Enhancing Employability for Student Success Edinburgh Napier University’s Graduate Employability Project Fiona Wager

Edinburgh Napier University in context ...

Overview Introduction to the Graduate Employability Project whole institutional approach to enhancing student success in terms of graduate employability since 2013 project context, aims, objectives, activities monitoring and evaluation approach Project outcome data Key messages and lessons learned

Graduate Employability Project Established in 2013 Three year funding from Scottish Funding Council Whole institutional approach to enhance student success Aim to improve graduate employability of our Scottish domiciled students and in particular MD20 students Cross-institutional project to increase student participation in employability activities and develop skills and attributes relevant to the workplace ‘Stand Out from the Graduate Crowd’

Five distinct but inter-related activity ... Enhanced Student Employability Development Faculty-based Employer Relations Units (Curriculum Development) Employer Relations Units (Non-credit bearing work-related experiences) Student Mobility Monitoring, evaluation, review & dissemination ... clearly linked to project outcomes

Key Objectives More students into employment, particularly professional/managerial Embedding outcomes and evaluation focus: tracking specific groups, eg MD20/40; demonstrating ‘additionality’ Balance between innovation and ‘doing more of what we know works’ Extending number and variety of opportunities, including work-related and mobility opportunities Embedding partnership working approaches

Exemplar initiatives and activities Careers guidance Placement preparation and support Employer Mentoring, employer events and networking Embedded Confident Futures workshops Global Mobility opportunities Recruitment Assessment Centre Experiences Skills Passport

Achievements  Increased graduates entering employment and further study (95% DLHE outcome target achieved)  Increased graduates entering professional/managerial employment over project timeframe (79%, 4% below target)  Increased graduates entering professional/managerial jobs in SMEs (28%, 3% above target)  Increased number and diversity of students participating in mobility programmes (66% increase in Scottish domiciled student participation over project timeframe) Met or exceeded most targets Step change in the visibility of employability Enhanced Curriculum Development activity New opportunities for students Increased employer engagement Increased student participation Expanded employer mentoring and student mobility Embedded evaluation and tracking of cohorts

Outcome data – key points Considerable correlation between participation in employability activities and degree classification (progression and degree outcome data) Positive impact of participation in employability activity on likelihood of graduates being in a professional/managerial job six months after graduating (DLHE) Participation in certain types of employability activity had a significantly more positive effect (eg Confident Futures: double the odds of graduates being in a professional/managerial job, even after controlling for all other variables) (DLHE)

Lessons Learned Large, complex projects take time to bed in Governance arrangements key Outcomes focused approach Innovation and creativity Additionality through increased opportunities Engagement through embedding employability within the curriculum Cross-institutional ‘collaboration enabler’

Finally … Project funding re-energised our employability agenda and led to better student outcomes Our challenges are to: maintain momentum on graduate employability post project; and ensure long term sustainability in terms of impact, resource, activities and mind sets

Contact details Fiona Wager Project Evaluation Officer, Market Intelligence, Planning & Business Intelligence Edinburgh Napier University f.wager@napier.ac.uk