Comment below on the National Student Forum’s ideas for how universities and colleges can help students become more employable
Priority 1: a clear university or college-wide employability strategy
We would like all universities and colleges to incorporate the following aspects into the development or review of their employability strategies:
- explicit recognition and active promotion of the value of work placements, volunteering programmes and part-time jobs
- increased resources for, and the promotion of the use of, personal development plans
- the provision of optional modules/classes that consider how the skills/knowledge developed during study/placements translate across into the work environment
- an employer mentoring scheme in which employers volunteer to mentor students
- a curriculum offer that includes the opportunity for students to engage with alumni or employers working in a related field and is co-developed with employers
- systematic integration of the university or college careers service into students’ everyday lives
- adequate levels of resourcing, awareness-raising and monitoring of careers services
Priority 2: a well-informed, well-resourced, high profile university or college careers service
We would like to see: better integration of careers services into different aspects of university life; improved support and training for careers advisors in how to best support particular student groups like disabled students and international students; and university and college careers services placing more emphasis on promoting success stories of alumni from non-traditional universities and alumni mentoring schemes
Priority 3: a high quality, well-structured work placement programme
We acknowledge that there are three partners to a successful work placement – the student, the placement provider and the university. To improve work placements at an institutional level, we would hope to see all universities and colleges implementing:
- a dedicated work placement specialist unit
- a structured, phased approach to the delivery of information and guidance about work placements
- a formal agreement with placement providers that sets out guidelines for what students need to learn on their placement
- training programmes for provider mentors
- sufficient communication with students on placement and the provider
- a commitment to listen equally to both the student and employer perspective to resolve any matters of dispute over the quality of the placement and to enable students to change placements if necessary.
