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Employability- Learning to Work: The Scottish dimension

Alastair Robertson, Higher Education Academy Presentation at: “The National Agenda for Employability:

Implications for HE policy and practice” 28 June 2007

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Outline

•Employability in Scottish HE- a recent history•The Employability Enhancement Theme•Current work•Other related sector-wide work, including PDP•The future…

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Employability in Scottish HE: a recent potted history

•(ESECT)•SFC’s “Learning to Work”, Oct 2004•Enhancement Theme, 2004-05•SFC Strategic Funding, 2007-10•Research-Teaching Enhancement Theme, 2007-08

•PDP and the Effective Learning Framework•Joint CRA/Academy/QAA Scotland work

•The Scottish Executive’s “Life through Learning: Learning through Life” LLL Strategy, Feb 2003•New Skills Strategy, Oct 2007?

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My personal involvement

•Personal case study

•QAA Scotland: managing support for the Employability Enhancement Theme•Current role: SHEEN, PDP, HEI support

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SFC, Learning to Work, 2004

• Acclaimed policy paper written by Helen Gibson and Lawrence Howells, Further and Higher Education sectors.

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Employability Enhancement Theme, 2004-05, Model of engagement

• Sector-wide Steering Group Chaired by Graeme Roberts, Uni of Aberdeen now Academy Senior Associate

• Academics, Careers staff, LTSN/Academy, SFC, Employers….

• Establishment of an Institutional Contacts Network- instrumental in future policy developments

• Various events, publications produced, wide number of case studies identified

• www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk

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Employability Enhancement Theme, Publications

• Overview, Graeme Roberts• Innovative Projects from across the Curriculum,

Debra Macfarlane and Archie Roy• Working together, Duncan Cockburn and James

Dunphy• A Guide to International Best Practice in Engaging

Employers in the Curriculum, Andrew Bottomley and Helen Williams

• Benchmarking Employability, Brent MacGregor et al.• Skills for Business Network briefing

http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/themes/Employability/publications.asp

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Enhancement Theme findings iKey lessons and issues

1. Address skills development in a progressive manner at programme level

2. Create space in the curriculum, especially in early stages of programmes

3. Possibility of tuning rather than redesigning existing curriculum

4. Convert what students do alongside their academic curriculum from a potential obstacle into a significant opportunity for learning

5. Make explicit links between classroom assignments and workplace tasks

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Enhancement Theme findings iiKey factors for Employability success

1. Discreet support from the careers service2. Funding for a dedicated employability

support post3. Energetic employability champion4. Access to project funding5. Mechanism for co-ordinating activity

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Enhancement Theme’ssuccesses and impact

• Raised the sector’s awareness and understanding • Provided a catalyst and support for development

of institutional employability strategies and action plans

• Piloted a successful model for engaging the sector in future enhancement themes through institutional contacts network

• Contributed to the development of Learning to Work and SFC implementation plan

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Challenges at the end of the Theme

1. Engaging frontline staff, particularly from non-vocational disciplines

2. Implementing Employability and PDP strategies within institutions

3. Engaging students

4. Information management

5. Ensuring sustainability of action and momentum built up over the life of the Theme.

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SFC Strategic Funding for Scottish HEIs

1. Consultation in June 06 with ICN- big change in proposals requested by sector

2. £4M over 4 years, 90% direct to HEIs

3. SHEEN subsequently established

4. Partnership Approach: SFC/ Academy/ QAA/ Uni Scotland

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SHEEN’s remit

1. To identify, share and promote effective practice in enhancing student employability

2. advise the Scottish Funding Council on planned policy developments

3. assist the Council to identify collaborative development projects for its strategic funding programme

4. share information about the progress of these projects and help disseminate their outcomes

5. advise the Higher Education Academy and SHEEC as appropriate on the development needs of the Scottish sector in relation to employability.

6. advise SHEEC on areas of work that might usefully be addressed in future enhancement themes

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SHEEN’s membership and infrastructure

1. Chaired by Prof Brent MacGregor, Edinburgh College of Art

2. HEI reps, stakeholders, student body3. Two meetings, January and June 20074. “Hub and spoke” model proposed for SHEEN and

sub-networks e.g. institutional employability co-ordinators

5. External Evaluators- summative and formative roles- “critical friends” for HEIs….

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sheen.htm

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Institutional Plans- emerging priorities

• Academy asked to analyse plans, provide feedback and overview to sector- “employabilitymatch.com”

• Several common priorities:1. PDP (80% of HEIs)2. Embedding employability within the curriculum- discipline-

specific issues…3. Employer engagement

• Academy to continue to support HEIs and sector (SFC 2007-08 grant letter)

16http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/careers/AUL@W.htm

• 3 year project worth £2M involving Uni of Glasgow, St. Andrews and Glasgow Caledonian Uni; SFC Strategic Change Grant

• 3 strands:Research

Exploring and developing opportunities for work experienceSupport for Embedding work related learning

Aimed at undergraduate students in Biosciences, Business & Management, History, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology.

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PDP and the Effective Learning Framework*

*Taken from Effective Learning and Employability, Enhancement Themes website

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New joint forum to support institutional implementation of PDP

• Two meetings, May and June 2007• A number of priorities/challenges identified:

1. Staff engagement2. Student engagement3. Assessment4. More integrated approaches5. Transferability6. Developing the Academic/Personal Turtor role

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New Scottish Executive- implications???

• Fiona Hyslop, SNP, new Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning

• Scottish response to UK-Leitch review• New Scottish Skills Strategy announced which will:

1. Highlight the skills valued and required both by employers and individuals

2. Demonstrate how sectors from Further Education/Higher Education to schools, community learning and workforce development can contribute to the skills agenda

3. Outline the responsibilities of those involved in skills development

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Conclusions

• Partnership works• A shared agenda: learners, educators and employers• A long term agenda• Joined-up approach• Embedding within the curriculum; buy-in from

academic staff key• Opportunities afforded by current spotlight on the

Research-Teaching nexus…?

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Thank you

• Graeme Roberts, Helen Gibson, Brent MacGregor, Val Butcher + + +

Questions and discussion

alastair.robertson@heacademy.ac.uk