School of Economics
Careers Skills
(L12350)
Introduction
Outline
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The Nottingham Advantage Award
Aims and Outcomes
Programme of Activities
Assessment
Recording Skills
Questions?
1. The Nottingham Advantage
Award
• NAA details can be found at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/student
s/start/advantageaward/index.php
2. Aims and Outcomes
Aims
•To raise the profile of employability issues
within the undergraduate programme
•To provide students with the opportunity to
reflect formally on their learning and wider
experiences while at university
•To develop skills of reflection and recording
amongst the student body
Learning Outcomes
B Intellectual skills: Students must be able to:
B1 apply complex ideas to solve problems (E)
B3 reason logically and work analytically (E)
B4 perform with high levels of accuracy
D Transferable/key skills: Students must be able to:
D2 communicate effectively and clearly in written and
oral formats
D3 analyse and solve complex problems accurately
D5 undertake independent study of a problem or
subject
3. Plan of Activities
Why this module and why now?
• Employability as an issue
- Locally
- Nationally (competition)
• Employability working group
- Students, staff and CCD
• Emphasis on self-help approach
• Second year most appropriate
Centre for Integrative Learning (CIL)
•Promotes approaches that encourage
students to enrich their development by
drawing connections between different
learning experiences
•Helping students to think critically and
creatively across lines and transfer their
learning between contexts
•Sponsorship of the module
•Website at
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/integrativelearning/
Features of the module:
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Year-long
Non credit bearing
Appears on individual transcript
“Light touch” approach to delivery
Builds on existing mechanisms such as the
personal tutorial and the e-PAR
• Emphasis is on students taking the
initiative
• Academic staff are not trying to become
careers advisers!
Why it should matter to you
1.The module is here to help you by
providing an opportunity
2.More you put in, the more you get out
3.Minimum requirement is a low hurdle
If more effort is expended,
much greater benefit will be
gained
Semester One Programme
1. Employability skills mapping (Week 2)
2. Work experience (Week 3)
3. Application forms (Week 4)
4. Update on the job market for graduate
economists (Week 5)
5. Interviews (Week 6)
6. Royal Bank of Scotland skills session
(Week 7)
7. Government Economic Service (Week 8)
2 – 5 run by Jan Perrett of the CCD
Semester Two Programme
1. Employer presentations
2. Presentations by alumni
3. Postgraduate study
Details of all sessions can be found at:
http://www/economics/careers/index.htm
and
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/economics/tea
ching/modules/L12350.htm
4. Assessment
Semester One
Two-side CV (Friday 4th December)
Semester Two
One-side personal skills audit plus one-side of
reflection/evaluation (Friday 7th May)
Grades correspond to submission rather
than quality (0, 50 or 100%)
Feedback will be provided via personal tutor
5. Recording Skills
You are developing skills in a number of areas
1. Subject specific academic skills as part
of your degree (outlined in your Handbook)
2. Transferable skills within your degree
3. Transferable skills developed in study
activity such as work, travel, volunteering
etc.
Recall from last year’s talk “Making the Most
of the University Experience” by Jan Perrett
Skills in demand
•communication skills
•leadership
•numeracy
•problem solving and analytical skills
•negotiation and persuasion
•IT literacy
•flexibility
•team working
•ability to initiate change
The skills map on the module homepage lists
the learning outcomes we expect a graduate
of the School to have but……
……level of those skills will vary from person
to person
Need to consider each and assess yourself
honestly in relation to them
N.B. The degree covers subject specific
and some transferable skills
Recording Skills
Entirely up to the individual but you can
use:
•the e-PARS system
•a paper system or
•devise your own
Whichever system, record the experience,
the evidence for it and then evaluate it
Doing something is not enough, you should
be able to:
•evaluate it - was it useful, what skills did
you learn, would you do it again?
•reflect on it - what has it taught you
about yourself, what would you do
differently next time?
•build on it - extend your skills, add new
experiences
Two examples might help
1.Group presentation in a seminar
Skills – communication, groupwork,
negotiation, IT ability
Reflection – undertook the task of gathering
team together which worked well but my
actual presentation was a little weak as I
read the notes
Areas for improvement – work on speaking
without notes
2. On Hall Council
Skills – leadership, communication,
persuasion, negotiation
Reflection – good election campaign with
lots of communication, perhaps not
strong enough when problems arose at
formal dinner
Areas for improvement – be more decisive
and take control of situations
Where to begin?
•Look at the skills map on the module page
and the types of areas covered in the
degree
•Look at CCD materials including the list
above
•Look at the CIL website and also
http://whystudyeconomics.ac.uk/jobs/
•Use the skills to form the basis for a table
or matrix to record your experiences,
reflect and offer areas for improvement
6. Questions?