Sonja Stockton PwC Director 'How can universities continue to add value to the employer'

1. www.pwc.com/uk/careers
Skills awards
How can universities
continue to add value to the
employer
Sonja Stockton
PwC Director, Talent

2. Educational and Employer landscape is changing
70s • Degree = employment
80s • Degree + extracurricular = employment
• UCAS tariff + 2.1 degree + good university + extracurricular + work
90s experience = employability
• Higher UCAS tariff + 2.1 degree + top university + extracurricular
Now + work experience of measurable value + own personal brand ‘Me
PLC’ = employability
• What will the future be?
? January 2012
PwC

3. The changing landscape for Graduate Recruiters
Schools
Programmes
Business Educational
Change Changes
Work
Tuition Fees
Graduate Experience
and student
Recruitment and
debt
Internships
Immigration Access to
Caps Professions
Apprenticesh
ips
January 2012
PwC

4. The workplace is changing…
Working in Multiple & collaborative teams
a team
Working in Multiple & virtual locations
a location
Having a Having a portfolio of projects
job
One or two
employers/ Multiple employers/careers
careers
Working for
Working for self or small
a big enterprises
employer
Working Technology enables flexibility and
with more work/life integration
technology January 2012
PwC

5. What does this mean for students?
• Value of degree -Return on investment
• Choice of routes to employment
• Place of study – cost versus reputation, choice and student
experience
• Need to develop skills outside academic core curriculum
• Hold positions of authority to stand out or demonstrate leadership,
something distinctive
• Desire for work-life balance from students to be replaced by
work -life integration (How do employers accommodate this?…)
January 2012
PwC

6. A PwC perspective - Navigating the landscape
Talent Employability Choice
January 2012
PwC

7. What PwC is doing to help students develop
employability skills
Creating a supportive framework for students to identify, grow and articulate
their skills;
 PwC Talent Academy
 Inspired Talent entry route
 Entrepreneurship competitions, recognising student creativity
 Campus Employability Campaign which includes one –to-one employability sessions
 Online Employability brochure, quiz and videos
 Skills sessions including specific Employability session & employability themed
sessions woven across suite: commercial awareness, presentation skills, teamworking,
time management etc..
 Close relationships with Careers Advisory Services
 Involvement with a number of universities’ own employability programmes
 Developing employability partnerships to provide PwC content on third parties’ sites
January 2012
PwC

8. Being transparent to students about our core
competencies we recruit against
Share and collaborate Invest in relationships
- Be curious: learn, - Build and sustain
share and innovate relationships
- Lead and contribute to - Be passionate about
team success client service
Enhance value through quality We put ourselves in each other’s shoes
- Demonstrate courage
and integrity
- Acquire and apply
- Communicate with
commercial and technical
impact and empathy
expertise
- Develop self and others
- Manage projects and
through coaching
economics
- Be open minded, agile
with change and practical
January 2012
PwC

9. Some examples of what Universities are doing
 The Bath Award
 Bristol Plus
 The York Award
 Durham Award
 The STAR Award – Aberdeen
 Global Advantage Award – Warwick
 Personal Skills Award – Birmingham
 Loughborough Employability Award
 Nottingham Advantage Award
 Leicester Award
January 2012
PwC

10.  CMS Modules – Leeds
 Skills for Success – Sheffield
 Graduate Passport – Southampton
 Personal Development and Effectiveness training – Manchester
 Employability Week – St Andrews
 The STAR Award – Aberdeen
 Global Advantage Award – Warwick
 Personal Skills Award – Birmingham
 Loughborough Employability Award
January 2012
PwC

11. How does this relationship add value to
employers?
We work with a number of these programmes.
By continuing to engage with employers, award managers can continue
to develop their offerings in line with the changing landscape of
employment.
Awards can bridge the gap between university and employment and
provide a platform for the messages of employability.
Each award is slightly different. How can employers begin to recognise
and understand an awards value? How can they become more
measurable?
January 2012
PwC

12. Employability skills of the future…
Innovative
Curiosity Determination Pragmatism Agility Resilience Networked Collaborative
Thinkers
= Entre & intre-preneurs
January 2012
PwC

13. What more could be done? Universities
 Could Universities be more explicit in building employability skills
into the University curriculum?
 Perhaps more consistency or a universal approach to offerings from
Universities for employability?
 Could universities help employers appreciate and understand the
value of the university programmes? For example how will ‘HEAR’
add value to the student and the employer?
 Be able to report on awards and destinations to ‘validate’
 Greater collaboration between employers and schools in developing
skills for the future and creating ‘aspiration’ for different careers /
professions
January 2012
PwC

14. What more could be done? Employers
 Work even closer with Universities and develop stronger links with
academic departments.
 Clearly articulate what they’re looking for and actively seek to help
students understand their strengths and create their own personal
brand ‘Me PLC’.
 Look beyond the classic blunt selection tool of a 2.1 to recognise a
broader context for talent.
 Work with students from year 1 at university and build employer
relationships earlier
January 2012
PwC

15. In Summary
Talent Choice
January 2012
PwC

16. Thank you
January 2012
PwC