Destinations ® : Internal & External
Collaboration
The Irish Journey
Mary Sweeney
University of Limerick
Reading Conference
March 2009
Overview
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Context – Profile of UL
UL Project Details
Customising Destinations®
Collaboration: Internal & External
Outcomes & Reflections
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Reading Conference
March 2009
UL’s Living Bridge
Reading Conference
March 2009
Profile of UL
• Young, dynamic, different
• Diverse range of programmes
– 10,000 undergraduates; 2,000 postgraduates
• Role in social & economic development
– Strong employer links
– Cooperative Education programme
– Focus on graduate employment
• Integrated Cooperative Education & Careers Division
– Careers Staff = 5 people
• Irish higher education
– No PDP requirement
– Network of HE Careers Services - GCI
Reading Conference
March 2009
The Beginning
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Once upon a time in 2001…..
Experience with Reading CMS
Reading Conference 2007
Appeal of Destinations ®
Options
– Commit and compete
– Wait and buy
– Pass it by
• ‘Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run
over if you just sit there’
Reading Conference
March 2009
UL Project Plan
• Customise website for Irish students
– Identify Irish links and resources
• Pilot Destinations® with career module
– Business, Public Admin, Language, Music, HPSS
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Develop as resource for work placements
Promote through careers website
Provide student feedback
Disseminate outcomes to GCI colleagues
Reading Conference
March 2009
Project Strategy
• Minimalist approach to text changes
– Amend, correct, or add value
• Units requiring significant amendments
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Careers & Employers
Postgraduate Courses & Directions
Work Experience
Enterprise
Links and resources throughout
• Video Clips: Editing and transcripts
• Seamless integration
Reading Conference
March 2009
The Greening of
Destinations®
• Linked to website
• Added, deleted, amended text
– 750 files out of 2006 files
– 110 new links created
• Created new video clips
– 7 employers, 38 video clips
– 16 students, 40 video clips
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Amended teaching resources
Customised graphics
Designed posters & flyers
Shared outcome with GCI
Reading Conference
March 2009
Collaboration
• Internal – Cross functional project team
– 3 Careers Advisors, Coop Ed Manager, Placement
Officer, IT Coordinator, 2 Academics, Teaching &
Learning, UL Web Editor, Student, Multimedia expert,
– Monthly meetings, shared workload
• External
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Employers & students
Partner institution
Irish Careers Services (GCI)
Reading Pilot Partners
Reading Conference
March 2009
Outcomes
• Collaboration as catalyst for change
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high energy level in project team
Sharing of expertise and perspectives
Fostered sense of joint responsibility and ownership
Supported professional development of members
Prompted involvement in VLE
Influenced integration of CMS into academic courses
Demonstrated expertise & role of Careers Service
Contributed to wider HE careers community
• Assessment of Destinations ®
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Great careers resource, developed by experts
Flexible, versatile, accessible, relevant
Excellent teaching resources
Low cost – high benefit: win-win solution
• ‘Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out’
Reading Conference
March 2009
Destinations Posters
Reading Conference
March 2009
Reading Conference
March 2009