1. Notes from Careers Guidance Practice A study into the impact of embedding practical career management skills within a module preparing students to apply for industrial year placements Presented by Tony Taylor, Careers Adviser

2. Learning objectives  Insight into research carried out on the impact of guidance  An understanding of the benefits of a career management skills module  Discussion on the benefits of undertaking this type of research.

3. Outline  Background to the research  Module chosen for investigation  Issues from literature review  Explanation of the guidance intervention that was investigated  Research findings  Reflections upon the findings  Questions & discussion

4. Background Key Information Sets Impact? KPI’s

5. Hull University Business School Professional Experience Programme  Level 5 module open to students from any discipline within the business school  Non accredited – students sign a contract to attend at least 80% of the lectures and workshops  Content about potential stages in the graduate recruitment process used by AGR members.  Professional behaviour

6. DHLE Good timesBad times

7. Variables influencing graduate employment  the impact of the higher education system;  the impact of the labour market;  social and cultural norms  individual issues;  (Pegg et al., 2012, p.7)

8. Summary of students’ gains through participation in placements and WBL  critical thinking and decision making; increased research and evaluative abilities  time management; awareness of external influences on organisations  opportunity to trial a career option; gain career insight and easier adaptation to the graduate workplace  understanding workplace tasks and decisions  teamwork and ability to accept responsibility  communication skills; increased confidence; building a network of contacts and learning through reflection  practical application of theory  enhanced academic ability and subject awareness in final year of study

9. A model by Harvey (2002, p4) of graduate employability development

11. The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: enhancing graduate employability through career management skills “ Despite the obvious theoretical appeal of a link between career building skills and employment outcomes, surprisingly little empirical examination has been conducted thus far ” Bridgstock (2009, p. 38)

12. Keep the customer satisfied

13. Counting what is measured or measuring what counts? “ a major issue which must be confronted when assessing the degree of reliability to place on measures of impact of guidance is differentiating the effect of the guidance from that of a whole series of other contributory factors” (Maguire, 2004, p. 181) “Control group based research...would be impossible as there are many sources of guidance and secondly, it would not be societally justified to deprive a group from this service”. (Plant, 2012, p. 93)

14. UK RecruitmentCareers support (within first semester)  Stage II: submission of applications (predominantly on-line)  Stage III: first sift of applications (usually according to some rule based process);  Stage IV: first interview;  Stage V: assessment centre  Stage VI: second interview;  submit a CV and covering letter for an internship opportunity that interests them;  draft application form answers for feedback;  take online verbal and numerical psychometric tests;  have a ‘mock’ interview with an employer; and  participate in an assessment centre exercise.

15. “Opportunity samples” of Home/EU students  Graduates who engaged with the module and completed a placement (n = 71)  Graduates who engaged with the module who did not find a placement (n = 110)  Graduates who did not participate in the module (n = 460)  DLHE survey for academic years 2009/2010 response rate 83.76% 2010/2011 response rate 84.6%

16. Student take up of centrally organised Careers Service support Support on offer Rate of take up by students C.V consultation 31.8% Skills workshops 23.8% Job interview preparation 21.5% Practice psychometric tests7.9% Assessment centre preparation4.7% N = 528 Source: trendence Research Institute (2009, p8)

17. Hypotheses  H1: intensive career management skills support will have a positive impact upon the employment rate of graduates; and  H2: intensive career management skills support will have a positive impact upon the rate of graduates level employment;

20. Usefulness of careers input 1= Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree CV’s and covering letters (4.73) Application forms (4.15), practice psychometric tests (4.18), ‘mock’ interview with an employer (4.96) ‘mock’ assessment centre exercises 3.85.

22. Reflections on the study  Study highlighted a highly significant impact on undergraduate students transitions to the labour market associated with both a career management skills programme and a programme of work-placements  Students who participated in these interventions are simultaneously working on their career management skills, knowledge about recruitment processes and transferable/employability skills as well as building social capital and adding experience to the C.V.s

24. Discussion:  How useful is this sort of research?  What are the benefits, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to carrying out such research?  How have others evaluated the impact of their careers advice & guidance?