1. CEMPS Employability A Student Perspective

2. Employability : A Student Perspective Contents • Introduction • Student Perspective • Extra Curricular Provisions • Recommendations • Education Forum Oresund Link Road, Denmark/Sweden

3. The Project • Review the provision of employability services in the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences (CEMPS) • View to presenting outcomes and recommendations to staff • Initiate open debate on the topic of employability • Promote sharing of ideas between college members TGV, France

4. Why Employability? • An area of increasing importance • Concerns staff and students • A collaborative area • An area in which small changes can make a big difference Airbus A380

5. Positive Graduate Outlook • Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates are key to providing the higher level skills that are required for economic recovery and long-term prosperity in the UK (HE Academy, 2010). • It is essential that we raise the level of our STEM skills (BIS, 2010). • Two-fifths of employers struggle to find the STEM talent they need (Times Online, 2010) Wind Farm

6. Realistic Graduate Outlook • School leavers and graduates are lacking basic skills, says CBI survey • Weaknesses in time management and team work in graduates • 45% of graduates at top universities (inc. Exeter) view career prospects as ‘very limited’ • Competition for graduate jobs has never been fiercer • Graduates ‘paying £8000 for internships’ • Students paying companies to set up work experience Pendolino Tilting Train, UK 1. Times Online (17/05/10) 2. BBC.co.uk 3. Telegraph.co.uk (18/12/09)

7. Employer Demand • Where do these skills come from? • Degree • Work Experience • Extra Curricular Activities Pelamis Wave Generator, Portugal Source: CIHE Graduate Employability: Employers

8. Current College Employability Services Why is attendance low? • Don’t feel will help me – 42% • Inconvenient time – 39% • Perhaps students think they know what they want to do • Busy schedule – hard to find time • Maybe they should be attending... What services does the college offer? • Employer in the foyer • Careers drop-in • Company presentations • ITMB guru for IT Source: CEMPS Employability Survey

9. Who would you like to work for? Where do our graduates work? • Ambition - large multinational companies • Reality– predominantly small and medium sized local enterprises • Do our students end up where they think they will? Source: CEMPS Graduate Destinations & Employability Survey

10. Student Feedback Hang on, don’t these services exist? • Careers advisor drop-in • Dedicated placement coordinator • Emails with opportunities and encouragement from careers staff • Work placement database • Similar idea with Gradcracker, however low attendance • Employer in the foyer? What would students like to see? • “More one to one level of help” • “More help organising placements” • “More encouragement to get summer placements” • “List of summer placements and deadlines” • “Short presentations by multiple companies in an dedicated lecture” • “More presentations aimed at students looking for summer placements” Oil Platform Source: CEMPS Employability Survey

11. Recommendations New Developments • Dedicated ‘Placements Coordinator’ Recommendations • Invest in ‘Placements Coordinator’ • Work placements data base and profiling • Enhance the CANDI module • Focus on helping students to make the most of the services available to them Recommendations • Try to encourage PDP as an important part of employability • Increase student awareness of past graduate destinations • Make students and staff aware of transitional programmes such as KTP and GBP • Utilise alumni and take advantage of our excellent reputation • Make use of institutional links Large Hadron Collider, CERN

12. Education Forum - Debate • Employability services offered by University and College are excellent • The changing graduate employment market means we need to keep up to speed • How can we encourage students to make use of the employability resources and support already available to them? • How can we further develop students' skills and employability throughout their degree programme? Milau Viaduct, France

13. Education Forum - Outcomes • Participation a big issue across CEMPS • More targeted marketing of events • Potential for integration of PDP into degree • Small tutorial classes in which all issues are discussed (Physics) • Integration of advice into booklet for joining students • Distribution of findings of SACA project to students Stonecutters Bridge, Hong Kong