Understanding higher education careers services

A session for Matrix assessors

Tristram Hooley

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Session objectives
At the end of the session delegates will: have an understanding of emerging research recently undertaken in the HE sector understand the key features of HE careers services be aware of the key challenges faced by these services

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What should I tell you?

I asked Twitter. Advisers in my network suggested the following: To explore where the voice of students influences careers IAG delivery. Individual targets for HE careers advisers are meaningless, that is measure of activity not impact. To understand the context - the cultural differences between careers guidance in HE and elsewhere.

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Who used their careers service at university?

Tell us about your experience

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Who has worked in a university careers service?

Tell us about your experience

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Why do universities have careers services?

Discuss in groups Come up with a top 3 for each group

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Good reasons
To support students To enhance the student experience Because university is about learning for living To help students to make the most of their degrees To support staff to increase the relevance of their courses To help the effective functioning of the labour market and the economy

All good reasons, but the truth may be more selfinterested.

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The importance of employabilty

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http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/

Englands No.1 University for Employability

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Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education (DLHE)

The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey (DLHE) is a survey conducted by the United Kingdom's Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). DLHE contacts UK and EU domiciled graduates of UK universities six months after graduation and to establish what type of employment or further study they were engaged in, and their income, on one specific day in the survey period.
http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_studrec&Itemid=232&mnl=12018

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Wilson Review
This Government commissioned report supported Internships and sandwich degrees Improving career and labour market information
Improving information about and for postgraduates Improving information about careers in SMEs

The Higher Education Achievement Record (HEAR) Skill and career development for students throughout their studies

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Different ways that universities see employability

Employability as an individual opportunity Employability as a campaign

Employability as an educational outcome

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What issues do these kinds of drivers raise for Matrix assessors?

Discuss in groups

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Who do HE careers services actually serve?

Brainstorm

How do you engage each of these groups? How might the requirements of these different client groups differ?

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What do services do?

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Remember not all are the same

From one adviser in a college to

Scale accounts for a lot.

But the institutional culture is just as important

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Different types of provision

Pre-entry provision Provision of information and resources Career assessments and tests One-to-one advice, coaching and counselling services. One-to-many/group interventions Curriculum-based intervention Provision of employer engagement opportunities Provision of work-related and work-based learning Provision of a framework for reflection Awards and other mechanisms to recognise and accredit experience Graduate and alumni services www.derby.ac.uk/icegs

These include

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Is there anything surprising in that list?

What are the challenges for the assessor?

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What does the evidence say is effective?

The research base remains weaker than we might hope. However, it indicates that the following are probably features of effective provision. Work experience and placements Employer and contacts Supporting students to build their networks Embedding provision in academic curricula Offering strong extra-curricular career relevant experiences (perhaps incentivised through awards).

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Useful resources
AGCAS http://www.agcas.org.uk/ Higher Education Careers Services Unit http://www.hecsu.ac.uk/ iCeGS http://www.derby.ac.uk/icegs Prospects http://www.prospects.ac.uk/

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Tristram Hooley
Reader in Career Development iCeGS University of Derby http://www.derby.ac.uk/icegs t.hooley@derby.ac.uk @pigironjoe
Blog at http://adventuresincareerdevelopme nt.wordpress.com

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