How we can help you and your college
As an institution we must ensure that all graduates are equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge and vocabulary for today’s job market so that they are competitive in whatever field they choose to enter – and students with these employability skills and mindsets tend to be more committed academically. Exeter has highly prioritised employability as a key Education Strategy target, and we are aiming to increase our graduate destination scores (those in graduate-level work / study, six months after graduation) to above our Top-10 comparator group median in the shortest time possible. Indeed, the University has invested heavily in staffing, resource, capital projects and implemented systems to ensure the whole University is supporting the development of the agenda. Academics and colleges clearly have an essential role to play as well.
For this reason, Employability and Graduate Development has recently assigned careers consultants to work with colleges and to spend more of their time supporting, developing and enhancing college and curriculum-based employability provision.
Perosnal Tutors, please read the Personal Tutor Guide 2012.
For your college
In 2010/11 we developed 2 key documents to drive employability through the curriculum. These can be regarded as a curriculum toolkit for employability.
- A good practice employability checklist – based on Higher Education Academy subject-specific criteria (i.e. produced by academics, for academics)
- A new service-level agreement (and workload model) with colleges to clearly articulate what you can expect from us – in terms of time, range of provision and what we need from you to succeed in making an impact upon our students
In addition, we have also developed a series of compulsory 3-2-1 workshops, aimed at every discipline at every level, so that students get key messages about career planning at the right time.
For your students
EGD will deliver a range of services and activities for students which will assist in developing their employability. Although students will respond at different times during their studies through different types of central and college provision, the Employability Programme in the College will need to reinforce key messages designed to develop students in accordance with the Employability and Career timeline (see resources section), as follows.
Undergraduate Students
By the end of year one, students will:
- be introduced to EGD and the services offered.
- have an understanding of the principles of career choice
- have an understanding of the timescales related to securing graduate opportunities
- have an understanding of how to make effective use of their time to develop their employability, specifically with regard to: work experience, voluntary work, and employability skills development.
By the end of penultimate year, students will:
- be aware of employability skills and know how to access opportunities to develop them
- exploit relevant networks and contacts with employers
- understand the importance of work experience and work-related learning, be aware of the range of opportunities available and know how to access them
- know how to market themselves and their qualifications through CVs, application forms and interviews
- have a good understanding of the support offered by EGD.
By the end of final year, students will have had the opportunity to:
- identify the range of career outcomes available to them
- understand the importance of taking responsibility for managing their own career
- make an informed decision about taking up the opportunities and support offered by EGD
- know how to market themselves and their qualifications through CVs, application forms and interviews
- understand how to manage their transition from undergraduate degree to employment, self-employment or further study
EGD will introduce mechanisms, in consultation with the College, to ascertain whether these aims have been achieved. For masters and PhD student provision, please contact your college careers consultant and employability officer.
For you
Your allocated college careers consultant, together with your college employability officer can discuss how you can embed employability in your curriculum, in accordance with the above year-by-year guide. Sometimes, small steps can make a significant difference. The following diagram illustrates what students need to do to acquire a graduate-level job in today’s competitive world of work.
The Winning Formula
What Exeter graduates need to articulate and demonstrate
A good degree (2.1 or above)
(Academic rigor and intellect, critical and analytical thinking, research skills)
+
PTS
(Personal Transferable Skills i.e. graduate level skills such as team-working, problem-solving, communicating, managing projects, numeracy)
+
Career Management Skills
(how to research the labour market, writing persuasive CVs, application forms, honing interview skills, assessment centres techniques, passing psychometric testing etc.)
+
Work-Related Learning / Work Experience
(no matter how small, and not to be devalued – many recruiters will simply not be interested without some element of work-based or work-related learning)
+
Enterprising Skills & Commercial Awareness
(understanding how you can make a difference in any organisation – big or small - and how the organisation basically works)
+
Self-efficacy
(the belief, confidence and tenacity to acquire all the above)
+
Cultural Awareness
(knowing how to work with other cultures, value sets and beliefs and understanding the specific cultures and values of departments, even within the same organisation – again big or small. One could argue that this is about ‘emotional intelligence’)
+
Bags of Passion
(showing an interest, wanting to work and knowing why you want to work for a particular organisation. Many recruiters now differentiate on this alone)
