How are you helping your students with their digital identities?
Employers are changing the way they recruit, many now turning to social networking sites. Could your students be missing out if they haven't developed their digital identity?
Contact me if you would like to discuss this further - 01332 591316 or b.haywood@derby.ac.uk
Friday 27 May 2011
Tuesday 24 May 2011
From a degree to a graduate job - Graduate Stories
See the Career Development Centre Website for graduate stories about their journeys to a graduate job:
http://www.gradjobs.co.uk/news/Pull-Together/160
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Helping Student Reflections on Employability
Many tutors, particularly those using e-portfolios such as pebble pad, are helping students with their PDP, by building skills and capability profiles to aid student reflective activities.
The CIHE (Council for Industry & Higher Education), ESECT (Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team) and the HEA(Higher Education Academy) carried out a substantive piece of work to identify subject employability profiles for employers.*
In 2009 the CIHE and HE Academy carried out a review of the Employability Competences.** The report provides an interesting overview, together with updated competences and behavioural indicators, which gives the reader the descriptive language students often find difficult when reflecting upon or articulating their learning. The competences are clustered under six competency headings:
- Cognitive skills
- Generic Competencies
- Personal Capabilities
- Technical Ability
- Business and/or Organisation Awareness
- Practical and Professional Elements
I show cased the original subject profiles at a Derby Learning, Teaching and Assessment conference a few years ago, but I still think they can provide a basis for discussion when designing skills and capability profiles for your subject areas.
I would be interested to hear from anyone who has used.
*Employability Guide BEST Subject Centre: Student Employability Profile, 2004, HEA, ESECT, CIHE
**Forbes, P & Kubler B, Thinking .... CIHE-HE Academy Employability Competences Riview, CIHE Policy Forum, February 2009, CIHE, (http://www.cihe-uk.com/)
Graduate Employment & Employability The good news and the bad news.
The good news is that graduate vacancies are continuing to rise in 20011 according to an article in the latest edition of Graduate Recruiter.
Source: Graduate Recruite Issue 59, p.4 April/May 2011.
The bad news is that "employers are sending a clear message that even strong academic performance is not enough to get candidates across the line, unless it is combined with the right skills and experience."
In the same article Liz Sayce, commissioner at the UK Commission for Employment & Skills (http://www.ukces.org.uk/), agrees employability skills are imperative: "There's no doubt that qualifications are important, but they can only take you so far. Employers are looking for candidates who can demonstrate good social skills, excellent written and verbal communication, willingness to learn, as well as teamwork and management skills. It doesn't matter what level you're at, or what sort of job you want - you ignore these so-called 'employability' skills at your peril."
If you would like to know more about the resources and help available to support students develop, enhance and articulate their employability and engage in PDP, contact the me at the Career Development Centre on 01332 591316, b.haywood@derby.ac.uk or see our website www.derby.ac.uk/careers.
Source: Graduate Recruite Issue 59, p.4 April/May 2011.
The bad news is that "employers are sending a clear message that even strong academic performance is not enough to get candidates across the line, unless it is combined with the right skills and experience."
In the same article Liz Sayce, commissioner at the UK Commission for Employment & Skills (http://www.ukces.org.uk/), agrees employability skills are imperative: "There's no doubt that qualifications are important, but they can only take you so far. Employers are looking for candidates who can demonstrate good social skills, excellent written and verbal communication, willingness to learn, as well as teamwork and management skills. It doesn't matter what level you're at, or what sort of job you want - you ignore these so-called 'employability' skills at your peril."
If you would like to know more about the resources and help available to support students develop, enhance and articulate their employability and engage in PDP, contact the me at the Career Development Centre on 01332 591316, b.haywood@derby.ac.uk or see our website www.derby.ac.uk/careers.
Monday 16 May 2011
Great Employability Site - check it out.
I came across a great employability site recently - www.usemyability.org
Whilst it came from an employability and disability project, it has some excellent content and links for all students, employers and staff.
Whilst it came from an employability and disability project, it has some excellent content and links for all students, employers and staff.
Mindsets - check this out.
Working with students in a widening participation university brings with it challenges if we are to help all our students maximise their potential and investment in their education.
Carol Dweck has carried out some really interesting research around Mindsets:
Carol Dweck has carried out some really interesting research around Mindsets:
- How mindsets can stand in the way of succes.
- Why talent and brains don't always bring success.
- How teaching students a simple idea about the brain can raise achievement.
- Why praising brains and talents don't foster self-esteem and accomplisment, but jeopardizes them.
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