First Footsteps
Engaging Early-Stage Students
(Parts 1 & 2)
With Employability
A CCMS funded project exploring the provision and potential to embed more
information about career development for students within the School of Biological
Sciences
Final Report July 2009
Ross Cameron, Sarah Swan, Andy Wetten, Gail Hutchinson & Tania Lyden
1
Contents
Page
Summary
3
Introduction and Background
4
Project Objectives
6
Methodology
7
Relaying Information to Students about Employability and Career
7
Development - Best Practice within the School of Biological Sciences
Information from the Advisory and Student Steering Groups
9
Employment Statistics (Based on CAS ‘6-Month’ Data)
12
Students Aspirations (A Review of Part 1 Students’ Attitudes to Careers
16
on Entering University in 2007)
Embedding Specific Employability Activities in the School of Biological
21
Sciences
Career Event
21
Student Preferences for Companies / Organisations
24
Student Responses to the Career Event
29
Company Responses to the Career Event
30
Science Communication Module
30
Overview of the Career Event and Science Communication Module
32
Conclusions and Recommendations
38
Key Points from the Project
41
Recommendations
43
References
45
2
Summary
This project investigated the potential to enhance student employability by
introducing information on career development from a relatively early (Part 1 and
Part 2), rather than later (Part 2 and 3) stage of University education. As higher
education becomes more expensive and employment less certain (due to the
current economic recession), enhancing the prospects for a career in their chosen
discipline, becomes increasingly important for students. In developing and
marketing their courses too, Universities need to be aware that students may select
universities based on their track-record for graduate employment. The School of
Biological Sciences at the University of Reading conducted this project to
investigate students’ attitudes to ‘career-based’ education and to develop
opportunities to provide earlier and more effective information and experiences.
Data gained from interviews and surveys suggested that within the Biological
sector, students do choose courses (some more than others) on the career
prospects they offer, and that Universities have some responsibility for improving
employment prospects. ‘First destination’ data suggested that employment within
a sector / field was strongly dependant on degree subject. Nevertheless, previous
work experience helped improve subsequent employment prospects, and
encouraging students to undertake placements may be a primary mechanism to
help students enhance their career prospects. Embedding relevant information
within the curriculum and encouraging students to talk to career advisors from an
early stage was deemed to be an appropriate way to encourage students to seek
placements. ‘Classical’ career development teaching was not always popular with
students, however, and University staff need to provide more imaginative means
to engage students with this subject. The report recommends adopting
mechanisms that break down the barriers between ‘academic’ subject matter and
that associated with career development. Techniques employed in the recently
developed ‘Science Communication’ (Career Management Skills) module are
providing a very effective ‘vanguard’ in this respect. Nevertheless, this is
currently a Part 2 module, and there may be other, earlier, opportunities for
students to begin to engage with career issues, within the context of wider
educational parameters.
3
Introduction and Background
“The overall aim of the project was to enhance student employability by captivating
their interest and awareness about career development from an early stage.”
The School of Biological Sciences formed in August 2005 with a merger of the
School of Plant Sciences and the School of Animal and Microbial Science. One of the
primary thrusts for the merger was to enhance the number of students entering the
‘generic’ Biological Sciences BSc degree as this area of education was seen as a
significant ‘market opportunity’, yet one that the University was under-exploiting. It
is well recognised that Biology is a popular A-level subject and one that many
students wish to continue when they enter higher education. Unlike other degree
subjects such as Engineering, Law, Business Studies etc., however, a clearly defined
career route is less evident in Biology. Many students do indeed develop careers in
biological disciplines, but a significant proportion do not and these may enter careers
in the civil service, local government, the financial sector and elsewhere. In a
competitive market place for Biology students, Reading University felt that in needed
a distinct and unique branding to help entice more students to choose Reading. One
element of this is to provide an environment that encourages interaction with industry
and facilitates greater opportunities for students to develop careers in the biological
sector. In essence, to promote the notion that a Reading Biology degree increases your
chances of developing a career in biology.
In addition to the generic Biology degree, the School also offers a suite of degrees
specialising in specific elements of biology and statistics. (Table 1). As with Biology,
it is assumed that students are attracted largely by an interest in the specific nature of
the discipline, e.g. Microbiology, Botany, Zoology etc. In a small number of degrees,
however, good career prospects and a more defined career route may be a motivating
factor for students choosing the subject area. These degree programmes often have
close links with industry and sandwich placements may be compulsory (e.g.
Landscape Management) or students expected to do some clinical / lab work in an
industrial setting for the degree to gain its accreditation (e.g. Biomedical Science).
The variety of different degree types ranging from traditional ‘academic’ pure
sciences through to the more applied sciences provides an ideal opportunity to gauge
4
the diversity of opinions relating to career development (both by students and indeed
staff).
This project was undertaken in an attempt to understand more fully the extent to
which students consider and engage with career issues whilst at university. Indeed we
wished to focus on ‘early stage’ (Part 1 & 2) students particularly, where career
considerations are more likely to be deemed remote and of a lower priority compared
to other aspects of university life. Paradoxically, these are the students, though, who
can gain most by fully exploiting their vacations and sandwich placements to gain a
greater insight into the world of work and to explore the career options available to
them.
Table 1. The range of BSc degrees offered within the School of Biological
Sciences (as of 2007)
Biological Sciences Biochemistry
Applied Ecology & Applied Statistics
Conservation
Biological Sciences Biomedical
+
Botany
Business Statistics
Medical
Environmental
Statistics
Microbiology
Biology
Industrial Sciences
Experience
Horticulture
Landscape
& Maths & Applied
Statistics
Management
Zoology
Maths & Statistics
NB. The number of degrees has been rationalised and altered since 2000 and degree
names do not necessarily match with subsequent tables and figures.
5
Three main questions drive the project
1. Do early stage (Part 1 & 2) students consider employment opportunities and
career development a high priority?
2. Does the School of Biological Sciences provide adequate information and
encouragement with respect to placements and wider career development?
3. If not, what procedures can be implemented to help students gain relevant
industrial experience, and to improve their employment prospects on leaving
university?
Project Objectives
The specific objectives within the project were:

Identifying and disseminating current 'best practice' within the School on
aspects relating to employability.

Set up a student steering group (SSG) from School of Biological Sciences.

Set up a database on employment statistics that will be useful for verifying
success of the project and help market our degree programmes in future.

Embed specific employability activities in Parts 1 and 2 so students can better
understand the context of their Higher Education and help them maximise the
opportunities to seek and gain industrial experience.

Recognise and award students (where appropriate) for their attempts to engage
with industry and improve their employment potential. E.g. via a certificate
scheme.

To exploit existing IT systems such as Blackboard, so students can present
their portfolios / CVs in a professional manner, and could have the opportunity
for 'marketing' their skills to potential employers.
6
Methodology
Information was gathered throughout the project via accessing existing data bases
(e.g. Career Advisory Service’s Alumni database) or gathering data from
questionnaires and interviews. Where possible, data values are meaned with some
degree of variability indicated (usually, standard deviance or error). Variations in
sample size often resulted in unbalanced data sets allowing minimal further statistical
assessment. Data are gleaned largely from early stage (Part 1 and 2) students. The
project ran for 3 years and information was gained from student experiences covering
5-6 years of University life. It should be noted that during this period, changes in the
teaching curriculum and personnel, and not least the merging of the two original
schools could lead to some variability and inconsistency in responses from students
e.g. change in attitudes to the Career Management Skills Module.
Relaying Information to Students about Employability and Career Development
- Best Practice within the School of Biological Sciences
This proved to be one of the most difficult objectives to achieve! E-mail requests for
information were sent out to all academic staff, with only 2 replies. This was followed
by more specific requests to the degree advisors and admissions tutors – again with
limited success. In total only 7 academics replied. Low levels of engagement by
academics in this context is perhaps, not that unusual. Not only are academics very
busy, but some aspects of ‘embedding employability’ in the curriculum can be seen to
challenge academic freedom and counter the philosophy of ‘education for education’s
sake’ (Lees, 2002). Despite the low response rates though, some relevant information
was gleaned from the process. Not least, a number of academics considered
themselves to have a poor understanding of the work place in non-academic
institutions and were not necessarily comfortable discussing career development with
students unless it related to research based careers. There was some suggestion of a
bias based on those degrees that had a more applied element to them, i.e. those
lecturers with contact with industry were able to provide more positive insights.
7
Key comments from academics included:

Encourage guest speakers (and particularly those hosting student visits) to
provide information about their own career progress. This has the
advantage of students understanding employability within the context of
specific subject matter, e.g.
“field ranger discussing applied zoology, but also providing advice to
students about approaching employers and key skills required to do a
ranger’s job”.

When a lecturer discusses his / her own research, highlight interactions
with industry and industry’s requirements. For example, Government
LINK projects involve close collaboration with industry. Similarly, a
number of academics within the school have experience of Knowledge
Technology Partnerships and gain insights as to what is required of a
‘good graduate’ from an employer’s perspective.

Put information in lectures in ‘real world’ context where possible –
Demonstrate to students that an understanding of scientific facts is
essential, but so too are communication skills and tact.
“Listeria or Hysteria ! – Engaging with the public regarding microbial
based diseases often involves a fair deal of psychology as well as
microbiology”.

Use Part 3 thesis projects as a platform to discuss issues with industry.
This can vary from doing the entire project during the placement year to
just encouraging the student to order their own consumables from a lab
supplier. A number of organisations now offer student bursaries for Part 3
projects to encourage students within the School to enter their business
sector later on.

Some programmes actually specify interactions with industry in the
module– e.g. Landscape Managers in conjunction with a landscape
8
architect develop a Design and Management Plan for one of the nearby
local authorities, and present this to the council (who often implement it!).
Similarly, Horticultural students will devise a marketing plan for a new
plant or product and discuss it with commercial nurseries.

Discuss with students the benefits of joining bodies such as the Institute of
Biology, Institute of General Microbiology, Landscape Institute, Local
Wildlife Trusts etc.

Make a ‘mental note’ to discuss career progression with tutees, even Part 1
students.

Encourage students to attend conferences held by professional or industrial
bodies regarding key scientific or social issues. (Especially where bodies
have a student discount scheme).
Information from the Advisory and Student Steering Groups
Two groups helped co-ordinate the project and provide intellectual input. The
Advisory group included personnel from the Career Advisory Service, Centre for
Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Placement tutors (Biology, Food
Science & Agriculture). The Student group met twice with 6 and 8 students
attending, respectively. These groups generated a number of interesting points and
strategies that could be adopted.
Key points included:

There is a difference between specific skills relevant to a discipline and
generic ‘graduate’ key skills that students could obtain from a degree. Both
were equally valid. Many would study Biology but never have the intention to
gain direct employment in it (e.g. army entry, civil service etc.).
9

Would it be useful to develop some sort of comparison between Reading’s
Biology and that of other Universities. – were we ‘par for the course’ or could
we do better in helping career prospects?

It was agreed that getting information was one of the main challenges and
common to these types of scenarios.
o Students need an incentive to return questionnaire – prize
o Having a set period when they were requested to fill in a form may
help e.g. end of a formal class. (the CETL does this).
o Placements are very important in getting students engaged with
employability.
o ‘Selling’ the Placement / Sandwich place element is possibly the
catalyst for further interest in career development.
o Has to be student lead – students can be ‘encouraged’ by curriculum
activities, but they need to use their initiative in pursing opportunities.
(need to recognise that many lecturers were not that well informed
about careers outside University !!!).
o Students benefited from external speakers from industry, but if this
was a specific exercise (e.g. lunchtime talk) attendance was low
(speakers did not return!). This format needs to be embedded in
modules (and the speaker may need to cover curriculum content to
some extent). In Agriculture it was noted that Part 1 students were
interested in this too, i.e. never too early to start talking about
placements and job opportunities?

The incentive for academics to engage with industry (talks, placements etc)
was that research opportunities often arose after links had been made. E.g. a
placement student works on project with a company and then uses this as a
platform for their Part 3 thesis. The company is interested in the results and
negotiates with the academic about follow-on research through a formal
research contract.
10

PDP scheme - this could be used as a vehicle to get students to approach the
Admissions and Degree Development (ADD) Office, e.g. to notify them of a
specific meeting run by the ADD Office every year.

Could 10 minutes of the Part 1 curriculum be made available for the ADD
Office to talk to students about placements. Ideally, prior to Easter break.

The School has adopted the i-Learn Project scheme. This is a student driven
activity and allows students to maintain a personal reflection of their
development, including key skills learned.

Students require more help from academics about how to apply for funding for
places and courses, including post-graduate opportunities. Currently no clear
process identified – variable help from tutors.

Careers fairs were seen ‘as a non-starter’ for Biology students – too general
and dominated by finance and service industries.

Generic ‘Career Management Skills’ modules and even help from Careers
Advisor Service was often regarded as too general, and few direct contacts
with Biology related employers were available. The format of the CMS
module though appears critical here - See points later referring to recent
modifications to the CMS module – now termed ‘Science Communication’.

Talks from students who have been out on placements or have won places on
courses etc. was seen as useful by students.

E-mail poor medium for communication:- Few students looked at e-mail
regularly enough to sift through for circular notices related to job opportunities
invited speakers etc.

Potential for location in library to be identified for job adverts - somewhere all
students regularly pass.
11
Employment Statistics (Based on Career Advisory Service ‘6-Month’ Data)
The Career Advisory Service employment data was use as a baseline to help
determine where Reading Biology graduates found employment. This is from a
survey taken 6 months after students graduate, and so is not always an accurate
reflection of the first ‘true job students attain (i.e. some may go back to temporary
work and others take a gap year). Taylor, (1986) and Shah et al., (2004) also noted
that ‘first destinations’ may not be an ideal data-base to reflect overall
employment potential. The data also does not distinguish between ‘no job’ and
‘no reply’. The data is sourced from 2000-2006 and some degrees have
discontinued or been initiated during this period.
By far the largest degrees in terms of student numbers are Biological Sciences and
Zoology (Figure 1). The data for total employment (Figure 2) is suspect due to the
reasons outlined above, nevertheless, there is a suggestion that both Applied
Statistics and the Physiology and Biochemistry (one of the precursors to
Biomedical Science) are useful degrees from a generic employment viewpoint. Of
the students who are known to be in employment (or further education) Statistics
degrees gave a high conversion to relevant employment (Figure 3). In contrast,
less then 50% of Environmental Biologist employed actually possess a post
relevant to their degree. In terms of achieving a wage commensurate with
university degree status, again Statistics showed the strongest response, with all
the students in employment at ‘graduate scale’ income (Figure 4). Salary
structures, however, for students who had studied subjects such as Animal
Science, Applied Biology, Botany and Environmental Biology were considered
‘below par’.
When data was combined for those students employed in a relevant discipline and
gaining a reasonable salary, subjects such as Statistics and Landscape
Management (the latter the only degree to have a compulsory industrial sandwich
placement embedded in the curriculum) were the most positive (Figure 5). A key
relevant point here though, was that no degree ensured that more than 50% of its
students reached this status, albeit this data was collated only 6 months after
graduation. The two large degrees Biological Sciences and Zoology, both showed
12
that less than 30% of their students who had gained employment were in a
relevant job with relatively good wages.
The data shows there is plenty of scope to improve employability in the majority
of degrees offered at Reading, and some of the best practices employed in degrees
such as Statistics and Landscape Management may be promoted more widely.
Figure 1. Total numbers of students attending different BSc. Degree
programmes between 2000 and 2006.
13
Figure 2. The proportion of students known to be employed or in further
education.
Figure 3. The proportion of students known to be employed or in further
education relevant to their degree.
14
Figure 4. The proportion of students known to be employed at a ‘graduate
scale’ income.
Figure 5. The proportion of students known to be employed in a relevant job
and at a graduate level. The top bar represents students as a proportion of
those employed and the bottom bar a proportion of those who graduated.
15
Students Aspirations (A Review of Part 1 Students Attitudes to Careers on
Entering University in 2007)
A questionnaire was presented to ‘freshers’ students in October 2007, with the
inducement that 3 entries would randomly selected to receive a £50 book token.
Forty students responded to the questionnaire (approx 35 % of total Part 1
students in the School). The demographics of the respondents based on their
degree is shown in Figure 6
Figure 6. Proportion of Part 1 students responding to the questionnaire
Applied Ecology
Applied Statistics
Zoology
Biological
Sciences
Statistics
Biochemistry
Medical
Microbiology
Maths & Statistics
Botany
Horticulture & E
Mng
Business
Statistics
The majority of respondents (86%) were school leavers, and approx. 50% of students
claimed to have considered their career prospects on leaving the University, with 44%
indicating they had had some previous relevant experience in the workplace. More
than one-third of students stated that developing a career in a specific area was of high
or very high priority when selecting their University course (Figure 7), and that 20%
had based their choice on good career prospects or wages (Figure 8). Interestingly,
many thought the University had responsibility to help then seek employment (69%)
and develop their career (86%). When asked in what ways could the University help
them in this respect, many identified help with key skills and encouraging confidence
building were the priorities (Figures 9 and 10). Aid with industrial placements and
contact with employers were also identified as helpful strategies. In contrast, CV.
writing and providing career fairs were deemed less relevant. A large proportion of
16
students (78%) felt secondary school had provided inadequate information on careers
and almost 50% had done little to help them seek further information (Figure 11). In a
more positive note, though, 70% of respondents suggested Reading’s information
about career prospects presented at open days, on the website and in the prospectus
was rated ‘good’.
Although the population sample was small (and bias somewhat towards
environmental biology and statistical degrees) some important points became
apparent. An interest in the subject matter, at this stage at least, appeared more
important than necessarily providing a well paid career route per se. Nevertheless,
significant minorities were anticipating good career prospects in their chosen area
after university, and many expected the University to contribute strongly to helping
them seek a job and develop their career. This was largely through generic key skills,
however, such as improving self-confidence, with some additional guidance on
placements and making links to industry directly.
In a review of ‘career based information’ provided for Bioscientists within Higher
Education, Taylor (2005) suggested there are three types of Bioscience student:

those who want to become practising scientists

those wishing to apply their knowledge to a bioscience-related industry

those who enjoy biology but do not want to use the knowledge directly in their
future employment.
Hughes (2004) indicates that in recent years there has also been a change in the
aspirations, motivation and focus of students who take Bioscience courses. Whereas a
generation ago, most students would gain employment in a lab-based bioscience
activity (and develop their entire career there), now employment destinations was
much more varied and transient. University courses needed to reflect this and provide
students with the wide range of skills that enabled them to plan their career and take
active control of their own development, rather than just ‘becoming employed’.
17
Figure 7. Student responses to: “How important was developing a career / job in
a specific area when you selected your subject or university?”
Very high – e.g. I have always wished to become an XXX, and a degree is required
High – e.g. I know roughly what I want to do after university
Moderate – e.g. I have some ideas, but hope university will help guide me based on
further education and experiences
Low – e.g. I have always wanted to study YYY out of interest, and career opportunities
will come later
Low
8%
Very high
6%
High
31%
Moderate
55%
Figure 8. Student responses to: “How much was your choice of subject
determined by future career prospects and wages?”
Very High – this will provide me with good job prospects later on
High – this will guarantee me a good wage income later on
Moderate - It was important, but not the over-riding factor
Low – I thought about it, but it is not critical at this stage
Very Low – I am here primarily for academic study and interest in the subject
Very low
14%
Very high
6%
High
14%
Low
17%
Moderate
49%
18
Figure 9. Student responses to: Apart from providing you with a degree, in
what other ways can University aid your subsequent career prospects:
(students could tick more than one)
Provide contacts with future employers
Aid with work-placements and sandwich years
Improve my general confidence and ability to ‘sell myself’ to employers
Provide me with key skills – e.g. ability to present talks, use IT systems etc.
Provide information in lectures about the sorts of jobs I will be eligible for.
Have invited speakers from Industry
Provide a forum for me to present my C.V. to employers e.g. via blogg sites
Provide career fairs
Other(please explain)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
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ai
O
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.
.V
ee
rf
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C
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Fo
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In
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0
Figure 10. Student responses to: “Which of the above do you think is the
most important to you?”
Forum for C.V.
0%
Information in
lectures
10%
Career fairs
Invited speakers
0%
0%
Provide contact
employers
17%
Key skills
19%
Aid with workplacements
24%
General
confidence
30%
19
Figure 11. Student responses to: “What did your school / previous college /
employer provide in terms of careers advice, before applying to University?”
Careers advisor
17%
Connexions
6%
Little or nothing
49%
Tutor / School
Office
14%
Websites
8%
Career Fair
6%
Figure 12. Student responses to: “How do you rate the information about
careers provided by the University in course leaflets and other literature,
university Open Days, UCAS Information Days, etc?”
Poor - Don’t recall careers prospects being discussed
OK – some information present but not as informative as other Universities
Good – I was well informed about where my degree might lead me
Too much – I was more interested in the course / student lifestyle and the career
info was a distraction.
Too Much
0%
Poor
8%
OK
22%
Good
70%
20
Embedding Specific Employability Activities in The School of Biological Sciences
The focus so far has primarily been through the setting up of the Admissions and
Student Development (ADD) office within the School of Biological Sciences. This
provides a forum for students to gain information about Business, Government and
Non-Governmental Bodies and Charities relating to the Biological sector, as well as a
holding current job adverts. Its role is publicised through circular e-mails to students
and information in the handbook. These media formats, however, are likely to have
minimum impact and potentially more productive is the discussion period on careers
in the Part 1 module – ‘Exploiters and Exploited’. This module is compulsory for all
Part 1 students and during one of the lecture slots a 30 minute presentation is provided
on sandwich placements and career prospects. Generic awareness on careers /
employability is provided by the School’s Director for Student Placements, and a Part
3 student who discusses his / her experiences of the sandwich placement. So far, the
latter has proven particularly useful in that the Part 1 students appear to relate more
effectively to a student who has recently experienced similar approaches and
apprehensions to the subject as themselves.
A small number of external speakers have been invited to speak to early stage
students, but only in modules covering very specific disciplines, and it is unclear at
present the extent to which these are being used for opportunities to discuss careerrelated issues.
The inclusion of Career-related information within the Science Communication
module (run jointly by the School of Biological Sciences and Career Advisory
Service) provides a good opportunity to continue to improve student understanding of
the key issues in this context. Career-related information within the modules involves
3 x 2 hour lectures, a ‘Career Event’ and 3 assignments, worth 5 credit points.
Career Event
In an attempt to evaluate how useful Careers Information would be to students, a
Career Fair (Event) specifically focussing on Biological Science disciplines was run
on 6 March 2009. A SEED student was employed during summer 2008 to help plan
21
and organise the event. The event provided two speakers from industry covering
careers in the Biomedical and Environmental sectors respectively. The University also
hosted a number of stands for individual companies and organisations to present
information on their organisations and provide feedback to students on career
prospects and employment opportunities (Table 2). A range of useful organisations
with respect to Careers in Biology is provided by the Higher Education Academy
(HEA, 2007).
All students from the School of Biological Sciences were invited to attend the Careers
Event (by e-mail and posters); and attendance was made compulsory for Part 2
students through their Science Communication module. Indeed these students were
presented with a piece of coursework that obliged them to carry out research on two
of the companies / organisations present before the event. The students were asked to
provide information on the companies, interview personal present and identify
positive and negative factors associated with employment within that organisation.
(perceptions relating to job satisfaction, pay, ethical issues, working hours etc.). This
provided the main data base for evaluations on student preferences and concerns with
132 students (all Part 2) providing feedback through their coursework. In contrast,
only 14 students provided information through a voluntary additional questionnaire on
the usefulness of the Event itself. This was despite the questionnaire being e-mailed to
students, provided as hard copy on the day and there being £50 book-token prizes for
two questionnaires submitted and selected at random. Such a low response rate may
relate to many students feeling they ‘had done their bit’ by providing feedback via the
formalised coursework (and an initial questionnaire on the module itself set in
Blackboard).
The companies / organisations present and their broad categorization is summarised in
Table 2. Data from the coursework was divided based on what broad area of biology
the company / organisation represented, i.e. 1/ Biomolecular / Biomedical, 2/
Environmental or 3/ both / other (Figure 13).
22
Table 2. Companies and Organisations represented at the School of Biological
Sciences Career Event.
Company / Organisation
Covering
Covance
Drug development, including clinical, nonclinical and commercialization activities.
WOX
Eco-tourism company, with a number of
volunteer programmes (e.g. orangutans & turtle
conservation).
(Way Out Experiences)
National Health Service
(NHS)
Medical provision (clinical & non-clinical
arenas).
Shire
Specialist
biopharmaceutical
company
covering attention deficit and hyperactivity
disorder, human genetic therapies and
gastrointestinal diseases.
Knowledge
Transfer
Partnerships (KTP).
A graduate recruitment scheme that provides
work
experience
for
graduates,
research/technology access for business and
outreach opportunities for academic partners.
Student Associate Scheme
This enables students considering a career in
teaching to gain school classroom experience
while pursuing their degree studies.
Frontier
Volunteer programmes covering conservation
work across the globe. Students (e.g. taking a
gap year) normally need to pay. Graduates are
sometimes taken on to help lead projects
(usually on a voluntary basis), but these
positions often involve admin. roles in the UK.
Society
for
Microbiology
General
A professional body, promoting microbiology
and career routes in it.
Institute of Ecology &
Environmental
Management
A professional body that represents and
supports
ecologists
and
environmental
managers. It provides a variety of services to
develop competency and standards in ecology
and environmental management.
(IEEM)
Institute
of
Technology
Animal
A professional body with the aim to advance
knowledge and promote excellence in the care
and welfare of animals in science and to
enhance the standards and status of those
23
professionally engaged in the welfare of
animals in science.
The Orthodontic Centre
A specialist orthodontic practice based in
Reading, but representing careers in
orthodontics and dentistry.
Cancer Research UK
The largest volunteer-supported cancer
research organisation in the world. Provides a
variety of employment opportunities in
research, health care, administration and
income generation.
SCI
Recruitment
Science
ADAS
for
A recruitment company specialising in the
sciences. SCI operates across the whole of the
UK working closely with employers, both large
and small, in every region and county. In
addition, it has a number of links to science
jobs overseas.
The UK’s largest independent provider of
environmental consultancy, rural development
services and policy advice. It employs
graduates as consultants and scientists. Key
areas
include
agriculture,
horticulture,
environmental services and waste management.
Student Preferences for Companies / Organisations
Of the organisations present at the Event, the National Health Service, Cancer
Research, IEEM and Frontier were singled out as worthy of further investigation by
many students (Figure 13). Of these, both the National Health Service and Frontier
were identified as potential employers (or at least representative of similar
organisations that might be potential employers). Although, almost 25% of students
would have preferred a company / organisation that was not present at the Event (e.g.
Natural England or Glaxo Smith Kline were mentioned by some students).
Interestingly, the popularity of IEEM and Cancer Research dropped when students
were asked to provide a single organisation as a possible future employer. The IEEM
is a professional body and has limited employment potential for students, so it is
logical to see a decrease in students selecting this body; the loss of interest in Cancer
Research is harder to explain. One possible reason is the lack of direct contact with
beneficiaries (i.e. patients – see points relating to motivating factors later).
24
Other organisations that seemed to impress students (based on retention of their
proportion of support, i.e. ‘Mentioned’ v ‘Chosen’) were Covance and IAT, and a
number of students were also drawn to some form of post-graduate study. This latter
trend perhaps reflects increased awareness for the need for further / more specialised
qualifications to help develop the appropriate career route (or that the concept of
seeking salary based employment is to be delayed until a later date!). It is important to
note too, that a significant proportion of students indicated no preference for a
particular company, or clear career route, when asked (Figure 13).
For those students that identified a Medical or Biomolecular based organisation,
helping people (23%) was a strong motivator to gaining employment in this sector
(Figure 14). A variety of tasks and the ability to gain new experiences and challenges
were also an important element. A good career structure, combined with a relative
high degree of job security and reasonable / good wage package were identified as
additional important factors, at least to some students.
In terms of possible negative factors associated with employment in the Biomedical /
Bio-molecular field, 35% of students did not cite any reasons for concern (Figure 15).
A very wide range of possible negative factors were expressed (including worries
about working with bodily fluids!), but with little consistency of response. Some
students expressed concerns regarding repetition of work tasks (especially in lab
based activities), or heavy workloads leading to stress (e.g. hospital work or
requirements to meet strict / short deadlines). Some also felt that work in a research or
technician role, may limit the amount of time that had dealing with people directly
(e.g. patients within a hospital environment).
25
Figure 13. Popularity of companies / organisations amongst students, with
respect to potential future employment. Students were asked to review two
companies that attended the University Career Event and then chose the one
they would prefer to work for.
30
% Response
25
20
Mentioned
Chosen
15
10
5
th
e
O
N
r
on
e
SA
S
SC
I
d
K
Po
st
-g
ra
TP
IE
E
Fr M
on
tie
N
r
at
ur W
O
e
X
B
ur
ea
u
A
D
A
S
C
an
N
H
ce S
rR
e
C
O ov s
an
rt
ho
c
do e
nt
is
t
Sh
ire
IA
T
0
Company / Organisation
Figure 14. Positive aspects cited by students relating to potential employment
with companies / organisations associated with the biomolecular / biomedical
field.
25
15
10
5
Jo
b
se
O
th
er
y
cu
rit
nc
e
Sc
w
al
A
ni
m
ie
re
el
fa
ill
s
sk
Te
a
m
/l
ea
de
r
sh
ip
Et
hi
c
al
Pa
y
or
ki
C
ar
ee
rS
ng
s
uc
tu
re
tr
ty
rie
Va
/n
et
w
ie
nc
e
ex
re
/n
ew
el
fa
w
an
um
H
pe
r
/s
ot
c
oc
i
ite
et
y
d
0
N
% Response
20
26
Figure 15. Negative aspects cited by students relating to potential
employment with companies / organisations associated with the biomolecular
/ biomedical field.
40
35
% Response
30
25
20
15
10
5
th
er
O
r.
en
vi
or
w
or
k
Po
Po
lit
i
ca
l
t
La
c
k
of
le
pa
tie
/l
on
g
nt
c
on
t
ac
ho
ur
s
re
el
fa
w
al
ni
m
ns
oc
ia
b
vy
ea
/h
A
iti
ep
et
R
ss
re
St
U
ve
d
ite
ot
c
N
w
or
kl
oa
d
0
Seeking employment in the environmental sector was strongly linked with
altruistic motives; concerns relating to environmental, biodiversity and quality of
life issues (as well as presumably interest in the subject matter itself). Students
were strongly motivated to engage with ethical / animal welfare issues, but
personal development in terms of experience, team-skills, overseas travel etc also
featured prominently (Figure 16). Most concerns with employment in the
environmental sector, reflected perceptions of low pay and poor career structure
(Figure 17). Many students recognised that employment prospects would improve
through both greater practical experience and higher qualifications. Voluntary
work was seen as an appropriate way to meet the former of these requirements,
but even here some students raised concerns. For example, to gain practical
experience through organisations such as Frontier or WOX, may require further
expenditure on the part of the student.
27
Figure 16. Positive aspects cited by students relating to potential employment
with companies / organisations associated with the environmental field of
biology.
18
16
% Response
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
O
th
er
ill
s
E
A
t
h
ni
ic
m
al
al
w
W
el
fa
or
re
Fi
k
el
ov
d
Va
e
/o
rs
rie
ea
ut
ty
s
d
oo
/n
ew
rw
or
ex
C
k
Pr
ar
pe
of
ee
r
ie
es
rS
nc
si
tr
es
on
uc
a
tu
l
st
re
at
/n
us
et
w
or
Pr
ki
ac
ng
tic
al
w
or
k
S
Jo
ci
en
b
sa
ce
tis
fa
ct
io
n
sk
sh
ip
ea
/l
m
Te
a
H
um
an
w
el
fa
de
r
re
N
/s
ot
c
oc
i
ite
et
y
d
0
Figure 17. Negative aspects cited by students relating to potential
employment
with
companies
/
organisations
associated
with
the
environmental field of biology.
35
30
20
15
10
5
th
er
O
W
el
fa
re
H
hi
c
Et
dm
in
A
ur
e
al
ig
he
rq
Li
ua
m
ite
li
d
pr
ac
.W
or
k
C
ar
ee
rs
tr
uc
t
Pa
y
ot
c
ite
d
0
N
% Response
25
28
Student Responses to the Career Event
As outlined above, return rates for the voluntary questionnaire were poor (14 students
= 10%), and caution is required when assessing information from a relatively small
sample pool. Nevertheless, those students that returned the questionnaire felt the
Event was useful, particularly in terms of finding information on possible career
areas, potential employers, further study and general advice on approaching
companies (including the application and interview process)(Figure 18). Information
relating to temporary jobs appeared to be marginally better rated than permanent jobs
and this may reflect the presence of those organisations that are providing short term
employment or experience opportunities (Frontier, WOX, etc.).
Figure 18. Questionnaire – Value of the Career Event with respect to certain
types of information (n=14), where 0 = ‘No use at all’ and 4 = ‘Extremely useful’.
Bars = +/- SE
4
3.5
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
O
th
er
s
ab
ro
ad
tu
dy
un
iti
e
fo
rs
O
pp
or
t
Fu
nd
in
g
he
r
st
ud
y
ie
w
s
Fu
rt
in
&
A
pp
l
ic
at
io
ns
Te
m
po
ra
ry
te
rv
jo
bs
ob
s
en
tj
rm
an
oy
er
s
Pe
Em
pl
ar
e
er
ar
ea
s
0
C
Score
3
29
Company Responses to the Career Event
Of the fourteen companies attending, ten provided feedback questionnaires on the
Event. The majority felt they had benefited by attending through the potential for
student recruitment, but also ‘brand’ awareness and generic promotion. The
professional bodies deemed students would remember them when developing their
careers and the Orthodontic Centre considered it may gain a few more patients in
future through increasing its profile. Most felt the Event was well-attended by
students although numbers dropped off considerable in the latter part; most companies
talked to 30 to 40-plus individual students. There was positive feedback based on the
specialism of the Event (all Biology), but some of the larger organisations (Cancer
Research UK & Frontier) were less sure of the overall value, as the numbers of
students they were exposed to was relatively small compared to larger national/
regional events.
Companies were asked if they thought the students who talked to them were
sufficiently aware of employment and career opportunities. The response to this was
mixed, and often depended on the student and degree. Cancer research UK thought
students were well briefed about opportunities, whereas SCI (a specialist recruitment
firm) felt knowledge on the whole, was insufficient. A small number of companies /
organisations expressed disappointment that there were not more Part 3, MSc and
PhD students present. Indeed, once company thought these students had been
excluded from the Event. This highlights again the difference between compulsory
and voluntary attendance figures. Other comments of note, were the desire for more
stands (echoing the student’s feelings) and the possibility that students bring along
their CVs. Seven out of the ten companies expressed a desire to attend again next
year.
Science Communication Module (Career Management Skills – CMS)
The Science Communication module is compulsory for all Part 2 students within the
School of Biological Sciences, and includes a large component of education relating
to careers management. Tania Lyden (Career Advisory Service) assessed student
responses to certain career related questions at the start of the module and again at the
30
end (using Blackboard as a forum). Student responses were ranked based on how
positive the students felt about the question and mean scores calculated for each
question. For example –
“How likely are you to plan and take part in work experience, work-shadowing,
volunteering or similar prior to your final year?”
Very Unlikely = 1; Unlikely = 2; Quite Likely = 3; Very Likely = 4
The Career Event ran as part of this module and responses may to some extent be
dependent on the students experiences from it, however not exclusively so, as generic
information was gained in other parts of the course.
There was an overall trend towards more positive views after the completion of the
Science Communication module (Table 3). Scores were rarely significantly different
when further analyses broke the data into different degree groups, but this was
partially attributable to small sample sizes in some degrees.
Students in Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Horticulture and Medical
Microbiology particularly, tended to rate highly the need to obtain some previous
work placement experience, whilst doing their degree (Figure 19). Also, Biochemists
and to some extent Environmental Biologists (after the module) were clear about
future career directions, whereas on average Biological Scientists were less sure (at
least beforehand – Figure 20). Most students felt they had reached more useful
conclusions about career areas (Figure 21) after the running of the module, although
mean values for Applied Conservation, Biological Sciences and Horticulture were
still below 3 (i.e. a level equating to “some conclusions”).
In terms of students knowing what they wanted from a future career, those from the
bio-molecular degrees tended to score highest after the completion of the module. In
contrast here, the students in Horticulture seemed less assured than before (Figure 22).
Figure 23 demonstrates that the module was effective at increasing student awareness
(across the board) on the options available to them, once they finish their degree. For
example, this being particularly noteworthy for the Biomedical Science students (an
31
increase from a mean of 2.3 to 3.1, (i.e. from “limited knowledge” to “good
knowledge”). Many students also felt the module had increased their awareness of the
application process, and how they could improve their chances of gaining an
interview. The only exception being the Environmental Biologists, whose mean score
decreased (not significantly!, Figure 24). Many students appreciated the module had
provided them with the mechanics of where to find careers information (Figure 25).
Overview of the Career Event and Science Communication Module
Student attendance at the Career Event was good, but only due to the activity being
embedded into a Part 2 assessment within the Science Communication module. A few
MSc / PhD and Part 3 students attended the Career Event on a voluntary basis, but
there no evidence of attendance by Part 1 students, despite e-mails and poster
advertising the Event.
The general rise in scores from Part 2 students before and after the Science
Communication module (Table 2), demonstrated that students’ were perceiving the
benefits of Career based information. The importance of elements such as work
experience, career options available, the process of applying for a job and where /
how to find out more information appeared to be taken ‘on-board’ by many students.
Degree choice seemed to have some influence on student responses. As anticipated,
students undertaking the more generic Biological Science BSc. tended to be
marginally less sure about future career options (Figures 20-22), yet responded well to
the education provided within the module (e.g. now know where to seek career
information etc.). Students on some of the more specialized degrees, however,
appeared to appreciate the value of gaining relevant experience even before they
attended the module (e.g. Medical Microbiology and Biochemistry – Figure 19), or
were clear on what they wished to gain by following a particular career route (e.g.
Figure 22).
32
Table 3. Mean scores for student responses to career related questions assessed
both before and after the Science Communication module.
Questions
Before After Course
course course shift
How likely are you to plan and take part in work
experience, work-shadowing, volunteering or similar prior
to your final year?
2.98
3.37
0.39
To what extent have you made a decision about your future
path after university?
2.55
2.83
0.28
Have you reached any useful conclusions about the career
areas you want to explore further and those you do not?
2.73
3.00
0.27
Have you sought any support about future careers?
2.32
2.55
0.23
What is your view of CMS?
2.91
2.86
-0.05
Do you feel it is important to try and make an initial career
decision while you are still at University?
3.05
3.10
0.05
Do you have an idea what you want from a future career?
2.65
2.76
0.11
How good is your knowledge of the options open to you
after your degree?
2.39
2.87
0.48
How good is your knowledge about producing/delivering
an effective application?
2.39
2.80
0.41
How good is your knowledge about where to find careers
information, vacancies and courses?
2.34
2.96
0.62
Confident about making decisions about your future?
2.67
2.93
0.26
How inspired do you feel about your future prospects?
3.03
3.08
0.05
How reassured do you feel about there being careers
guidance support available when you need it?
2.95
3.29
0.34
CMS came at the right time in my degree?
2.65
How many hours in total did you spend on CMS, excluding
taught sessions?
1.97
Please rate the usefulness of the blackboard site.
3.33
How well tailored did you find the Blackboard site to your
degree discipline?
3.03
33
Figure 19. Students assessed before and after the Science Communication
module to the question “How likely are you to plan and take part in work
experience, work-shadowing, volunteering or similar prior to your final year?”
Bars = +/- SE.
4
Score
3
Before
After
2
1
Zo
ol
og
y
A
pp
lie
d
Ec
ol
og
y
an
d
C
on
se
rv
a
tio
n
B
io
ch
B
em
io
is
lo
tr
gi
y
ca
lS
B
ci
io
en
m
ce
ed
s
ic
a
En
lS
vi
ci
ro
en
nm
ce
s
en
ta
lB
io
lo
gy
H
o
M
rt
ic
ed
ul
ic
tu
al
re
M
ic
ro
bi
ol
og
y
0
Figure 20. Students assessed before and after the Science Communication
module to the question “To what extent have you made a decision about your
future path after university?” Bars = +/- SE.
4
Score
3
Before
After
2
1
Zo
ol
og
y
ol
og
y
re
al
M
ic
ro
bi
ul
tu
H
or
tic
ed
ic
M
s
lB
io
lo
gy
en
ta
iro
nm
En
v
B
io
m
ed
ic
al
Sc
ie
Sc
ie
n
ce
nc
e
s
tr
y
is
ca
l
em
B
io
lo
gi
B
io
ch
A
pp
lie
d
Ec
ol
og
y
an
d
C
on
s
er
va
tio
n
0
34
Figure 21. Students assessed before and after the Science Communication
module to the question “Have you reached any useful conclusions about the
career areas you want to explore further and those you do not?” Bars = +/- SE.
4
Score
3
Before
After
2
1
Sc
ie
En
v
iro
nm
en
al
ed
ic
Zo
ol
og
y
s
ta
lB
io
lo
gy
H
o
rt
M
ic
ed
ul
ic
tu
al
re
M
ic
ro
bi
ol
og
y
ce
nc
e
s
y
B
io
m
ca
l
Sc
ie
n
is
tr
em
A
pp
lie
d
Ec
ol
og
y
an
d
B
io
lo
gi
C
B
io
ch
on
se
r
va
tio
n
0
Figure 22. Students assessed before and after the Science Communication
module to the question “Do you have a clear idea of what you want from a future
career?” Bars = +/- SE.
4
Score
3
Before
After
2
1
Zo
ol
og
y
ol
og
y
re
al
M
ic
ro
bi
ul
tu
H
or
tic
ed
ic
M
en
ta
lB
io
lo
gy
s
En
v
iro
nm
al
ed
ic
B
io
m
ca
l
Sc
ie
Sc
ie
n
ce
nc
e
s
tr
y
is
em
B
io
lo
gi
B
io
ch
A
pp
lie
d
Ec
ol
og
y
an
d
C
on
s
er
va
tio
n
0
35
Figure 23. Students assessed before and after the Science Communication
module to the question “How good is your knowledge of the options open to you
after your degree?” Bars = +/- SE.
4
Score
3
Before
After
2
1
Zo
ol
og
y
A
pp
lie
d
Ec
ol
og
y
an
d
C
on
s
B
io
ch
er
va
B
em
io
is
lo
tr
gi
y
ca
lS
B
ci
io
en
m
ce
ed
s
ic
a
En
lS
vi
ci
ro
en
nm
ce
s
en
ta
lB
io
lo
gy
H
o
rt
M
ic
ed
ul
ic
tu
al
re
M
ic
ro
bi
ol
og
y
tio
n
0
Figure 24 Students assessed before and after the Science Communication module
to the question “How good is your knowledge about producing/delivering an
effective application?” Bars = +/- SE.
4
Score
3
Before
After
2
1
bi
o
ro
tic
M
ed
ic
al
H
M
ic
or
Zo
ol
og
y
lo
gy
e
tu
r
ul
io
lo
lB
en
ta
En
vi
ro
nm
al
ic
ed
m
io
B
gy
s
ie
Sc
Sc
al
lo
gi
c
io
B
nc
e
es
nc
ie
em
io
ch
B
A
pp
lie
d
Ec
ol
og
y
an
d
C
on
s
er
va
tio
is
tr
y
n
0
36
Figure 25. Students assessed before and after the Science Communication
module to the question “How good is your knowledge about where to find
careers information, vacancies and courses?” Bars = +/- SE.
4
Score
3
Before
After
2
1
en
t
Zo
ol
og
y
al
Sc
ie
vi
ro
nm
al
ed
ic
En
B
io
m
B
io
lo
gy
H
or
M
tic
ed
ul
ic
tu
al
re
M
ic
ro
bi
ol
og
y
nc
es
ce
s
y
Sc
ie
n
is
tr
ca
l
em
B
io
lo
gi
B
io
ch
A
pp
lie
d
Ec
ol
og
y
an
d
C
on
s
er
va
t
io
n
0
Results were more variable with some of the smaller specialised degrees with
Environmental Biology and Horticulture often suggesting different trends from the
norm. The module / Career Event improved the Environmental Biology students’
ability to make a decision about career options, but they seemed less sure about work
experience/volunteering and the application process after the module itself! This may
just relate to small population samples and / or shift in the individual students
responding to the questionnaire. It may, however, also reflect that those students with
firm views on career routes initially (e.g. working abroad or in conservation activities
that they deem exciting /glamorous etc) actually experience something of a ‘reality
check’ once they gain a more comprehensive overview (limited career progression,
poor pay etc, e.g. Figure 17).
37
Conclusions and Recommendations
This project was designed to address a number of points with respect to student career
development, but within the context that not all students (nor academics) see Higher
Education as solely a route to career progression. The School of Biological Sciences
was keen to evaluate its role with respect to Career-based information, especially as it
was re-organising its course provision. Indeed, a strong incentive was the need to
market more effectively the generic Biological Sciences degree, and to promote the
notion of academic excellence in combination with effective application of quality
science, i.e. The University of Reading produces high quality science graduates that
can relate to wider societal issues and needs (i.e. essentially they are highly
employable). Allied to this of course, is the issue of tuition fees, and there is now a
greater incentive for students to recuperate the cost of their higher education. This
links with the concept that universities with good graduate employment records will
be more attractive to school leavers in future.
Specific objectives of the project were to address the following:

Do early stage students (Parts 1 & 2) consider employment opportunities and
career development a high priority?

Does the School of Biological Sciences provide adequate information and
encouragement with respect to placements and wider career development?

If not, what procedures can be implemented to help students gain relevant
industrial experience, and to improve their employment prospects on leaving
university?
Results from the project raised some interesting issues and one or two contradictory
findings. Not least, the fact that many students felt information relating to
employment and career prospects were a high priority for them, but then rarely
engaged with opportunities that were provided subsequently for them by the
University (Career Fairs, CAS drop in sessions etc.). Traditional strategies such as
38
Fairs, workshops on CV writing, meetings with Career Advisors etc. particularly,
were often deemed to be of mixed value; or that students could not justify investing
time in these activities, when faced with pressures relating to coursework, exam
revision etc.
This scenario can lead to either criticism of the educational system or regret over lost
opportunities by graduates subsequently seeking employment. Ian Hughes (2005)
carrying out a longitudinal study of students who had graduated one and two years
previously reported that:
“graduates felt they were well prepared by their course with respect to theory and
knowledge, presentations and communications skills, basic IT needs, confidence,
organization, time/self-management. However, they felt they were ill-prepared for
practical aspects of the job, career management, specialist knowledge, advanced IT
and commercial awareness.”
Hughes also relays one quote from a student:“You come out of Uni expecting to walk into a job but in actual fact all graduates
have the same experience and so the realization that you need more information at an
early stage would be good’
A point which Hughes acknowledges:“will probably make most course providers and careers advisers hold their hands up in
exasperation, as they strive to introduce students to the Careers Service as they arrive
at University.”
New students (Freshers) at Reading acknowledged that the development of key skills,
and in particular confidence building were important elements in helping them
develop strategies for seeking employment. Similarly, help with sandwich placements
and contacts with industry were deemed to be a useful role that the University should
play. With respect to initial choice of course / university, more than one-third of
students stated that developing a career in a specific area was of high or very high
priority when selecting their University course, and that 20% had based their choice
on good career prospects or wages.
39
Within a Biological context at least, many students were obviously drawn to their
subject matter / ideal career through interest, but also by a feeling of making a useful
contribution to society. Ethics, improving human health and animal welfare were all
important factors cited by students when considering career routes and potential
employers. Good wages and developing a career structure were important to some
(and probably to many more who did not admit to it!), but so too were other lifestyle
issues – chance to travel, engage with different cultures, short commuting distance,
lack of stress in the job, were all quoted as motivating factors.
The recent development of the Science Communication module (and the provision for
students to meet with employers through the Career Event) was generally deemed an
effective way to get students engaged with Careers. A most positive element of this
was that students were embracing the processes that enabled them to approach
employers, conduct research about them, and understanding more-fully the lifestyle
issues associated with certain types of employment. The new module also provides
some very tailored links to detailed information on different science careers available
to students. Information on specific employment routes and indeed individual job
opportunities is much more patchy within the School of Biological Sciences. Students
have often been reliant on tutors or individual lecturers to provide information, and
this varies considerably between academics and the modules they provide. Modules
with a strong clinical or vocational component may be more useful in this respect. A
data base on potential employers is being built up within the ADD office of Biological
Sciences, but there are still problems in communicating specific opportunities to
students (especially if they ignore their e-mail). Students are beginning to exploit
electronic medium to maintain their CVs and provide themselves with a portfolio.
Tutors are requested to ‘sign off’ any periods of work experience their tutees have
undertaken, but it is unclear how widely this is being adopted. Also it is unclear if a
tutor’s / supervisor’s electronic signatures e.g. on a student’s i-Learn portfolio will
carry ‘much weight’ with future employers.
40
Key Points from the Project

Students do ‘rate’ universities on graduate employment data when considering
their choices. The extent to which this influences the final decision will often
depend on degree type and additional factors such as an accreditation from
industry.

Many students entering higher education thought the University had
responsibility to help them seek employment (69%) and develop their career
(86%).

When asked in what ways could the University help them in this respect, many
identified help with key skills and encouraging confidence building were the
priorities.

Students are individuals – not all conform to the same views and motivations.
Nevertheless, overall trends could be discerned between different degrees, and
the amount of career information provided and the style of provision may need
to vary depending on a specific degree.

There is a difference between specific skills relevant to a discipline and
generic ‘graduate’ key skills that students could obtain from a degree. Both
were equally valid. Many would study Biology but never have the intention to
gain direct employment in it (e.g. army entry, civil service etc.).

Somewhat conversely, it was clearly apparent from the Alumni database, that
low numbers of students attained employment in their chosen field and
commanded a ‘graduate-equivalent’ salary. Student numbers achieving both
factors could be as low as 10-25% in degrees such as Applied Biology,
Botany, Environmental Biology, Microbiology and Zoology. There was
41
evidence to suggest that some students were aware of this when entering their
chosen degree programme, whereas others were not.

After the School of Biological Sciences’ Career Event there were a significant
proportion of students that still indicated no preference for a particular
company, or clear career route.

Placements are very important in getting students engaged with employability.
Academics need to provide effective support for students with this, but the
initiative needs to be student lead – (also need to recognise that many lecturers
were not that well informed about careers outside University).

Even short periods of work experience were deemed valuable – hence
maximise the opportunities over Winter / Spring vacation periods and
weekends.

Many students recognised that employment prospects would improve through
both greater practical experience and higher qualifications. Voluntary work
was seen as an appropriate way to meet the former of these requirements.

In general, ‘Career Management Skills’ modules and even help from Careers
Advisor Service was often regarded as too general, with few direct contacts
with relevant employers. The format and content of the new Science
Communication module is likely to help negate these impressions.

A Career Event focussing solely on Biological sciences and related disciplines
was popular with both students and employers, but ‘critical mass’ is important
in this respect and successful events will require good numbers of exhibitors
and good numbers of students to meet attendees expectations.

Employers had a mixed view of student awareness relating to Career provision
and procedures for finding employment, but this may relate to the fact that the
Reading students they met (Part 2), were relatively junior compared to those
normally attracted to Career Fairs (Part 3 and post-grad?).
42

Some students entering University regarding confidence building to being a
key component to their development. The Career Advisory Service have
initiated a project to develop a diagnostic tool for students to identify their
strengths and weaknesses in this context, and this will include a component of
advice on career development and engaging with potential employers.
Recommendations

The provision of Career information needs to be done in an imaginative and
intellectually-challenging manner. Students will be turned off by a simple
workshop on CV writing! The strategy employed in the School’s new Science
Communication module is a significant step along the right direction.

Even so, there is good evidence to suggest students (early stage ones at least)
will rarely engage with Career information voluntarily, (even prizes provided
limited incentives in some cases).

Mechanisms should be sought to embed the most important elements of career
information and advice within the curriculum and ideally be part of an
(innovative?) assessment process. Interestingly, Taylor (2005) too points out
that:
“In an assessment-driven culture, many students will not be motivated to
undertake these parts of the course unless they are embedded.”

Information and assessments are embedded within the new Science
Communication module, but there may be other opportunities to increase
career-related components in other modules (e.g. career relevant points could
be introduced and identified within the learning outcomes of other module
descriptions:“Students will be able to identify 3 wildlife conservation charities and
evaluate their marketing and recruitment strategies”).
43

“Science Communication” is an effective badge to help disguise module
content that covers a fair amount of ‘Career information’! Techniques that
allow students to engage with career issues within the parameters of other
educational goals will be of benefit. Essentially, mechanisms that ‘blur the
edges’ between traditional academic content and career-related information
should be sought.

Further development of the Science Communication module or some other
vehicle may be appropriate to facilitate work experience for students – This
could involve some students being involved with a company or voluntary
groups as part of the module, with an assessment embedded within the
activity.

Utilise presentations from students who have been out on placements more
effectively. These were seen as informative by students.

Charismatic, informed and inspirational keynote speakers are a key asset in
persuading students to consider career options and providing further insight.
Speakers from industry were very popular at the Biological Sciences Career
Event.

Exploit those academics that already have good links to industry and other
potential employers. For example, by formally encouraging them to introduce
relevant information in their lectures and seminars.

Increase the profile of the Career Advisory Service to Part 1 students, so
opportunities for career development- particularly work experience are
introduced at a very early stage.

If this is not feasible, then provide academics within the School who can act as
specified Career tutors (e.g. one each to cover General Biology, Bio-molecular
and Environmental Biological disciplines). These individuals should be:

Readily identifiable to both students and industry.
44

Able to act as a ‘portal’ to the Career Advisory Service.

Able to liaise closely with the Admissions and Degree Development
(ADD) Office to ensure specific placements and job opportunities are
advertised effectively.

Exploit the Part 3 thesis projects as a platform to engage with industry and
other employers. A number of organisations now offer student bursaries for
Part 3 projects to encourage students within the School to enter their business
sector later on.
References
HEA, ( 2007). Employability webliography - A list of all the employability related
links on the Centre for Bioscience website. Higher Education Academy, Centre for
Bioscience.
http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/ftp/employability/webliography.pdf
Hughes, I. (2004). Developments in employability within biosciences courses. LTSN
Centre for Bioscience See:
ftp://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/newsletters/ltsn13p6+7.pdf
Lees, D. (2002) . Graduate Employability – Literature Review. See.
http://www.palatine.ac.uk/files/emp/1233.pdf
Shah, A., Pell, K. and Brooke, P. (2004). Beyond First Destinations
Graduate Employability Survey. Active Learning in Higher Education, 5: 9-26.
Taylor , J. (1986). The employability of graduates: Differences between universities,
Studies in Higher Education, 11: 17 – 27.
Taylor, J. (2005). Student employability- whose job is it? See
http://www.pa2online.org/articles/article.jsp?article=49&issue=1&volume=2
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