`
EMPLOYABILITY STRATEGY 2013/14 – 15/16
Department
Centre for Learning Teaching & Assessment (CLTA)
Author
Dr Stephen Bostock
Authorised By:
Professor Helen James, PVC Learning & Teaching
Implementation By:
CLTA, Academic Registry, Careers Centre, Partnerships Recruitment &
Admissions, Programme Leaders
Strategy Reference:
STLTQ1011002
Strategy Replaced:
Strategy Replaced:
Version No:
1
Approval Committee:
Senate
Date approved:
26th November
Minute no:
130.008.3
Implementation Date:
December 2013
Review Date:
December 2016
2013
Status:
Period of approval:
3 years
GLYNDŴR UNIVERSITY
EMPLOYABILITY STRATEGY 2013/14 – 15/16
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW OF THE STRATEGY .................................................................................................. 4
THE MISSION AND VISION OF THE UNIVERSITY ..................................................................... 11
1.
MISSION STATEMENT...................................................................................................... 11
2.
VISION STATEMENT......................................................................................................... 11
THE CORE VALUES OF THE UNIVERSITY ................................................................................ 11
STRATEGIC THEMES ALIGNED TO THE PRIORITIES OF WALES ........................................... 11
OBJECTIVES ALIGNED TO THE STRATEGIC THEMES ............................................................ 11
1.
Embedding employability and enterprise across all curricula .............................................. 12
2.
Work placements and work experience .............................................................................. 14
3.
Employer approved courses ............................................................................................... 15
OVERVIEW OF THE STRATEGY
1. The employability of our graduates has always been an important goal of The
University, and many parts of the university contribute to this. The purpose of this, our
first Employability Strategy, is to focus and strengthen our efforts to this end, and set
realistic targets for the years 2013/14 to 2015/16. This overview clarifies what we mean
by employability and its place in the life of the university, and comments on many of the
elements contributing to it, as a background to the targets.
2. “Employability is the capability to move self-sufficiently within the labour market to
realise potential through sustainable employment. For the individual, employability
depends on the knowledge, skills and attitudes they possess, the way they use those
assets and present them to employers.”1 Employment here includes self-employment
and thus, for some, the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed include those of
entrepreneurship.
Employability is complex2, it is not a single, static, state at graduation. To stay
employable in the 21st century will need regular learning of new skills and strengthening
of existing ones. Furthermore, some discussions of employability assume that students
and graduates are young people who have not yet had graduate employment. But this
university has a high proportion of part time students (44%) and a high proportion of full
time students who are ‘mature’ students (67% over 21 when starting). Many of these
will be, or have been, employed.
3. One of the common reasons students have for gaining a degree is to become more
employable but this does not mean that higher education is only about enhancing
career prospects. Such an economically instrumental view of higher education is that it
exists to provide skilled labour for the knowledge economy. Furthermore, employers
require graduates with a broad range of generic (‘key’) skills and attributes beyond
those of specific disciplines. In contrast, a traditional, liberal view of higher education is
that it develops individuals, providing a life-changing experience that opens intellectual
doors. For young people, it is a rite of passage to intellectual, and perhaps emotional,
independent adulthood. It develops individual students and this also has a social value;
citizens who are intellectually more mature, critical, reflective, concerned and wise
benefit and lead society in many ways, and are needed for its purposeful development,
beyond mere growth in GDP. In this view, higher education is not about getting a better
job it is about becoming a ‘better’ person, where each of us defines what ‘better’ means
for ourselves, to contribute to a better society. It is about personal development,
enlarging our life chances, becoming more capable, confident and wise. Certainly,
many graduates need expertise in a discipline but they also need a developing wisdom
to know when and how to use that expertise. These developmental and instrumental
views of higher education are not alternatives; they are both true. The latter depends
upon the former; employability and economic contribution depend upon human
capability including graduate attributes.
1
Pollard 1998 in Rook, S. 2013 The Graduate Career Handbook, Palgrave, p8
2
Yorke, M. 2008 Employability and higher education: what it us – and what it is not, p18, HEA:York
4. Higher education at Glyndŵr University therefore has a broad aspiration for the
personal development of its students, which includes the graduate attributes and key
skills that will also develop their employability for the complex, changing world they will
inhabit. This is consistent with The University’s values (below). Employability is an
outcome of the personal and professional development of citizens who can thrive in
whatever spheres they chose. Most graduates will want to be able to be economically
independent. But if some choose not to and, for example, become a carer or homemaker, they will have the capabilities to thrive in that enterprise and be a wiser parent,
partner, friend and citizen. The Glyndŵr Graduate attributes and skills (see Annex), as
elements of personal development, support both employability and global citizenship,
and this is consistent with Welsh Government policy. While, for the sake of clarity and
procedure, The Glyndŵr Graduate lists six attributes and ten underpinning key skills, we
must acknowledge that becoming ‘higher-educated’ and graduate-employable is about
the development of the whole person. People are not merely bundles of skills. We must
continue to treat our students as unique, whole people and facilitate their human
development.
Key skills are not necessarily, in any simple way, ‘transferable’ from one context to
another3. Key skills need practice in a variety of contexts, particularly outside the
classroom; in employment, placements, or volunteering, for example. The ten key skills
of The Glyndŵr Graduate are not exhaustive of what is often useful in employment; in
some cases other “soft skills” are valuable, such as emotional intelligence and
customer/client awareness. There are also problems with any list of key skills in that
they are a list of different types of things. Notably, “learning to learn” is a complex ability
to develop as a person, including developing the other key skills, and also involves
affective attributes, self-concept and self-belief.
5. The recent Welsh Government Policy Statement on Higher Education4 “seeks to set out
a new vision for higher education Wales”. It “establishes a clear set of priorities for
years ahead”, one that “serves the interests of learners and the nation in the twenty-first
century” (2013 p4). Following a first chapter on the role of universities in innovation and
economic growth, the next chapter concerns graduate employability:
“Enhancing the employability of all graduates of Welsh institutions, of any age and
background, through various levels and modes of study from full time to part time,
undergraduate to postgraduate, is a key priority for Government and universities.
Working with businesses to meet their needs will benefit graduates and businesses
in Wales and place universities at the heart of economic growth.” (p8)
6. The QAA Quality Code, Part B4: Enabling student development and achievement5 sets
the “expectation” that
“Higher education providers have in place, monitor and evaluate arrangements and
resources which enable students to develop their academic, personal and
professional potential.”
This clearly goes beyond the academic discipline of their programme, and stresses a
holistic approach,
3
Yorke, M. 2008 Employability and higher education: what it us – and what it is not, p15, HEA:York
4
Policy Statement on Higher Education, Welsh Government, June 2013
5
Quality Assurance Agency, UK Quality Code for HE, Part B, Chapter B4: Enabling student development
and achievement, March 2013
“the importance of integration, coherence and internal cooperation between different
areas as part of a provider’s commitment to enabling students to achieve their
objectives and to develop more broadly as a result of the opportunities offered by
higher education”. (p4)
In the context of student development that supports employability, this means that the
University must continue to develop the Careers Centre, and its coordination with
academic departments and the Students’ Guild. It also means that we need to provide
for students a coherent scheme for personal development planning (PDP) and provide
support in its use.
“There is a strong relationship between PDP and student employability, and this
relationship is central to the development of learners’ ability to identify, articulate and
evidence their learning and overall development.”6 The activity of PDP is anticipatory,
linking to future professional practice; it is supportive of student academic progress; it is
contextual when used in work or work-like environments; and it is documenting in that it
becomes the basis of a claim for skills and capabilities (for example for a potential
employer), and the evidence to support it.
Indicator 6 of the Code is that “Higher education providers ensure all students have
opportunities to develop skills that enable their academic, personal and professional
progression.” This includes academic skills, employability skills and career
management (pp 14-17). The first of these is a Glyndŵr graduate attribute (discipline
expertise) and the latter two are key skills in The Glyndŵr Graduate7. Most of the ten
key skills support both academic success and employability. The Code mentions, as
important to developing employability skills, volunteering, student representation, extracurricular activities, and enterprise and entrepreneurship. The QAA has already
published substantial guidance on enterprise and entrepreneurship education8.
7. This Employability Strategy builds on the Learning and Teaching Strategy (2010/112013-14), which has six key priorities. The second is “Employability and the Glyndŵr
Graduate”, which stated, “preparation for employment is integral to the University’s
mission and vision”. Much of the University’s provision is directly vocational and a high
proportion is developed and delivered in partnership with industry or employers. The
University is actively associated with a range of PSRBs and SSCs, which leads to clear
articulation with the employability requirements that are addressed in undergraduate
courses. The University is leading regional developments to extend the range and
volume of part time Foundation Degrees, recently reviewed9.
The discussion of The Glyndŵr Graduate in the Learning and Teaching Strategy
document has been further developed and approved in 2012-13 (appendix 1) to define
six graduate attributes and ten key skills for employability that all Glyndŵr students
have the chance to develop in their programme. These skills now embedded in the
programme validation process.
6
Yorke, M (ed.) 2006 Personal development planning and employability, p3, HEA: York
7
Available on the CLTA Moodle site
8
Quality Assurance Agency 2012, Enterprise and entrepreneurship education: Guidance for UK higher
education providers
9
Glyndŵr University, Review of Foundation Degrees in Wales by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher
Education, May 2013
The Learning and Teaching Strategy confirmed The University’s intention to implement
the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) to record student skills and
achievements beyond academic programmes.
8. In the Learning and Teaching Strategy, an important mechanism for ensuring curricula
support for employability is the modular curriculum framework. This has been reviewed
and approved in 2012-1310 to make it even more employability focussed, in particular:
a. The key skills for employability and the graduate attributes, as defined in The
Glyndŵr Graduate document, should be explicitly embedded and visible in all
programmes
b. All programmes must provide an element of work-based or work-related learning
of at least 20 credits
c. Sandwich courses will be possible by default for individuals or programmes,
between levels 5 and 6, for 12 months on a three- or four-year programme.
9. The Widening Access Strategy (2011/12-12-13) is consistent with the Learning and
Teaching Strategy. Its Key Priority 3, Skills Development and Priority Sectors, has the
following aims:
a. To increase applications and enrolments to STEM and Creative Industries
subjects from under-represented groups
b. To increase the employability of Widening Access students and ensure that
students of all ages and backgrounds are supported to find employment after
they have completed their programme.
c. To implement the HEAR initiative.
d. To extend and embed education for sustainable development and global
citizenship.
10. The Zone supports students and graduates directly in developing enterprise and
entrepreneurship skills. It offers students extra-curricular opportunities including
projects, events, workshops and conferences to develop enterprise skills. Zone
membership is free to students and graduates, and comprises seven elements; startup, competition, talent, skill, network, creative and invention. It is part of the Centre for
Learning, Teaching and Assessment (CLTA) and has a space in the Employability
Centre building. Entrepreneurship innovation for teaching staff is part of the learning
and teaching champions network organised by the CLTA.
11. An international and future-oriented perspective is one of The Glyndŵr Graduate
attributes, including an insight into, and concern for, the global and sustainability
implications of their subject area and their personal actions, and an ability to adapt to
different international and cultural contexts. In the international economy of the 21st
century, employability requires an international perspective and an appreciation of
sustainability issues.
The Learning and Teaching Strategy Key Priority 5 is Internationalisation and
International HE: “The University will work towards the internationalization of its
curriculum, adapting programmes for delivery within a wider international context,
embedding appropriate global perspectives and cultural issues, and ensuring that
programmes are suitable for international employment markets.” To this end, in the last
10
Available on the CLTA Moodle site
two years workshops have been organised, and a Briefing on internationalisation of the
curriculum has been published by the CLTA.
One of the Learning and Teaching Strategy aims is, “To continue to increase
international HE delivery, including student exchange and transfer from European and
International countries ...”. Student and staff mobility supported by the EU Erasmus
programme has for many years been an important element of the University’s
development of relationships and activities supporting its vision and mission.
Curriculum based mobility (study periods and placements) contributes to cultural and
educational enrichment of students’ experiences, to curriculum development, to
creating new opportunities for collaborative research and to enhancing the employability
of students and graduates. The number of outwardly mobile students has, however,
been consistently low (fewer than 5 per annum) and the University is considering
measures to increase student participation in the new Erasmus+ programme from
2014/15. In parallel with growing opportunities to study abroad in English, the
curriculum framework review provides new opportunities to increase the range of
programmes of study which make explicit provision for study or placement abroad as an
option. In addition to curriculum based opportunities, the University’s partnership with
ECTARC has enabled Glyndwr graduates to have opportunities for work experience on
other European countries. This initiative, currently supported by the EU’s Leonardo
programme, is expected to continue.
12. It is a central part of the mission of Glyndŵr University that it is engaged with
employers. One form of engagement is sponsorship. In 2012-13 138 employers
sponsored 738 students on credit bearing, work based learning programmes, including,
for example, Scottish Power awarding a scholarship to Glyndŵr University in
engineering. Part of this engagement includes the establishment of an Industrial
Liaison Forum. Programmes have been developed in consultation with SUMMIT Skills.
The Sector Skills Councils LANTRA and SEMTA awarded Glyndŵr the lead for Higher
Apprenticeship Frameworks for North and Mid Wales, offering 26 student places.
Bespoke provision is provided both in short courses and foundation degrees.
13. The recent review of foundation degrees11 describes good progress on their
development, for example, the development of FdEng Environmental Technologies,
working in consultation with SUMMIT Skills and SEMTA to equip both industry and
employees; the FdSc Rural Business (Sustainable Food) responding to research by the
sector skills council for land-based industries (LANTRA); and a further pathway in
papermaking in the FdEng Industrial Engineering.
14. In 2013-14, responding to employer needs, an employability module, Learning for
Employability, has been developed as a community-based short course, awarding 20
credits at level 4. It is free and open to all without previous qualifications.
15. Work-based learning is a range of learning contexts, from part-time professional
courses, foundation degrees based in the workplace, internships, placements, and
pseudo-work contexts like volunteering and social enterprises. A review of work-based
learning, Expanding work-based learning provision at Glyndŵr University, was
commissioned and published by the CLTA12 in 2012-13, and as a result a portfolio of
11
Glyndŵr University, Review of Foundation Degrees in Wales by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher
Education, May 2013
12
http://moodle.glyndwr.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=64312
‘shell’ modules and awards will be produced, which will be validated to provide
templates for departments to use in developing their WBL, of whatever sort.
16. Glyndŵr University is a part of the Welsh enhancement project Future Directions13,
which has three themes for 2011-14, two of which were Learning for Employment, and
Learning in Employment. University staff coordinate the three themes and took part in
the Future Directions all-Wales conference at Wrexham in April 2012.
17. Skills and employability action plan (SEAP)
HEFCW funding is supporting four projects in 2013-14:
SEAP project 1. Project Manager – Student and Community Engagement. A media
project working with local or national charities and small businesses to provide
innovative media and marketing services.
SEAP Project 2 a new Placement Officer to support the sourcing and administration of
placements, internships, and sandwich years. Programs without current placements or
work experience will be able to offer it.
SEAP Project 3 Pupil mentoring scheme
based on a successful pilot, selected Glyndŵr students will mentor youngsters at risk of
underachieving academically in nine local schools
SEAP Project 4. Enterprise and skills activities at the end of the academic year
The new academic year structure from 2013-14 provides Directed Study Weeks, in
which activities supporting enterprise and employability skills will be provided by CLTA.
18. An extra-curricular award in employability skills
Several UK universities have developed ‘extra-curricular awards’14 alongside the degree
award, under different titles, including four Welsh universities, Aberystwyth15, The
University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s16, Swansea17, and Bangor18. The National
Union of Students has a generic award19 covering nine key skills. Keele University’s
award20 has accreditation from the Institute of Leadership and Management. Typically,
they are opt-in schemes, although Keele’s is embedded in programmes. Typically,
these awards are non-credit bearing but recognise a portfolio of evidence of skills
gained in some mix of co-curricular activities (clubs, volunteering, sports), employment
(including part-time, summer, placements and internships) and academic modules.
13
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/wales/future-directions
14
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/AssuringStandardsAndQuality/Pages/employability.aspx
15
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/media/departmental/careers/pdf/empstrat_en.pdf
16
http://www.trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk/en/employability/
17
http://www.sea.swan.ac.uk/
18
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/employability/currentH.php.en
19
http://www.studentskills.org.uk/
20
http://www.keele.ac.uk/distinctive/
They have central units or support, typically in Careers or Student Support Services. In
other words, they need a resource to support them. They are awarded in addition to a
degree and a HE Achievement record (HEAR). The University must decide whether to
develop such an award.
19. Employment statistics
Being employable is not the same as actually being employed or having graduate
employment; there are many external factors affecting employment outside the control
of The University or individual graduates. Therefore, the percentage of graduates
employed is not a useful measure of the success of the efforts of The University or of its
students. Nonetheless, The University has made sensible projections of employment
rates, below; they are not targets for this Strategy.
% of leavers obtaining undergraduate qualifications through full-time or part-time study
who were employed, studying or both six months after leaving
10/11
11/12
12/13
13/14
14/15
15/16
2009/10
94.9%
94.4%
92.9%
92.0%
92.0%
92.3%
92.5%
% of leavers working or working and studying who were working in a
managerial/professional job six months after leaving
2009/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
13/14
14/15
15/16
80.6%
78.6%
79.7%
79.4%
79.5%
78.5%
78.1%
20. A recent review of embedding employability21 notes that:
“defining and embedding employability remains challenging”
(Cole and Tibby 2013 p9).
The framework developed by Cole and Tibby for embedding employability is a fourstage process, in which The University is arguably currently at stage two. Having
created a shared understanding of employability, in this strategy and The Glyndŵr
Graduate (stage 1), we are now mapping and reviewing current practice against it
(stage 2). This will identify gaps and allow us to share good practice (stage 3). Stage 4
is evaluation: We have already, in this strategy, defined some measures of success in
the Actions in the table below. Once programme reviews are collated we will be in a
better position, in 2014-15, to answer the question, How can we enhance practice
further?
21
Cole, D. and Tibby, M. 2013 Defining and developing your approach to employability, HEA
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/events/detail/2013/17_Oct_emp_conf
THE MISSION AND VISION OF THE UNIVERSITY
1. MISSION STATEMENT
“Glyndŵr University strives to be a Market Led, Student Centred University of International
Significance Open to All”.
2. VISION STATEMENT
“Glyndŵr University aims to become indispensable as a significant, relevant and expert partner in
regional and national economic and social development”.
THE CORE VALUES OF THE UNIVERSITY
The implementation of the University’s Strategic Plan will always be influenced by the University’s
Core Values which are:
•
Respect for the individual, for the expression of ideas and the pursuit of knowledge;
•
Educational, academic and professional integrity;
•
Care for students, colleagues and customers and the anticipation of their needs and
requirements;
•
Organizational commitment to the pursuit of excellence and loyalty to the University as a
community of learning.
STRATEGIC THEMES ALIGNED TO THE PRIORITIES OF WALES
The University has defined a set of core strategic themes as articulated in the Strategic Plan 200914. These are:
A
Financial sustainability, planning, and effectiveness
B
Responding to the economic needs of Wales
C
The transformation agenda, reconfiguration and collaboration
D
Developing higher level skills for Wales
E
Reconfiguration of teacher education
F
Widening access, participation and progression
G
Welsh language strategy
H
Aligning education and training with the future labour market needs of Wales
I
Developing research excellence for Wales and the commercialisation agenda
J
HE international and building the capacity of Wales to compete internationally.
OBJECTIVES ALIGNED TO THE STRATEGIC THEMES
In order to support these core strategic themes this Strategy will focus on the following key
elements:
B. Responding to the economic needs of Wales
D. Effectiveness in Developing higher level skills for Wales
F. Effectiveness in Widening access, participation and progression
The developments and targets below for 2013-14 to 2015-16 are in three sections, in line with
Welsh Government guidance:
1. Embedding employability and enterprise across all curricula
2. Work placements and work experience
3. Employer approved courses
Priority
Activity
Outcomes, dates
Resource,
responsibility
1. Embedding employability and enterprise across all curricula
a. Embedding key
Validation requires
Validation process
CLTA, Academic
skills
embedding of modular
from 2013-14 on
Registry
curriculum framework and
The Glyndŵr Graduate
Review of programmes not
being validated in 2013-14,
against The Glyndŵr
graduate
2013-14
Programme leaders,
CLTA
Foundation Years’ three
common modules based on
The Glyndŵr Graduate
Delivered to FY
students from 2013-14
FY coordinator,
common module
leaders
SEAP Project 4. Enterprise
and skills activities at the end
of the academic year
The new academic
year structure from
2013-14 provides
Directed Study Weeks,
in which activities
supporting enterprise
and employability skills
will be provided by The
University. Target in
2013-14 is 50
students.
CLTA, Zone
Career management skills for
students
By the end of 2013-14,
90% of programmes
have a career
management element.
By the end of 2014-15,
100% of programmes
have a career
management element.
Career Centre
Career development learning
Priority
b.Entrepreneurship
Activity
Outcomes, dates
sessions provided for small
groups of students in 201112 for approx 27% of all
students.
Career development
learning sessions with
small groups of
students: 30%
students in 2013-14;
35% in 2014-15; 40%
in 2015-16
Entrepreneurship and
business start-up activity
Annually:
Engagements with
1000 students
Resource,
responsibility
CLTA, Zone
Workshops with 100
participants
One to one
consultations with 20
participants on
business start-up,
c. PDP
Review of student
Personal/professional
Development Planning
documentation, support and
personal tutoring including
ePortfolio review and
implementation
Review during 201314; rolled out for 201415
CLTA and Careers
Centre
d. HEAR
Implement The Higher
Education Achievement
Record
Available to students
who start degrees in
2013-14
Led by Careers
Centre
e. a Glyndŵr extracurricular award
review and proposal to
Academic Committee
Decide to proceed or
not in 2013-14; if so,
launch in 2014-15 for
2016 graduation
CLTA/Careers Centre
to review
f. Internationalisation
of the curriculum
“To review the extent to
which the curriculum is
internationalised and to
support the further
internationalization of the
University and its curriculum
across a wider range of
subject areas” (L&T Strategy
2011-14)
In 2013-14, two pilot
departments review
and revise curricula,
report produced of
good practice.
CLTA with external
support
g. Alumni
More systematic use of
alumni in programmes
Central alumni
management system
in place for 2014-15
Marketing,
departmental L&T
Champions
Priority
Activity
Outcomes, dates
Resource,
responsibility
h. Learning for
Employability module
Delivered in Communities
First areas of deprivation
across North Wales to upskill and motivate nontraditional students in areas
relating to employment and
education, also raising
aspirations and serving as a
platform to increase
engagement and
participation in our hardestto-reach communities.
The annual target for
2013-14 and beyond is
6 courses with a total
of 72 participants.
Widening Access
2. Work placements and work experience
a. WBL
‘shell’ modules and awards
produced and validated
By the end of 2013-14,
a validated WBL
framework will be
available for use with
supporting
documentation.
CLTA
GO Wales registrations
In 2013-14 40% of GO
Wales placements to
be filled by Glyndŵr
Graduates; in 2014-15,
45%; in 2015-16, 50%.
Careers Centre
SEAP Project 2 a new
Placement Officer, to support
the sourcing and
administration of placements,
internships, and sandwich
years.
Programs without current
placements or work
experience will be able to
offer it.
Appoint in July 2013
(June 2013-July 2014).
The target is 50
additional students in
placement-based
learning in 2013-14
Careers Centre
Review of placements across
the university
By July 2014
Placement officer,
Careers Centre, and
CLTA
Glyndŵr Temps
In 2013-14, a target of
68; in 2014-15 and
2015-16, a target of
70.
Careers Centre
a WBL framework developed
b . Placements
Increase the number of
students employed by the
university, including
Ambassadors and
internships
CLTA, Marketing,
Widening Access
Priority
Activity
Outcomes, dates
Resource,
responsibility
Job Shop registrations
Increase the number of
registrations by 25%
year on year.
Careers Centre
SEAP project 1. Project
Manager – Student and
Community Engagement. A
media project working with
local or national charities and
small businesses to provide
innovative media and
marketing services.
Appoint project
manager Oct 2013.
Target of 50 students
in 2013-14
CLTA/ Creative
Industries
Increase the number of
Glyndŵr students engaged in
volunteering
200 students engaged
in volunteering in
2013-14; 250 in 201415; 300 in 2015-16
Careers Centre
d. Pupil mentoring
SEAP Project 3 Pupil
mentoring scheme using
selected Glyndŵr students
who will mentor youngsters
at risk of underachieving
academically in a local
schools.
Target is nine student
mentors for pupils in
local schools will be
are appointed. The
schools will evaluate
their impact at the end
of 2013-14.
Careers Centre
e. International
exchange
increase student participation
in the new Erasmus+
programme
Target is 10 students
experiencing study or
placement abroad
though Erasmus+
Graduate school
c. Volunteering
a. Foundation
degrees
b. Courses with
employer
sponsorship
3. Employer approved courses
In 2011-12 there were 858
Target for 2013/14
student enrolments on
onwards is 30
Foundation Degrees, 700 at
programmes
the university, in 26
programmes from 8
departments, and the rest in
partner colleges.
Number of courses
supported by employers in
2012-13 was 100, or about
53% of all programmes
Target is to maintain
this annually in 201314 to 2015-16
School UG Studies
School UG Studies
Annex: The Glyndŵr Graduate
THE GLYNDŴR GRADUATE
The Glyndŵr Graduate Attributes
Glyndŵr University students are provided with opportunities to develop as expert, enterprising,
professional, independent lifelong learners with an international and future-oriented perspective.
1. Expert
with a well-structured and detailed knowledge of their subject, and associated skills and
attitudes, informed by an understanding of how knowledge in their subject is developed
and its current limits.
2. Enterprising
with the ability to identify or create opportunities and take advantage of them to launch new
and imaginative ventures for economic or social development in the prevailing context
3. Professional
with professional attitudes and behaviours in working environments.
4. Independent thinkers
with the self-confidence in their personal abilities, based on self-knowledge, to be able to
develop, hold and communicate an independent view
5. Lifelong learners
with the curiosity and ability to develop intellectually and as a whole person in any
employment, academic or social context, and to respond positively to innovation and
change
6. With an international and future-oriented perspective
with an insight into, and concern for, the global and sustainability implications of their
subject area and their personal actions, and an ability to adapt to different international and
cultural contexts.
The key skills to support employability and graduate attributes
The ten clusters of skills listed below are necessary for the development of the six Glyndŵr
Graduate Attributes. They are presented in more detail below in a language that could easily be
used or adapted as module learning outcomes. The key skills headings are (in no particular
order):
1. Written, oral and media communication skills
2. Leadership, team working and networking skills
3. Opportunity, creativity and problem solving skills
4. Information technology skills and digital literacy
5. Information management skills
6. Research skills
7. Intercultural and sustainability skills
8. Career management skills
9. Learning to learn (managing personal and professional development, self management)
10. Numeracy
Ten key skills to support employability and the graduate attributes
As a Glyndŵr Graduate I am able to ...
1. Written, oral and media communication skills
a. Communicate my ideas effectively in writing in different formats and lengths, for
different purposes and audiences, including specialist and general audiences, with
clear composition, appropriate vocabulary, and correct grammar and spelling.
b. Critically review my own written work to ensure its effectiveness
c. Cite my sources appropriately.
d. Make presentations that communicate information, ideas and arguments effectively
to a variety of audiences, such as to large and small groups, in formal and informal
situations.
e. Design and use appropriate visual aids to deliver or enhance a presentation, such
as slides, handouts, posters, photographs or videos.
2. Leadership, team working and networking skills
a. Participate appropriately in group discussion.
b. Work with other team members to identify, distribute and undertake the tasks
necessary to complete a project.
c. Identify and work with the strengths and limitations of individual team members.
d. Communicate effectively with other team members to ensure the effective operation
of the team.
e. Deal sensitively with dissent and disagreement.
f. Evaluate my contribution and that of other team members to the completion of a
project.
g. Recognise and evaluate my own current approach to leadership.
h. Use my social skills to build trust, relationships and networks
3. Opportunity, creativity and problem solving skills
(opportunities and problems can be small or large, so the degree of independence and
management needed will vary)
a. Seek out and recognise interesting problems or opportunities in complex situations
and environments.
b. Analyse a problem or opportunity to identify its essential elements.
c. Apply my existing knowledge of a subject to it
d. Creatively generate and evaluate a range of strategies to address a problem or
exploit an opportunity, noting the risk factors
e. Design a solution to a problem or a response to an opportunity
f. Determine what new information and resources are required in order to solve a
problem or exploit an opportunity, and research or find these.
g. Implement a planned solution or response, taking responsibility for managing a
project
h. Evaluate an implemented solution or response, reflect upon what has been
accomplished, and persevere if necessary.
4.
Information technology skills and digital literacy
a. Confidently and critically select appropriate digital technologies to use.
b. Skilfully use various technologies to achieve goals and outcomes (current examples
would include Moodle, productivity software, email and social software).
c. Use technologies efficiently, legally, ethically, and securely.
5.
Information management skills
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Recognise a need for relevant information.
Distinguish ways in which an information gap may be addressed.
Construct strategies for locating that information.
Locate and access the information needed.
Compare and evaluate information obtained from different sources.
Organise, apply and communicate information to others in ways that are appropriate
to the situation.
g. Synthesise and build upon existing information.
6.
Research skills
a. Identify and develop a research question or hypothesis.
b. Construct a range of strategies and methods for answering a research question or
testing a hypothesis, as appropriate to the subject.
c. Locate, review and appraise information and data .
d. Critically appraise and reflect on evidence and arguments.
e. Reference different kinds of information to their correct sources, appropriately to a
subject.
f. Use ethical guidelines for research.
7.
Intercultural and sustainability skills
a. Recognise that my own cultural background influences my understanding and
behaviour when in other cultures.
b. Adapt my behaviour appropriately to different cultural norms, to be effective in
different cultural and national contexts.
c. Apply my understanding of the sustainability implications of my subject knowledge.
d. Apply my understanding of the sustainability implications of my personal actions.
8.
Career management skills
a. Appreciate different approaches to career decision making and apply them
appropriately.
b. Research career opportunities and understand relevant labour market trends.
c. Analyse job tasks, responsibilities and entry requirements.
d. Effectively communicate my own skills and experience (e.g. through my CV)
e. Perform confidently at interview and in group assessment situations.
f. Behave and present myself professionally in the workplace.
9.
Learning to learn – managing my personal and professional development
a. Identify the strengths and limitations of my individual approach to learning.
b. Develop my ability to use the available time constructively and efficiently, and to
meet deadlines.
c. Develop my ability to make effective use of timetabled learning opportunities
through use of study techniques appropriate to my subject.
d. Plan my learning activities and how to improve the effectiveness of my learning,
including preparation and revision.
e. Make positive use of feedback to improve my work.
f. Develop my ability to reflect on and record my personal strengths, areas for further
development, and my values and priorities.
g. Reflect on my experiences of learning, to analyse and evaluate those experiences
so that I can to improve my approach to learning.
10.
Numeracy
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Use numbers to support or counter an argument.
Collect simple quantitative information.
Use appropriate charts and graphs to display numerical data effectively.
Draw appropriate conclusions from tables of numbers and from charts.
Calculate and use simple descriptive statistics.
Annex: A communication strategy to ensure students fully understood graduate attributes
and their impact on employability.
As at 12/12/13
Action
Timescale, responsibility
Incorporate into validation documentation
September 2013
Through student induction activities
From September 2013
Information has been passed to
programme leaders
In the programme leaders’ handbook
Sept 2013, and programme leaders’
briefings.
Use by Marketing in public materials
Sent to Marketing November 2013
The Glyndŵr Graduate document made
available to students
Linked from a student Moodle page,
December 2013
Posters at Wrexham (A corridor) and
London campuses
December 2013
Embedding into programmes
Programme leaders asked to perform
mapping exercise to identify gaps or
support needs, September 2013, to be
collated in 2013-14
Continue to share best practice and
research in use and understanding of
graduate attributes
•
•
•
Representation on Wales QE Future
Directions Strand on Distinctive
Graduates, 2013-16, including work
on an extracurricular award
Participation in the Strand event at
the Aberystwyth FD conference, April
2014
Attendance at Bangor workshop on
Bringing graduate attributes to life,
January 2014