Giving students the skills they need: who does what, and how?

Dr Alison Grieg: Global Sustainability Institute

Ella Wiles: Global Sustainability Institute

Dr Julian Priddle: Anglia Learning & Teaching

Sarah Janes: Student Services, Employability

Jane Murray: Student Services, Employability

Gabbi Foreman: Students’ Union

CBI and NUS 2011 Working towards your future Making the most of your time in higher education CBI

CBI and NUS 2011 Working towards your future Making the most of your time in higher education CBI

CBI and NUS 2011 Working towards your future Making the most of your time in higher education CBI

http://www.employability.ed.ac.uk/GraduateAttributes.htm

Graduate attributes

‘Graduate attributes are the qualities, skills and understandingsa university community agrees its students should developduring their time with the institution. These attributes includebut go beyond the disciplinary expertise or technical knowledgethat has traditionally formed the core of most university courses.They are qualities that also prepare graduates as agents ofsocial good in an unknown future.’

Bowden J, Hart G, King B, Trigwell K & Watts O 2000 Generic Capabilities of ATN University Graduates. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs.

http://bejlt.brookes.ac.uk/article/widening_the_graduate_attribute_debate_a_higher_education_for_global_citize/

AbstractThere is more to life than simply doing a job. The graduates ofour higher education system will be more than employees/employers, they will also be future leaders in our world and ourneighbours and so affect our lives at all levels. What do we wantthese people to be like? This paper considers the idea ofeducating global citizens and offers suggestions for possiblegraduate attributes, …….

http://bejlt.brookes.ac.uk/article/widening_the_graduate_attribute_debate_a_higher_education_for_global_citize/

The current research findings reinforce the conclusions of the 2010 research. Overall, the results for first and second-year students in 2011 showed no

notable differences except where these are mentioned explicitly throughout the report. The research demonstrated the following key findings:

• Over two thirds of 2011 first and second-year respondents (66.6% and 70.3% respectively), as in 2010 (70%), believe that sustainability should be

covered by their university;

• There is a continued preference among students for a reframing of curriculum content rather than additional content or courses however this needs to

be considered amongst the range of options available to policy makers and curriculum planners for incorporating sustainability into their individual

university’s curriculum (65% stated this method was extremely relevant or somewhat relevant in 2010 and 67.4% of first-years and 69% second-years

agreed in 2011);

• There is evidence to suggest that students become increasingly focused on employability throughout their time at university. Second-year students

(49.7%) expressed a slight preference for employability over furthering their subject specific knowledge.The situation is reversed among 2010 (47%) and

2011 (46.9%) first-year responses, indicating that first-year students are considering employability less within their university experience;

• In terms of the skills seen as valuable by future employers, a wider range of core skills are seen as most important, relevant and valued by future

employers rather than sustainability-specific skills which suggests a need to reframe

the debates surrounding inclusion of education for sustainabledevelopment (ESD) (eg 17.8% of second-years in 2011 ranked the ability apply

environmental and social skills as most important for employers compared to 53.4% ranking communication skills as most important);

• Alongside this, further work is needed with the business community to communicate the tangible benefits of ESD more widely, and to identify the most

valuable skills, to ensure skills for SD are valued and demanded.

• A role for communication of company ethics and environmental performance exists throughout the student journey: two thirds of respondents would

sacrifice £1,000 from salary to work in a responsible company.

Drayson R, Bone E & Agombar A 2012 Student attitudes towards and skills for sustainable development HEA

There is evidence to suggest that students become increasingly

focused on employability throughout their time at university.

Second-year students (49.7%) expressed a slight preference for

employability over furthering their subject specific knowledge.The

situation is reversed among 2010 (47%) and 2011 (46.9%) first-

year responses, indicating that first-year students are considering

employability less within their university experience;Drayson R, Bone E & Agombar A 2012 Student attitudes towards and skills for sustainable development HEA

Over two thirds of 2011 first and second-year respondents (66.6%

and 70.3% respectively), as in 2010 (70%), believe that sustainability

should be covered by their university;

Drayson R, Bone E & Agombar A 2012 Student attitudes towards and skills for sustainable development HEA

There is a continued preference among students for a reframing of

curriculum content rather than additional content or courses

however this needs to be considered amongst the range of options

available to policy makers and curriculum planners for incorporating

sustainability into their individual university’s curriculum (65% stated

this method was extremely relevant or somewhat relevant in 2010

and 67.4% of first-years and 69% second-years agreed in 2011);

Drayson R, Bone E & Agombar A 2012 Student attitudes towards and skills for sustainable development HEA

http://www.cdu.edu.au/graduateattributes/index.html

http://www.cdu.edu.au/graduateattributes/index.html

http://www.cdu.edu.au/graduateattributes/carp.html

Do students get the skills that they need?

• National Student Survey (NSS) 2011 ResultsPositive, particularly Q.1-4 and online service provision.

• Student Experience Survey (SES) 2011 Results Poor Sustainability outlook

8.6.1 My experience at Anglia Ruskin University is making me more aware of acting as a responsible citizen

8.6.2 My experience at Anglia Ruskin University is making me aware of using resources efficiently

8.6.3 My experience at Anglia Ruskin University is making me more aware global environmental challenges

8.6.4 My experience at Anglia Ruskin University is making me aware of global and local social challenges

Do students get the skills that they need?

Personal Responsibility Resource use awareness Global Enviro. Challenges ARU is making me more aware

Course Title No. of respondents

8.6.1 My experience at Anglia Ruskin University is making me more aware of acting as a responsible citizen

8.6.2 My experience at Anglia Ruskin University is making me aware of using resources efficiently

8.6.3 My experience at Anglia Ruskin University is making me more aware global environmental challenges

8.6.4 My experience at Anglia Ruskin University is making me aware of global and local social challenges

Mean Median

Law 76.0 57.9 73.7 27.6 42.1 50.3 50.0Legal Practice Course (LPC) 14.0 28.6 21.4 14.3 14.3 19.6 17.9International Business Law 12.0 66.7 66.7 75.0 75.0 70.8 70.8

Visiting Exchange (Law) 5.0 40.0 60.0 20.0 40.0 40.0 40.0Photography 20.0 70.0 80.0 35.0 60.0 61.3 65.0

Computer Games and Visual Effects

9.0 55.6 88.9 11.1 11.1 41.7 33.3Fashion Design 12.0 75.0 91.7 41.7 58.3 66.7 66.7

Film and Television Production

16.0 37.5 75.0 6.3 37.5 39.1 37.5Fine Art 20.0 30.0 60.0 30.0 30.0 37.5 30.0

Graphic Design 29.0 62.1 69.0 31.0 37.9 50.0 50.0Illustration 18.0 50.0 55.6 44.4 22.2 43.1 47.2

Illustration & Animation 6.0 50.0 50.0 16.7 16.7 33.3 33.3Interior Design 8.0 25.0 87.5 0.0 25.0 34.4 25.0MFA Fine Arts 8.0 25.0 50.0 0.0 12.5 21.9 18.8Printmaking 9.0 55.6 44.4 33.3 22.2 38.9 38.9

Children's Book Illustration 23.0 17.4 39.1 13.0 8.7 19.6 15.2English Language &

Linguistics15.0 60.0 66.7 13.3 33.3 43.3 46.7

English Language and English Language Teaching

9.0 55.6 88.9 44.4 33.3 55.6 50.0

Student Skills Survey

Asked: Students what sustainability skills and attributes are important and where they look to receive these skills from

Asked about 11 skills/attributes developed from Change Agents i.e. Ability to assess and critique information sources, Capable of engaging in self-assessment, self reflection and analysis, Understanding of how to act as a responsible citizen

280 students surveyed across Cambridge & Chelmsford in all 4 faculties, both UG and PG

Faculty No. Student Year No. ALSS 74 1st 152 FST 89 2nd 77 LIABES 32 3rd 31 FHSCE 84 4th + 19 Total: 279 Total: 279

Student Skills Survey:all questions

Rating current importance

Extremely important

Very important

Neutral

Student Skills Survey:all questions

Rating importance on graduation

Extremely important

Very important

Student Skills Survey:all questions

Rating importance for employment

Extremely important

Very important

Student Skills Survey:individual questions

Student Skills Survey:individual questions

Student Skills Survey:individual questions

Student Skills Survey:

• Students clearly appreciated the values of the skills covered by the survey

• Skills were seen as more important in employment than currently

Student Skills Survey:all questions

University Clubs and Societies

In a specific module

Throughout my CourseWider life outside University

Where do you acquire these skills?

Student Skills Survey:individual questions

Q9 Q10 Q7 Q5 Q4 Q3 Q11 Q8 Q1 Q6 Q2

Very wide variation in perception

Student Skills Survey:

• Students saw most skills acquisition happening outside the curriculum

• Huge variation in the importance of the curriculum for acquiring skills

Employability Strategy 2012-14

1. To further enhance our reputation as a leading national institution for student Employability

2. To increase the visibility of employability within our academic, support service and student culture

3. To raise students awareness of the need to experience and learn from a wide range of opportunities to develop and practice high level employability skills

4. To support students in taking responsibility for their personal, professional and academic development.

5. To increase the range and availability of student real-world work experience opportunities, develop an enterprise and entrepreneurship culture and increase the quality depth and range of work with employers

• Including Student Employability time line to help students manage the way they develop their employability

• ES Consulted at ALSS departmental employability strategy meetings lead by the Deputy Dean to continue to work towards embedding employability into the curriculum for academic year 2013-14.

• Recommendation: A minimum of one employability session/event per year group, per semester to be included in all courses.

Examples of good practice

2. To increase the visibility of employability within our academic, support service and student culture• ES delivered induction/introduction talks to a large number of first year students in core

lectures between weeks 4-6 academic year 2012-13.• We will be rolling this out with the support of academic colleagues cross faculty in ALL first

year core modules this coming year• Developed employability guides for students and academic staff.

3. To raise students awareness of the need to experience and learn from a wide range of opportunities to develop and practice high level employability skills.

•All first year students provided with Employability Guides via their personal tutors.•77 employer/student events run Aug 2012 – April 2013•Careers in ………days. Ran a number of days focusing on professional areas such as Law. Invited speakers from national and regional law firms, barristers chambers and support groups to give real life-story experiences.

4. To support students in taking responsibility for their personal, professional and academic development.

• All final year students offered the opportunity to engage with ES to ensure they were are and able to articulate evidence of their employability skills

• Created an employability portal within VLE which is accessible to all students. Offer practical advise and guidance as well as advertising jobs and work placement opportunities.

5. To increase the range and availability of student real-world work experience opportunities, develop an enterprise and entrepreneurship culture and increase the quality depth and range of work with employers

Citrix Experience Project

Computing and Technology students work as part of Citrix Team which suit their area of interest.

They took part in real-life project for half a day for 6 weeks. The focus of each project ranged from programming, to testing the latest cloud products. At the end of the 6 week project, pairs took part in a poster presentation and showcased their work to senior contacts at Citrix.

Current developments in employability support – centrally provided versus embedded in curriculum – signposting skills in the curriculum – evidencing skills – Anglia Award and HEAR

Throughout the Citrix Experience Programme, students are supported by a Citrix mentor and will take part in a number of skills workshops, such as presentation training.

• Worked closely with Anglia Ruskin Enterprise and Entrepreneurship department to offer workshops and specialist information.

• Start up Britain Campaign bus visit. A national government backed campaign to help raise awareness amongst students and young people as well as advising on financial support packages