Investigating attitudes and approaches
to employability
Rehana Ladha
Therese Svensson
University of East London
10th September 2013
Overview
• Identify students’ approaches to employability
• Understand why students engage or disengage
with employability services
• Share areas of good practice to enhance
engagement
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
2
Our Context
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East London/Thames Gateway
60%+ BAME students
55% mature students
40% lower socio-economic groups
81% from the London area
50% from East London
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
3
What does Employability mean to
you?
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
4
What is
Employability?
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The ability to:Get a job
Keep a job
Progress in a job
Get a better job
Get a different job
Create your own job
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
5
UEL Research Internships
• A 10 week scheme where students work on a real
research project
• Opportunities are provided for students to present
their findings through various channels
• Typically students are paired with academics rather
than support services
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
6
Employability and Enterprise team
Research Objectives (EET)
• Identify the rationale for students’ decision to
engage or disengage with EET services
• Understand students’ attitudes and
understanding of employability
• Investigate students’ satisfaction levels with the
service and any improvements to be made
• Investigate academics’ attitudes to
employability
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
7
Data Collection
• Qualitative and quantitative research (June/July 2013)
• Focus groups and case studies, 25 students/graduates
in total
• Clipboard survey with, 150 students/graduates
• Diverse representative samples (BME, Male, Female)
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
8
What do you think students’
employability expectations are?
(Group discussion and feedback)
GTI media research (January
2013)
•Responses from 2,300 students at 125
universities
•Very similar survey conducted six years ago
with 2,500 students
•Over a third of respondents believe that the
university has the MAIN responsibility for
preparing them for working life
Students’ employability expectations at UEL and nationally?
“Unrealistic
employability
expectations”
Degree=job
“Incorporating
employability skills
as key learning
outcomes in core
academic
programmes”
“More support for
humanities subject
support rather
than business
subjects”
“Employability
emails specific to
my area of study
and interest”
“More alumni
contacts and
networks”
“Further develop
links with the
Students’ Union
and student
societies”
“Services tailored to
their degree/career
or sector choice”
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
11
Academics’ attitudes to
employability
“Get s tudents to
start thinking about
employability as
soon as they arrive
at university” EET
road map
“Create more
links with
recruitment
agencies/job
outcomes”
“Core Employability
skills should be part
of several modules “
“Hold
employability
conferences for
staff/students “
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
“Employability
should be
delivered by
industry experts”
“Course specific
Linked-in
groups”
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It’s your turn…(20 minutes)
Discuss the points below and draw pictures to present your findings
to the rest of the groups?
• Why do you think students engage/disengage with Careers
Services/Employability Teams ?
• How can we enhance student engagement? What works?
(one person will feedback for the rest of the group)
Employability and Enterprise Team
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13
Reasons for not engaging?
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Reasons for not engaging (National Survey)
36% of respondents said the following:
• 52% not yet got round to it
• 37% too little time
• 23% I don’t know where it is on campus
• 12% opening times and events inconvenient
for me
• 18% I don’t think it could help me
• 11% I don’t know how to access its website
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
15
Reasons for non-engaging UEL
students
58 % of the sample said their reasons for not engaging
were:
•48 % do not know the location of services
•40 % were not aware or sure
•28 % lack of time
•21 % not yet got around to it
•16 % do not think it will be helpful
•8 % because times are inconvenient
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
16
Quotes on reasons for not
engaging
• “Because they do not offer specialist career
guidance in my field”
• “ Focusing on university workloads, so did not
think about using the services”
• “Not aware of services”
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
17
Reasons for engaging
Employability and Enterprise Team
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18
Reasons for engaging
42 % of the sample said their reasons for engaging
were:
•51 % to find a job
•27 % for personal/ skill development
•21% for opportunities
•19 % to network with employers
•11 % for career recommendations
•11 % for business advice and start ups
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Quotes on reasons for engaging
- “ I think that it will help me develop and
improve my skills and it will be an opportunity
for me to get a job”
- “ For internships and voluntary work
experience”
- “End of my degree looking for work”
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
20
How can we enhance engagement?
• Engage with students from their first year (Core
lectures/induction videos/self assessment
checklists/prescriptions/student roadmap)
• Empower academics to enhance students’
employability
• Provide a flexible service
• Employability champions
• Increase social media presence
• Services tailored to degree/career choice
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
21
Recommendations
• University employability strategy=service
impact= invincible
• Location and visibility is key
• How you market your services is crucial
• Practical skills sessions and interventions
Employability and Enterprise Team
www.uel.ac.uk/eet
22