Fit for Work How can the careers service facilitate and add to

language students' development of their employability and career choices?

Diane AppletonCareers Adviser

Careers & Employability ServiceCentre for Lifelong Learning

University of Liverpool

Fit for Work

• Why and how universities in the UK have developed employability strategies

• Delivery of Career Management Skills

• Examples of programmes

Modes of delivering skills for employability• Teaching and learning styles – developing employability

skills through learning • Assessed careers modules in curriculum – compulsory• Assessed careers modules in curriculum – optional• Bolt-on careers modules, may be optional and not

assessed• Centrally delivered career management programme in

Careers Service• Personal Development Planning (PDP)• Service Level Agreements

Additional outcomes

• Students will develop:• business awareness through understanding trends in the

graduate labour market and the attributes and achievements that employers require.

• Oral communication and team working skills through practical group exercises.

• IT skills and information handling skills will be developed through use of the Internet.

• Personal Development Planning abilities through the reflective exercises and forward-looking nature of CMS.

Example of a non-assessed careers programme (University of Liverpool)

• Pre-year abroad• What jobs do Liverpool students do on the year abroad? • Improve your skills! (Gain the Skills Award)• How to get a placement.• Get that job! The Year Abroad Buddies share their tips • Making your year abroad count (employability skills session) • 3 presentations by language employers

Pre-Year abroad compulsory session

• What skills employers want• Identify personal objectives for Year Abroad (Card

Sort/Questionnaire)• Reflect on current skills, identify gaps• Look at application forms and CVs• Introduce Learning Log/PDP• Portsmouth Survey on Residence Abroad and

Employability

www.liverpoolyearabroad.org.uk

Before you go abroad Country Guides The Best and Worst Bits Year Abroad Learning Log Start Planning Your Career Finding Job Vacancies Support Whilst Abroad Keeping in Touch inc e-guidance service

During year abroad

• Email in September• Christmas mailing to overseas addresses:• What do Graduates Do (Modern Languages)• What do Liverpool Modern Languages Graduates do• List of AGCAS careers information booklets• Info on useful websites (prospects)

• Mailing of personal objectives in February• Completion of Learning Logs • E-guidance and CV checks, vacancies etc

• Benefits• Good contact with Careers

Service (c80%)• Students feel included and

not isolated• Tailor made to them and

their needs• Students feel more

confident in the skills they have and the areas they have developed

• Problems• Access to Internet• Compulsory but not

assessed so……• Getting them to use the

career planning part of the site!

Final Year programme (examples)

• Reflection on skills and experiences from year abroad • Careers with languages • How to plan your career• Insights into career paths with languages• Employers - what do they want?• CVs and interview skills • Careers Using Languages Forum/Careers Fair

University of Liverpool – a case study

• School of Cultures, Languages & Area Studies has Learning & Teaching Objectives including: Using alumni contacts to identify skills developed in degree and

in employment to inform curriculum development Strengthening links with employers and ensuring degrees meet

their needs Developing mechanisms for scrutinising employer and student

feedback from vocational placements Embedding innovation and enterprise into the curriculum with

the primary aim of preparing students for future employment New courses – professional bodies, employers and

employability key part of approval process

continued….

• Employability related activities:

• Peer Mentoring Scheme – sponsored by Bloomberg and Deloitte

• Achievements prize sponsored by Aldi • Employer presentations• Employability Officer• Personal Development Planning

• Students have to do a learning log for their year abroad• Skills Award

Conclusion?

• Language students don’t always know why they are employable

• Students want help with career planning when they want help with career planning!!

• Little and often approach seems to work best• Partnership between department and Careers Service is

vital• Employer involvement (especially in the form of

sponsorship) raises the profile of employability and the Careers Service