Higher Education Academy Conference 2009 Manchester (UK)
Theme: The Student Lifecycle
TRANSITIONS TO WORK: MEETING SKILLS GAPS IN THE CLASSROOM
R. Lawton, C. Tomas,
C. Popovic, A. Hill, J. Eland and N. Morton
Birmingham City University
Birmingham, UK
ABSTRACT
The Creating Future-Proof Graduates project aims to help students in the transition from Higher
Education (HE) into the workplace.
In order to complement the national lists of skills gaps, we interviewed some employers and recent
graduates from the Music, Legal, Performing Arts and Housing sectors. The aim was to identify the
employability skills that are regarded as crucial in early stages of employment. We also analysed
previous longitudinal destinations research1 looking at the skills graduates wished they had been
able to develop before leaving university.
This data was used to inform the creation and development of a series of resources based on
critical incident scenarios which are embedded in a range of disciplines in this university-wide
project. Particular attention is drawn to the interdisciplinary approach and adaptation of the
materials across subject areas.
The resources have been evaluated to establish the effectiveness of critical incident scenarios. We
report on the evaluation of two of the resources. The discussion addresses the extent to which the
critical incident scenario and the modes of delivery are effective in supporting the development of
employability skills that may be transferred to workplace situations in the future.
BACKGROUND
The aim of the project is to create resources which will help students identify and prepare for
critical incidents which, according to employers, epitomise the major problems that newly qualified
graduates encounter when they start work in the ‘real world'.
The project, which began in July 2007 has been funded for two and a half years by Higher
Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) via the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme
(NTFS). We began with the premise that students learn best when they have fun2 and have
experiences which enable them to develop and apply a wide range of skills – in particular, skills
1
UCE Birmingham based Learning and Teaching project: Using Graduates to Help Develop and Enhance
the Curriculum, 2005-2006
2 Wentzel K. R. and Wigfield A., 1998, 'Academic and Social Motivational Influences on Students' Academic
Performance', Educational Psychology Review, Vol 10, No. 2
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which will enhance their future careers. Student feedback at our own institution3 led us to believe
that the most effective way to encourage the development of such employability skills in our
students was to enable them to discover and develop these skills through critical exploration within
their own learning and professional context.4
The Creating Future-Proof Graduates project evolved out of a long-standing interest in innovative
practices in the classroom, especially in the use of games and simulations as tools to encourage
participation and engagement in the classroom5. The resources we have developed reflect this
interest. The focus is on simulations of workplace situations that are typically difficult to describe as
they involve complex or emotional issues.
PARTNERS
It was important that this project have credibility in the eyes of students, provide effective employer
engagement6 and meet the needs of academic staff whose support we would need in order to pilot
materials. As part of the initial tranche of NTFS Projects we wanted to ensure that our resources
were relevant to all subject areas and Higher Education institutions (HEI’s) whilst it also connects
with the other stakeholders of the project – students, graduates, academic and learner support
staff, employers, other HEI’s and the Higher Education Academy subject centres.
THE SKILLS’ GAP
The world of work has changed significantly over the last few years and a degree is no longer
enough to secure graduate employment. Students are entering HE in order to get graduate level
employment: ‘It is clear that, as a more diverse population chooses to go to university, greater
emphasis is being placed on long-term employment prospects when choosing institutions and
courses'7. The Institute of Directors (IoD) Briefing 20078 said employers find most graduates are
unprepared for employment and suggested that universities have a role to play in this. The same
report highlighted that employability skills (in a generic sense) are perceived by employers as more
important than subject specific skills.
Carl Gilleard, the Chief Executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) in January 2007
said ‘Much more effort needs to be made.....to get the message across that going to university and
3 UCE Birmingham, 2006, Students Speak Up, DVD
4 Palmer, 1998; as cited in Spiller P., 2005, ‘Teaching as a focused conversation: the use of incentive based
preparation exercises’, Innovation in Education and Teaching International, SEDA, Vol 42:4 November;
Biggs, 1999 as cited in Spiller P., 2005, ibid.
5 UCE Birmingham Learning and Teaching project: Enhancing Employability through Games and
Simulations, 2005-2006
6 Influence through Collaboration: Employer Demand for Higher Learning and Engagement with Higher
Education http://www.cihe-uk.com/docs/0809CollabReport.pdf
7 Futuretrack Survey 2006, Professors Kate Purcell & Peter Elias
http://www.hecsu.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Futuretrack_landing_page/p!eXepbjF
8 Institute of Directors skills briefing – December 2007:Graduates’ employability skills
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coming out with a 2.1, while an achievement, is not enough to land a graduate level job. You have
to develop your skills and experience. People who put in applications full of spelling mistakes on
online application forms deserve what they get'9. The definition of employability Carl uses on behalf
of AGR is: ‘21st century graduates need to demonstrate to employers that they can ‘hit the ground
running'. In addition to working hard to gain a good degree, students should engage in extra
curricular activities and obtain work experience in order to develop skills that will make them better
prepared for the world of work'. The issue that Higher Education is battling with is how, in the
crowded market place of the university experience, do we help students to realise all of the above?
One of the priorities of our project is that the resources are embedded in the classroom
experience: not simply stand-alone tools or extra curricular activity.
GOING BEYOND THE EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVE ON THE SKILLS GAPS
Having started with the national research, we conducted in-depth interviews with students,
graduates, employers and academic staff to understand the individual perception and / or
experience of ‘graduate employability’. The interviews were semi-structured and exploratory and
aimed to elicit areas of difficulty in the early stages of the life of a graduate in the workplace that
are relevant to enable development as a professional.
Employers identified the following key skills as difficult to develop in their sectors:

Housing: organisational culture and society factors, help-seeking, good communication
skills and providing relevant answers;

Music: networking, understanding the sector and its "unstructured" nature as a
profession

Law: Commercial Awareness; finding practical solutions to problems
Graduates had their own views about the most important skills that they had to develop once they
reached the workplace.

literacy: writing for diverse audiences (non-academic);

personal attributes: develop assertiveness (say "no");

people related skills:

networking (in particular music and marketing graduates)10

how to deal with situations and dealing with shocking situations (what to do when a
theoretical model fails)

career related: finding out what you do not want to do; understanding the profession;
knowing how to go about finding information
9
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-432321/The-grade-graduates-arent-worth-hiring.html
UCE Birmingham Learning and Teaching project: Using Graduates to Help Develop and Enhance the
Curriculum 2005-2006
10
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RESOURCES
For each skill or scenario we began with a scoping exercise to make sure that resources did not
currently exist.. If resources were not found we began work devising, trialling and evaluating the
impact of resources.
We decided to focus on the following eight areas:
Skill
Resource
Cultural awareness
No Offence Meant
Providing relevant answers
Too Much Information
Professional ethics
Ethical Dilemmas
Networking and social confidence
The Networking Game
Unexpected and extreme emotions and
Expecting the Unexpected
reactions
Social responsibility
Stone Soup
Research skills
Who, What, Where
Bullying and the misuse of power
Inappropriate Behaviour
All the resources are currently being trialled and evaluation is in progress.
1. No Offence Meant:
This resource relates to various aspects of cultural awareness including national, corporate,
personal and professional culture. The original spark came from the ‘naming the teddy bear'
incident in Sudan, when Gillian Gibbons a schoolteacher became embroiled in an international
incident when she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear ‘Mohammed', unaware of the offence
that this was likely to cause in a Muslim country. Our research with employers and graduates has
shown that cultural awareness or cultural sensitivity is crucial to most, if not all, graduate
employment. The resource consists of a ‘wimba’11 site as well as card sorts and quizzes to be used
in table groups in the classroom.
2. Too Much Information
Employers from a range of disciplines commented on the problem of weaning graduates from the
behaviour that has been instilled in them by the typical assessment process. When asked to give
advice a novice is likely to recite everything they know on the topic. Although the information is
usually correct, it goes beyond and often obscures the key elements needed by the client.
Students are encouraged to put themselves in the place of the client to recognise the difference
between being told the ‘textbook' response and receiving relevant helpful advice. The resource
consists of audio files and cartoon strips showing four different contexts: housing, health, IT and
education.
11
Wimba (previously ‘course genie’) is a collaborative learning software application: http://www.wimba.com/
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3. Ethical dilemmas
In this scenario an employee overhears someone sharing commercially sensitive information. The
DVD features a fictional company and cast of characters in an exchange which assumes the
viewer is a recent graduate-level recruit, confronted with a range of tasks and information. They
are an unwitting witness to what appears to be an incident of commercial espionage within an
already difficult professional environment. The incident is written with sufficient ambiguity that
uncertainty is created in the mind of the participant regarding the best course of action to take,
prompting debate in class and further reflection upon what constitutes professional and ethical
behaviour.
4. The Networking Game
The ‘things you wished you had known’ question in the 2005/6 learning and teaching project ‘Using
Graduates to Help Develop and Enhance the Curriculum’ prompted 16% of respondents to cite
networking / social confidence. This skill also emerged from interviews with employers, for example
one employer explained that she avoided putting new graduates in a situation where they would
need to engage in social conversation with a client. The board game resource includes interactive
questions. As participants in the game students do not have to answer all the questions
themselves to learn the answers, and by including tasks like ‘shake hands with everyone around
the table’ all participants experience and / or discuss various aspects of social confidence.
5. Expecting the Unexpected
Many graduates report that theoretical models learned during their course do not always translate
easily into practice – one of these is dealing with unexpected reactions in the workplace, such as
emotional or angry clients or work colleagues. This simulation resource helps to build self esteem
and self confidence in students, equipping them to deal with difficult real life situations, as well as
adjusting their expectations. It consists of a DVD showing a client or colleague in a range of difficult
scenarios. Using the DVD as the trigger, some students deal with the difficult situation, others act
as "coaches", others act as reporters.
6. Stone Soup
This is a rework of the Brothers Grimm story in which a stranger encourages villagers to produce a
nourishing soup by offering to make the meal using nothing more than a stone. By encouraging the
villagers to contribute seemingly inconsequential additions such as an onion or a carrot, the whole
community is soon enjoying a meal together. The cartoon stimulates students to discuss the issues
raised in the context of a contemporary workplace. The resource also helps students develop their
understanding of story telling in modern society, as a tool to convey shared values. In conjunction
with other resources students are encouraged to contextualise team work and social responsibility
beyond the classroom.
7. Who, what, where…
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Both national research12 and our own interviews showed that applicants for graduate jobs often do
inadequate research. Their answers to interview questions such as ‘what do you know about this
firm or this sector’ reveal how little research the graduate has done into employers or their career
choice. This web 2.0 based resource supports the process of searching for a job; researching the
company and its background; and investigating the graduate market / sector.
8. Inappropriate Behaviour
A conductor in an orchestra or a theatre director coerces a junior musician or actor to behave in a
way they would not otherwise do, to the benefit of the conductor or director. You are that new
graduate - what will you do? This DVD resource is designed to help students manage their
reactions when negotiating with people in perceived positions of power.
EVALUATION
The main tool for data collection was questionnaires reflecting the overall aims of the evaluation as
well as referencing the specific learning objectives of the session which varied across subject and
resource. The overall aim of using these resources was to enhance students’ confidence in their
transition to the workplace. Participation in the evaluation was voluntary and some students opted
out.
TMI Education
The lecturer used the TMI Parents’ Evening simulation as part of a session aimed at helping
trainee teachers to understand their pastoral care role as well as viewing the parent as a client.
The session started with a set of discussions before viewing the simulation. These discussions
were aimed at reflecting on both parents’ and teachers’ expectations and needs. After the
discussions, the DVD TMI simulation was shown to illustrate an example of a parents’ evening.
The students worked in pairs with the transcript of the teacher and parent dialogue to reflect on
how to improve it and suggest alternatives. The session ended with a role play. A total of 16
students were present in the session and completed the questionnaires.
The session was well received by the student group and all the activities were perceived to be
useful.
Explicit comments
The structure of the session as a whole was commented on positively by eight students. The DVD
simulation of the scenario was highlighted by two students as being particularly useful.
“the structure of the session enabled a progression through my understanding. I could explore my
pre-conceived ideas and then experience other possibilities”
The role play was highlighted by six of the students as being one of the most useful activities.
“it was extremely useful how not to conduct such a meeting”
12
Commercial or sector awareness http://www.ncge.com/uploads/Commercial_Awareness_RBG-NT.pdf
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“I found the video and script useful as it gave a clear example of a poor meeting”
TMI Housing
In this session, the objective was to explore communication issues with clients in a Housing
Association. The student participants consisted of a group of 25 but only seven students completed
the second questionnaire. The student group started by discussing their approaches to clients and
strategies. The students shared their experiences from work. The DVD presenting a simulation of
a housing crisis was shown and discussed. The group then viewed a patient and radiographer
situation at the hospital. This was a parallel scenario but in a different context for the students to
experience and understand the client’s perspective. The group was then given the scripts from the
housing scenario and the session ended with a role play.
Explicit comments
The students’ comments on the session as a whole referred to the session as useful. Students
particularly highlighted the benefits of exploring and reflecting on assumptions and clients’
reactions.
“very useful I saw different ways of dealing with people”
“Good session, provided insight into how housing professionals can approach situation making
assumptions”
EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED
In this resource actors present scenarios of difficult interactions between clients and professionals.
These exhibited challenging and extreme behaviours that the students had to deal with as if they
were in a “real” situation, in this case as trainee solicitors. The role play with actors was perceived
as a factor influencing the students increased self-confidence.
“I feel that I have gained confidence in my own abilities but there is still need for improvement.
This workshop gave me the experience and the tools and information that I needed to understand
what I need to work on in my own confidence and effectiveness”
“I have chosen this rating because I still feel that I need to develop my personal effectiveness
more. I will need to work more upon my level of confidence”
DISCUSSION
Evaluation to date indicates that the resources are being well received and are valued by the
students with the highest value given to the most active elements such as role play and discussion.
In terms of confidence it is striking to note that the biggest, and statistically significant, increase in
confidence came from the group that used the Expecting the Unexpected resource. These
students, unlike the TMI groups are full time undergraduates with limited work experience. The
students who used TMI were either part time and in work in the case of Housing, or postgraduates
with a background in drama training who teach drama in schools in the case of Education.
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While it is tempting to speculate on the reasons for the differences in ratings between the three
groups, it is important to remember that there are a myriad of variables in the groups – three
different groups of students with different backgrounds, contexts and needs, and three different
presentations of resources which share some common aims but are not identical in format, content
or intention. However, the evaluation to date suggests that the resources are of use to students, do
help to address areas of greatest concern to recent graduates and are of most value when they
enable students to experience and discuss issues that are usually difficult to simulate in a
classroom.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, eight resources are currently under development. Evaluation to date suggests that
critical incidents have the potential to enhance the student experience and encourage learners to
contextualise classroom based activities in the complexities of the workplace. However, the
findings also point to the complexities of research and evaluation where several variables may
impact on the student experience. As we continue to develop the resources we are seeing this as
an iterative process, where lessons learnt from the development and evaluation of one resource
helps to inform the production of the others. It is not enough to develop a resource and deal with it
in isolation, the value of the resource is hugely enhanced by the context in which it is used and the
support that is given to the students in the form of associated activities.
CONTACT US
If you want more information about the project go to our website www.bcu.ac.uk/futureproof or
email futureproof@bcu.ac.uk
A fuller vesion of this paper was previously presented at University of Northampton ‘Transitions’
Conference in May 2009
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