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The benefits of student – employer engagement:
Simon Kemp 03 July 2008
a case study in Environmental Sciences
2
Content• Aims of the project
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions
Aims of the project
4
Primary aims of the project• Identification of general environmental science
student knowledge, skills and attributes
• Identification of general environmental science student knowledge, skills and attributes expected by employers
• Gap analysis of the above two aims
5
Secondary aims of the project• Assessment of the value of student commercial
experience through work based learning
• Exploration of the relationship between Universities and employers
• Investigation of the benefits, barriers and preferred timings for work-placements from the perspective of both parties
• Funded by a GEES subject centre small scale project award
Methods
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Methods• Self administered questionnaire completed by 60
undergraduate and postgraduate students (~ one-third of student group)
• Three student focus groups (20 students)
• Self administered questionnaire completed by 32 employers (16% response rate) from three Communities of Practice: large companies, SMEs, public bodies
• Employer focus group (7 employers)
Student skills
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Student skills
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Skills
Stu
den
t re
spo
nse
s (%
)
Felt that skills were gained (%) Did not feel that skills were gained (%)
Most important student skills for employers
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Most important student skills for employers
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Skills
Per
cen
tag
e
Identified as 1 of 4 most important skills and not found in graduatesIdentified as 1 of 4 most important skills and found in graduates
Skills gap
13
Skills gap
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Resea
rch
skills
Ability
to w
ork
in te
ams
Produ
ctio
n of
pro
fess
iona
l rep
orts
Basic
IT sk
ills
Numer
acy
Profe
ssio
nal p
rese
ntatio
ns
Advan
ced
IT sk
ills
Basic
finan
cial s
kills
H&S awar
enes
s
Foreig
n la
ngua
ge
Labo
rato
ry sk
ills
Skills
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Percentage of organisations identifying skill as 1 of the 4 most important and found in graduates
Percentage of students who felt skill was gained through the course
Student attributes
15
Student attributes
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Attributes
Stu
den
t re
spo
nse
s (%
)
Felt that attributes were gained (%) Did not feel that attributes were gained(%)
Most important student attributes for employers
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Most important student attributes for employers
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Good
interp
erso
nal sk
ills
Has a 'c
an d
o' attit
ude
Flexible
Good
time
man
agem
ent
Works
well
und
er p
ress
ure
Self-c
onfiden
t
A pro
blem so
lver
Ability
to b
ring i
n new b
usine
ss
Inde
pende
nt le
arner
Creat
ive
Attribute
Per
cen
tag
e
Identified as 1 of 4 most important attributes and not found in graduates
Identified as 1 of 4 most important attributes and found in graduates
Attributes gap
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Attributes gap
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Attribute
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Percentage of organisations identifying attribute as 1 of the 4 most important and found in graduates
Percentage of students who felt attribute was gained through the course
Graduate knowledge
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Areas of graduate knowledge
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Area of knowledge
Org
anis
atio
n r
esp
on
ses
(%)
Appropriate level of knowledge is found in graduate recruits Appropriate level of knowledge is not found in graduate recruits
Conclusions
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Conclusions• Research skills and ability to work in teams are the
most important skills for employers, matched by strong student confidence
• Strong student confidence in producing professional reports and delivering professional presentations is not matched by employer experience
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Conclusions• Good interpersonal skills, ‘can do’ attitude, and
flexibility are the most important attributes for employers, matched by strong student confidence
• Strong student confidence in good time management, working well under pressure, and problem solving is not matched by employer experience
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Conclusions• Less than 50% of employers find the appropriate
level of graduate knowledge in the following key subject areas: EMS, environmental health, water resource management, environmental legislation, water quality, EIA, nature conservation
• Highest employer satisfaction for graduate knowledge in: contaminated land, general environmental science, atmospheric chemistry, climate change, geology
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Conclusions• Employer engagement is necessary to identify gaps
in graduate skills, attributes and knowledge
• Employer engagement can ensure professional relevance of degree courses
• Employer input through placements, curriculum development, lectures, open seminars, and assessment can help to bridge the gaps and improve the employability of graduates
Any Questions? Contact details
Simon KempSchool of Civil Engineering and the Environment
University of Southampton. SO17 1BJ
[email protected] 595868
