School of Social Policy Sociology and Social Research Employability Strategy

Transcription

1 School of Social Policy Sociology and Social Research Employability Strategy Mission statement Our ambition as a School is to have effectively embedded into the whole of the student life cycle from promotion at visit days; to integration into induction events; to tailored focused support, opportunities and events throughout students studies; and culminating in bespoke support for finalists orientated to helping students make informed choices regarding specific employment destinations. Introduction This document aims to develop and expand our current strategy in line with the University s Employability Strategy which aims to: Maintain the University s position as the region s leading institution for student ; Improve the overall quality of graduates first employment destinations as evidenced by improved league-table positioning; Incorporate -related skills and training activities across all academic disciplines and other relevant areas; Increase the range and availability of student placement opportunities in the UK and abroad; Establish and maintain high quality, fully co-ordinated links with leading national, international and local graduate recruiters. The University aims to achieve these objectives by: Continuing to embed higher level, subject specific, intellectual and transferable skills within the academic curriculum; Increasing and enhancing opportunities for work-related learning; Preparing students for employment in a global economy; Continuing to offer access to specific career search skills through its Careers and Employability Service; Recording. 1

2 The School of Social Policy Sociology and Social Research works closely with central university services such as the Careers and Employability Service (CES), Unit for Enhancement of Learning and Leaching (UELT) and Kent Innovation and Enterprise (KIE) as well as with the Kent Union Jobshop and Volunteering departments, to support career, initiatives and to promote all services to students in the School. SSPSSR regularly informs students of the opportunities designed to improve their and signposts to appropriate sources of help, including The Careers and Employability Service. The following are examples of good practice in collaborative working: In February 2013 the School held its first Employability month, this initiative was repeated in February 2014, and has now become a standing fixture on the School s annual schedule of events. The School endeavours to promote all other departmental initiatives on campus to our students via social media or in our bulletin and invite other departments to deliver relevant presentations to our students. Employability staff within the Faculty for Social Science meets on a termly basis to share best practice and explore opportunities to work together. SSPSSR also work together with CES to plan a programme of School specific talks as well as working together on the Service Level Agreement. We work closely with UELT on the Academic Peer Mentoring Scheme and have recently expanded this service to include Medway students. By working closely with the Enterprise Hub we can ensure that all our activities are eligible for points. SSPSSR made significant contributions to the university s week in November 2013 and 2014 including designing and hosting a highly successful speed networking event open to students from other Schools. A presentation was then given by the School on this initiative at the university s forum in an effort to share best practice. Contributions to, and promotion of, week 2015 are already arranged. Targets set for 2014/15 academic year: In line with the university s strategy we have set ourselves the following targets: Actively encourage academic staff to draft generic module learning outcomes in a way that directly links to their application in the work place. From November 2014 ongoing - Shane Start the process of meeting with all Directors of Studies to develop a set of subject specific skills for each programme. (5 key skills specific to particular programme) From January 2015 ongoing - Rejane Have two placement programmes with a year in professional practice approved and ready to run on the Medway campus (including splitting placement modules to enable effective progression monitoring). By September Shane 2

3 Providing assistance to CES with the completion of the annual Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey. February 2013 & ongoing - Rejane Update Careers and Employability leaflet/s specific to students in the School. By July 2014 & ongoing - Rejane Continue to expand the APM scheme across both campuses. - Rejane Recruit mentors by April May 2014 Arrange training for mentors by October 2014 Recruit mentees by November 2014 Targets for Employability from start to finish In line with our mission statement we have ensured forms an integral part of student s inductions. This includes our Employability Support Officer giving talks at stage 1, 2 and 3 induction events and arranging for bespoke talks from staff at the CES. We aim to continue and enhance these activities between by liaising closely with other staff involved in student inductions within the School and wider university. We will also continue to actively liaise with, and provide tailored leaflets and information to, the Schools marketing team for use at visit days. 2. Further develop the School Web Pages All schools are required to dedicate a webpage to, the material available on these pages varies enormously between schools. During the academic years the School will aim to add to the contents currently available. The following should be available via the webpage: Annually updated Career Paths/stats information in line with the DLHE findings ongoing In the context of a wider overhaul of the SSPSSR webpages, ensure any subsequent changes to the website are in line with the objectives of the Quality Development Team in the area ongoing Continue to expand Alumni profiles - ongoing Keep news items up to date - ongoing Have a completed set of subject specific skills for each with links to career destinations by the end of 2017 Expand and update links to external services and organisations ongoing Continue to develop our events page and add media and employer logos with links to their sites and testimonials ongoing New web banner in place February

4 3. Build on the Employability Month Following the success of the February 2013 month we are planning on improving the quality of speakers and the attendance and promotion of the overall event. In 2014 we arranged four themed conferences which received good feedback. In 2015 we plan to have two careers insights days which will include workshops and presentations, one field trip, one alumni careers day and one alumni/staff/student networking event. Building on a highly successful trip to the European Parliament and Commission in 2014, the expansion of the use of field trips to venues relevant to appropriate career trajectories forms a central part of our ongoing strategy. The trip to the European Parliament and Commission involved successful application for funding from the Social Sciences Internationalisation Fund, arranging and facilitating the trip, and included tailored talks from an MEP, a Kent Alumni working at the European Parliament, and a Recruitment Officer from the European Commission. The Quality Development Team recognises that funds are not always available through the School to enable such trips; we therefore will continue to strive to secure additional funding to aid the professional of our students. 4. Create a Programme Specific Employability Skills Matrix The Programme Specific Employability Skills Matrix will include a set of subject specific skills agreed with the DoS and will show how students can further develop these both through study and extracurricular activities. This information will be made available on our website, leaflets and at induction events. 5. Introducing Placement Year Activities Criminal Justice/Criminology and Social Science students will have the opportunity to undertake a Placement Year between stages 2 and 3 of their studies starting in the 2015/16 academic year. To promote this scheme the following initiatives should be adopted to assist with this: Dissemination of the information regarding the School s Placement Year Scheme Talks from the DoS from the relevant placement year programme (and students who previously undertook a Placement Year if appropriate) November Employability Week activity Dissemination of placement information received from CES to students Bespoke advice service for students regarding how and where to find placements Established links between the School and potential placement providers Create a Placement Year handbook and have all relevant documents in place As a minimum standard all students undertaking the Placement Year will receive at least one visit from a member of staff. 4

5 Liaise with KIE to put in place a tri-party agreement to placement providers outlining their responsibilities, who their university contact is and what to expect from the students end January Rejane Set up a series of CES placement preparation talks Arrange meetings with the HoS to ensure the division of labour regarding placement support activities is clearly set out and understood by staff involved end January Shane 6. Introduce a Professional Mentoring Scheme The School will continue to develop and establish relations with alumni and external organisations with the aim of introducing professional mentoring to 2 nd year + students to enhance their employment prospects via KEW-NET, an online mentoring/networking tool for Kent students and graduates to meet, support one another and help each other get ahead. Introduce a School Careers and Employability Award CES offer all Kent students the opportunity to complete the Careers Employability Award. This is undertaken online and consists of a series of quizzes and assignments. Completing the award will assist students with career planning and job hunting skills, giving them strategies to make appropriate career choices. Several schools, including the School of English, have already developed a bespoke award for students studying the relevant discipline. It would be advantageous for the school to commission a SSPSSR Careers Employability Award to help students develop skills and competencies required in SSPSSR based professions. The School would like to work with colleagues in CES (and SLAS where appropriate) to develop the award between March June 2015 with the aim of piloting the award with a group of stage 2 students from October If the pilot is successful the award will be rolled out to all students in January see if students receive an on-line certificate on completion - Rejane If the award proves successful the School could look to accredit this as a 5-10 credit module. 7. Supporting Student Initiatives The School will continue to support more student led projects by working closely with student groups and applying to the university s Student Project Fund to support one off initiatives and related activities. 8. Personal and skills The School will continue to support and promote the importance of and encourage the use of tools such as MyFolio and the Employability and Volunteering toolkit for students to record their and skills. At curriculum planning meetings we will consider modules which can be developed to provide students with practical knowledge, skills and experiences needed to obtain employment. 5

6 In addition the school will publicise the Careers and Employability Service Work Experience Bursary Scheme (B-KEW) to all students. We will also continue to apply for funding opportunities to enhance our student within the School. We will publicise any relevant opportunities to our students via our weekly bulletin and encourage them to register with the Careers and Employability Service vacancy database as well as the Kent Union Jobshop. 9. Support for Postgraduate and International Students In the summer term the School will arrange a series of talks specifically aimed at postgraduate and international students to ensure that appropriate careers and advice and guidance are available to this group. by June Rejane 10. Promotion of Employability Initiatives Embed promotion of the Employability initiatives in UCAS presentations and all marketing material. Promote the school s programme as part of new student induction at the start of the autumn term. by September 2015 Rejane & Marketing Team 6

7 Proposed Implementation Plan Targets Proposed Action Proposed Outcome Role Holder Responsible for Implementing Action Further develop the School s Employability Web Pages Build on the month Create a programme specific skills matrix Review current material and consider best practice from other schools and universities. Work with the Marketing and Recruitment team to develop and publicise new material for September Continue to grow this initiative by trying new ways of engaging with the students to grow its popularity. Discuss the Employability Skills Matrix with Quality Assurance manager DoS to supply information to Current students, applicants, parents, alumni and third party organisations will be able to access up-to-date and relevant information. Increase attendance levels at events. Greater awareness of initiatives owing to university wide publicity. Students will gain a greater understanding of how they develop transferable skills through the curriculum. & Marketing/Recruitment team member, Quality Assurance Manager, Director of Learning and Teaching, DoS Completion Date 30 September January 2015 & ongoing Dec First review June 2014 Action Taken Using feedback from previous fair to improve next fair Evidence for Improvement More students from SSPSSR engaging in Employability Activities. DLHE and other related surveys More students from the School engaging in Employability Activities. NSS and UG student survey 7

8 team. Introducing Placement Year Activities DoLT to oversee the implementation of the scheme. Disseminate information regarding the Placement Year Scheme Develop a bespoke advice service for students regarding how and where to find placements Establish links between the School and potential placement providers A greater number of students undertaking placement years Representative from CES Quality Assurance Manager June 2015 More students undertaking placement years Positive feedback from placement providers and students who undertake a placement year Compile a Placement Year handbook As a minimum standard all students undertaking the Placement Year will receive at least one visit from a member of staff. Develop a bespoke guide for placement providers Promote the Build links with alumni and external organisations for Current students will gain an insight into what it is CES representative June 2015 Have a link to the site from 8

9 Professional Mentoring Scheme (KEW- NET) Introduce a School Careers and Employability Award professional mentors for stage 2+ students in the School Work with CES and other relevant central departments to develop a bespoke Careers Employability Award for students in the School. like in the work place and develop a greater understanding of the skills and competencies employers look for. Alumni and professional contacts will be able to influence employees of the future. Current students will gain a greater understanding of the skills and attitudes employers look for. Students will have an opportunity to develop their CVs in preparation for job hunting. Representative from CES Develop the award between March June Pilot with stage 2 students October 2015 School wide January 2016 SSPSSR website and promote via bulletin. DLHE and other related surveys Positive feedback from those who participate in the pilot Supporting Student Initiatives Support individuals and groups of students who wish to undertake an activity which is related to career with applications to the university s Student Project Fund grant. Students who wish to undertake employment related activities but are restricted by financial constraints will be able to access financial support if successful. School Reps September 2014 & ongoing More student good news stories 9

10 Personal and skills Consider modules which can be developed to provide students with practical knowledge, skills and experiences needed to obtain employment. Promote CES Work Experience Bursary Scheme (B-KEW) Current students will gain a greater understanding of the skills and competencies employers look for and get to experience work place settings for themselves Quality Assurance Manager CES representative Ongoing Created a student and employer bulletin. Applied for various funding opportunities Promote MyFolio and the Employability and Volunteering toolkit Apply for funding opportunities In the process of setting up a skills matrix Support for Postgraduate and International Students Publicise any relevant opportunities Greater support for PG and international students. More PG students finding suitable employment after graduation and international students prepared for work in the UK. PG rep CEWL Ongoing Feedback from PG students and international students Employment statistics for postgraduates one year after graduating 10

11 Promotion of Employability Programme Embed promotion of the Employability programme in UCAS presentations and all marketing material. Promote the school s programme as part of new student induction at the start of the autumn term. More students aware of events in School from the outset. May influence students choice of university Marketing/Recruitment team September 2015 and 11