why? • Introduction to a model of career-informed degree programmes • Developing an enhancement process • Experience of working with academic staff • Applying the model • Identifying areas for enhancement • Discussion and questions

3. Why are we doing this? • To understand careers education and employability from the perspective of an academic department • To identify areas for enhancement of provision in collaboration with departments and work with them to provide solutions • To identify “good practice” to be shared within Reading and more widely • To develop an enhancement process model (rather than an audit tool) that can be applied in other departments or HEIs • To review the operation of “pervasive Career Management Skills” at Reading

4. Scope of Research • Focus on Real Estate and Planning undergraduate programme from UCAS applications through to 6 months after graduation • Consider both curricular and co-curricular activity • Careers education • Employability activity • Skills training (generic, core, transferable) • Industry and professional experience • Industry exposure • Employer engagement • Mapping activities to Dr Julia Horn’s developing model of Career Informed Degree Programmes

6. Understanding the REP profile • Building a profile of REP students and the degree programme from available data • Examining the admissions process and selection criteria • Reviewing samples of UCAS personal statements to identify early career conceptions and academic and extra-curricular experiences pre-university • Reviewing DLHE data for past 3 years • Reviewing departmental annual reports, staff student committee meeting minutes for past 3 years • Reviewing curriculum content and teaching and learning methods through Blackboard VLE and module descriptions • Particular emphasis on explicit “CMS” content and related assessments

7. Enquiry based approach • Qualitative rather than quantitative, seeking to capture: • Academic voice – discussions with 8 key staff complete • Student voice – planned focus groups for October 2008 • Employer/industry voice – through Reading Real Estate Foundation and identified recruiters ongoing • Careers Service input – ongoing • Experimental! But seeking longer term to integrate model with periodic review Pathfinder process currently being piloted at Reading

8. Real Estate Academic Response • Positive response to concept from academic staff and high level of co-operation to date – willingness to engage in discussion around enhancement • Coincides with REP teaching and learning review of undergraduate programme and change of head of department • High level of access offered to teaching and learning materials, internal documents and student data

9. What do academics think employability meansfor Real Estate graduates? • “a people person….reasonable degree of intelligence and integrity….self starters, problem solvers” • “commercial awareness, knowing how to sell yourself effectively and good client skills” • “having an awareness of the industry and being able to talk confidently about issues within the industry” • “someone who understands the work ethic; who can demonstrate professionalism; who can respond to a client’s needs, synthesise objectives and focus on what a client is actually asking for and what needs to be produced to satisfy requirements; someone who understands property” • “90% personality….this is a people skills business….it’s all about networking, being able to present to a client, being professional”

10. Career Planning • Degree part of a pre-conceived career plan • Degree is essential for “career progression” • Self awareness develops during degree programme, facilitated through personal tutorials and Careers Service interventions • Career plan refined at Reading through specialist degree pathways in part 3 and industry contact/exposure • Focus on role within the industry and cultural “fit” with potential employers

11. Investigating Work • Site visits and field trips integral to several modules • Case studies used widely in teaching during part 3 • Use of industry-based professionals in the curriculum e.g. planning module • Reading Real Estate Foundation evening lecture programme

12. Experiences • Site visits and field trips • Case-based learning in part 3 • Work experience – essential yet not offered within the programme? • Active support and encouragement to seek work experience • Extra-curricular activity levels often high • Reading Real Estate Foundation mentoring programme being developed

13. Job Seeking • CV assessments in curriculum at parts 1 and 2 • Regular Careers Service input during parts 2 and 3 through Effective Applications module, RREF autumn careers fair and other activities • “Milkround” still well established at part 3 and students “heavy” users of Careers Service during this time • Tutorial support • Departmental Careers Officer support within department

14. Career Development • Most finalists will seek APC training with RICS accredited employer • Regular contact with alumni and recent graduates through RREF and in the curriculum • Industry speakers both within and outside the curriculum • RREF mentoring programme

15. Areas for potential enhancement • Need to better co-ordinate communication between department, Careers Service and Reading Real Estate Foundation • Consider flow of curriculum-based career interventions through three years of degree programme and link directly to “events” • Duplication of CV assessment at parts 1 and 2 – consider other types of assignment to broaden learning outcomes • Urgent need to define clearly the nature of the mentoring contract and consider operational issues in setting up new mentoring programme • Debate the issues around offering a work-based learning element to the programme • Seek to increase the visibility of the Careers Service offerings within the programme for those who might wish to consider other career destinations or who have specific needs • Consider the need to be explicit to students about what the department and the university offers in terms of careers and employability support and what students are responsible for themselves

16. Questions and Discussion h.e.williams@reading.ac.uk 0118 378 4227