1. Employability at Leicester
Bob Athwal and Stuart Johnson

2. Outline
1. Aim
2. Context
3. Vision
4. Principles
5. The extra dimension

3. Aim
“To ensure our graduates have
the extra dimension in order to
make them the stand out choice
for employers”

4. Context: labour market
“The jobless total for 16
to 24-year-olds hit a
record high of 991,000 in
the quarter, a jobless rate
of 21.3%”1
1 www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15271800

5. Context: White paper
“We will radically improve and
expand the information available to
prospective students, making
available much more information
about individual courses *…+ and
graduate employment prospects [...]
including on employment and
earnings outcomes...”

6. Context: Key Information Set

7. Context: how we compare
We’ve been going 95
1994 Group
Russell Group
the wrong way 94
Other
the last 3 years
93
% Employment
92
91
90
89
60 70 80 90 100
% Graduate Jobs

8. Context: University strategy

9. Context: employable graduates
Degree = employment
Degree + extracurricular = employment
UCAS tariff + 2:1 degree + good university +
extracurricular + work experience = employment
Higher UCAS tariff + 2:1 degree + top university +
Now extracurricular + work experience of measurable value +
own personal brand = employment

10. Context: Why employers target universities*
Reputation of faculty or university 5.06
Number of graduates hired previously 4.6
Relationship with university 4.47
Attitude to employability 4.12
Course content 3.97
Calibre of graduates according to… 3.42
Proximity to company premises 3.24
We have always gone there 3.09
Mean ratings on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 6 (very much)
*The AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey 2012

11. Vision

12. Ensure our graduates have the extra dimension
How to tell your story (‘after’ interventions)
Development of transferable skills
Post-graduation support (100)
Projects/competitions (1,000)
Curriculum interventions
Leicester Award (3,000)
Volunteering (3,000)
Internships (1,000)
Part-time (2,500)
Enterprise (500)
Funnelling and preparation (‘before’ interventions)
External Employers Alumni Parents
Internal Students Students’ Union Departments
Engagement/responsibility

13. Example: internships
A record 36% of this year’s graduate
vacancies with leading employers are
Internships (1,000)
expected to be filled by people who have
already worked for the organisation
during their studies*
* High Fliers Research, Graduate Labour Market in 2012: Annual review of graduate
vacancies and starting salaries at Britain’s leading employers, 2012

14. Principles
• Engage key stakeholders
• Offer increased opportunities
• Provide enhanced support

15. Engage: students
Them coming to us
– Careers
Zone, website
Us coming to them
– curriculum, ‘pop-
up’, social media
/

16. Engage: employers

17. Principles
• Engage key stakeholders
• Offer increased opportunities
– co-curricular
– curricular
– extra-curricular
• Provide enhanced support

18. Opportunities: co-curricular
• Minimum programme
OCT
3rd years
NOV
2nd years
DEC
1st years

19. Opportunities: curricular
• Employability of the curriculum (History)
• Modules with employability applications (Maths)
• Employability modules (Geography)

20. Employability of the curriculum

21. Modules with employability applications

22. Employability modules

23. Hot of the press

24. What others are doing: Liverpool JMU
World of Work
Development of soft-skills as a part of degree, with academic
modules integrating simulations of workplace situations and
curriculum input from employers and careers advisors. Students
can receive a ‘graduate skills transcript’ upon graduation.

25. What others are doing: Kent
Employability Points Scheme
The Employability Points Scheme rewards students who actively
engage in extra-curricular activities with work-related
opportunities. Students who have part-time employment, learnt
a new language, engage in business engagement and enterprise
activities, or are active members of clubs and societies, can earn
points for their active engagement with university life. *…+

26. What others are doing: Hull
The Hull History Partnership
The University of Hull has developed partnerships with Hull
History Centre and local schools and colleges to improve the
employability of history students in the region. It provides
training routes to and opportunities for young people wishing to
develop careers in History teaching, archives and heritage
work, research in universities, and work on public and
community History projects.

27. What others are doing: Manchester
Manchester Graduate Internship Programme
*…+ provides opportunities for the university’s graduates to gain
employment in paid graduate level positions.
All of the roles are paid, with an average salary of £15k per
annum pro rata, are based in Greater Manchester, and last for
between 4 and 12 months. *…+
In 2011 they advertised over 180 vacancies.

28. Why we need to take this seriously
We’ve been going 95
1994 Group
Russell Group
the wrong way 94
Other
the last 3 years
93
% Employment
92
91
90
89
60 70 80 90 100
% Graduate Jobs

29. Criteria for our involvement
• Compulsory attendance
• Value and impact
• Sufficient notice
• Our availability
N.B. This means some sessions we will no longer do

30. Why this change?
100
Increase in appointments
400+

31. Ensure our graduates have the extra dimension
How to tell your story (‘after’ interventions)
Development of transferable skills
Post-graduation support (100)
Projects/competitions (1,000)
Curriculum interventions
Leicester Award (3,000)
Volunteering (3,000)
Internships (1,000)
Part-time (2,500)
Enterprise (500)
Funnelling and preparation (‘before’ interventions)
External Employers Alumni Parents
Internal Students Students’ Union Departments
Engagement/responsibility

32. Opportunities: extra-curricular
Clubs, Societi
Student Earn and World and
es and Volunteering
Champions Learn Media
Events
Part-time
Newspaper
Clubs and Jobs, Internships Students in
Course Rep Journalist and
Societies Officer and vacation Classrooms
* * work * Photographer *
Student
Student Enterprise Radio Journalist Volunteering
Engagement
Ambassador Award and Broadcaster Projects
* * Team *
Clubs and Student
Student Volunteering
Mentor Societies Exchange
Ambassador Award
* Member * * Programmes *
Sabbatical Languages at
Officer Leicester
Students in
Classrooms * = Leicester Award Programme
*

33. Course Rep
Benefits
• Represent your fellow students
• Influence University decisions
• Learn about University structures and governance
• Meet students from other courses
Skills you could develop
You could develop many skills but particularly:
• planning and organising
• leadership and supervising
• communication
• teamwork

34. Radio Journalist and Broadcaster
Benefits
• Gain essential experience
• Make vital media contacts
• Gain technical skills
• Inform and inspire others
Skills you could develop
You could develop many skills but particularly:
• using technology
• communication
• teamwork
• planning and organising

35. Principles
• Engage key stakeholders
• Offer increased opportunities
• Provide enhanced support

36. Support
• Before and after
• No prep, no entry
• Competitive process

37. Graduates with the extra dimension…
Higher UCAS tariff + 2:1 degree + top university +
Now extracurricular + work experience of measurable value +
own personal brand = employment

38. …is what employers are looking for
A recent CBI survey found that 82% of employers
identified ‘improving student’s employability
skills’ when asked what universities should
prioritise.*
Applicants’ ability to demonstrate certain
competencies is the second most cited entry
requirement amongst AGR members at 63.9%.**
* CBI and UUK, Future Fit: Preparing graduates for the world of work, March 2009, p.7
** Association of Graduate Recruiters AGR Recruitment Survey, Summer 2011 Review

39. Ensure our graduates have the extra dimension
How to tell your story (‘after’ interventions)
Development of transferable skills
Post-graduation support (100)
Projects/competitions (1,000)
Curriculum interventions
Leicester Award (3,000)
Volunteering (3,000)
Internships (1,000)
Part-time (2,500)
Enterprise (500)
Funnelling and preparation (‘before’ interventions)
External Employers Alumni Parents
Internal Students Students’ Union Departments
Engagement/responsibility

40. Development of transferable skills
• Teamwork • Defining work objectives and
outcomes
• Communication
• Managing time and priorities
• Analysing • Developing a realistic action plan
• Problem solving • Using project management
methodology
• Planning and organising • Liaising with a range of stakeholders
• Leadership and supervision • Identifying, assessing and weighing
risks
• Using technology
• Developing a contingency plan
• Initiative and creativity • Allocating resources to tasks
• Self management • Carrying projects through to
successful completion
• Learning

41. How do we know we’ve got there?
95
1994 Group
Russell Group
Other
94
93
% Employment
92
91
90
89
60 70 80 90 100
% Graduate Jobs

42. UNIVERSITY of LEICESTER
Higher Education Achievement Report
6.1 Additional information
• Leicester Award and Departmental prizes
• Internships
• Consultancy projects
in future?
• Competitions
• ??

43. Work with us
• Tell your students about us
• Send your students to us
• Accommodate the minimum programme
• What can you do in your curriculum?
• Map to the transferable skills framework
• Your ideas…

44. Save the date
Monday
17
DEC

46. Round table discussions
1. Do you have any questions about the vision/
strategy that we can take away from today?
2. How will you engage your students with the central
careers provision?
3. What do you think you will do following today to
help support the vision?
4. How can we take forward developing employability
in the curriculum with you?