Scottish Government

5: The Contribution of Colleges and Universities to Employability

Key Points

This chapter provides an overview of the broad approaches that colleges and universities employ to help students prepare for the workplace and examines the case study employers' perceptions of the contribution that attendance at college and university has made on the preparedness of recruits for the workplace.

• There has been an increasing recognition over the past decade of the need to develop the employability of college and university students in order to prepare them for the world of work.
• Recent recruits from college and university were largely positive about their experiences and the contribution that this made to their preparedness for work.
• Universities play a key role in preparing students for degree level or other qualification, whilst working to equip them with the skills that they need in the labour market. Approaches include support in career decision-making and jobsearch, development of employability attribute as part of study programmes, work experience and personal development planning.
• Within colleges there is strong support for the development of employability skills, ideally supported by employer involvement. Approaches include the provision of stand alone modules, embedded employability elements within other programmes and work experience placements.
• In general terms, the case study employers consider that colleges and universities contribute well to the employability agenda, supporting the findings of the Employer Skills Survey, although they found it hard to specify examples, particularly in relation to colleges.
• Employers see the potential for colleges and universities to add value through the inclusion of work experience as an integral part of students' experience, believing this to be the only way that recruits can gain a real insight into what is required in the workplace.
• Although the case study employers reported only a limited involvement with college and universities, in the main they reported that they were willing to be approached to make a greater contribution to the work related activities of colleges and universities.
• Universities and colleges should explore employers' willingness to contribute, consulting with them to design and develop approaches that maximise the potential for students to engage in and learn about the reality of the workplace.

Introduction

This chapter draws initially on desk-based research to provide an overview of the broad approaches that colleges and universities employ to help students prepare for the workplace. It then goes on to examine the case study employers' perceptions of the contribution that attendance at college and university has made on the preparedness of these recruits for the workplace.

Preparing University Students for Work

For universities, preparing students for work is about raising their employability and producing graduates who are capable of securing, sustaining and progressing in employment (Lees, 2002). Employer studies in the 1980s and 1990s showed that although employers considered university attendance beneficial, they had strong doubts as to its effectiveness as a means of preparing individuals for the workplace, particularly for young, full time students who could leave with very little idea of what was required (de la Harpe, Radloff and Wyber, 2000). Over the past decade or so (and particularly within the last five years), there has been increasing recognition of the need to develop the employability of students in order to prepare them for the world of work. Higher Education Institutions have responded to increasing employer expectations that graduates need to be better prepared for the workplace, by developing programmes that help to develop the skills and attributes that they will need to be effective employees (Little and Harvey, 2006).

A recent study commissioned by the SFC defines employability as 'a set of achievements - skills, understandings and personal attributes - that make individuals more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations' (The Quality in Education Centre, 2006). A key role for universities is in preparing students for degree level or other qualifications, equipping them with relevant skills that they can put to use in the labour market. However, in addition, students need to be supported to develop career planning and management skills and to develop the ability to reflect, and more importantly apply what they have learned once they arrive in the workplace. Universities Scotland (2002) summarises the main approaches that are used to help raise the employability of students within universities, although these approaches are commonplace within Scottish colleges too.

Support in Career Decision-Making and Job Search

Career Services based within institutions offer students and recent graduates a range of support, information and resources to help them in their career decision-making and job search activities. These often include:

• advice on careers regarding potential further study;
• information gathering advice and facilities;
• the opportunity to meet employers;
• job search facilities;
• assistance in CV preparation and job applications;
• information and/or practice sessions in interviews and assessment; and
• an employment service for students seeking part-time and/or vacation work.

Apart from being accessible in-house, these types of support and/or facilities can often also be accessed online. Although the majority of recruits from colleges and universities interviewed in the case study organisations were aware of the support on offer to them, take-up had been limited.

Development of Employability Attributes as Part of Study Programmes

Attribute development is about developing transferable skills that raise individuals' employability, and can occur in a variety of ways. Many universities and colleges in Scotland are liaising with employers to develop industry relevant courses, as well as to increase subject-industry knowledge and awareness and research expertise, the purpose of which is to align strategic developments within institutions and industry in a way that will benefit both sectors. A number of courses have been developed at the request of employers within specific industries in order to meet their needs. In some cases also, individuals working within the specific industries participate in the delivery of the courses, for instance, as visiting lecturers.

Work Experience

Work experience is regarded as an important way of enabling students to link their academic studies to the work environment, as well as making them familiar with core employability skills. Different types of activities undertaken by students count as work experience, including placements, project work undertaken within a company and part-time employment. Universities Scotland (2002) identifies three main categories of work experience:

• organised work experience forming part of a study programme;
• organised work experience external to study programmes - in the form of structured placement programmes of large organisations; and
• work experience that is neither part of study programmes nor structured placements - gained through part-time and vacation work.

It is the colleges and universities themselves that often play a key role in sourcing work experience opportunities for students, particularly in the case of the first category. In addition, employers often liaise with the Careers Services within universities and colleges to recruit students to part-time and vacation posts, as well as placements or places on graduate training programmes.

Recognising Experience and Achievement

Supporting students to reflect on what they have learnt to ensure that they get the most out of it and are in a position to apply this knowledge in the workplace, is becoming an increasingly important element of college and university courses. Progress files are sometimes being used as a way of recording student achievement, a key aspect of which is Personal Development Planning ( PDP). PDP is currently undertaken in most universities in Scotland and is a highly structured and supported process designed to enable students to reflect on their learning and to plan their development (Universities Scotland, 2002). There are a number of other activities to raise employability which include:

• specially tailored projects developed by subject communities and networks that seek to enhance the employability of students e.g. Shell STEP; and
• projects and/or programmes developed to increase students' entrepreneurial skills e.g. through setting up mock businesses.

Employability in Colleges

There is also an increasing emphasis on the need for students to develop employability skills within colleges. The Quality in Education Centre (2006) found that within colleges across Scotland there is strong support for the development of employability skills both as stand alone modules and embedded within courses and strong support at the institutional level to provide resources for students to be able to reflect on employability-related issues.

College students often undertake work experience or placements as part of their course. This is supported by evidence from the Quality in Education Centre study which found that half of the department/faculty heads surveyed indicated that 50% or more of students in their areas participated in work experience placements. The research also showed substantial employer involvement in colleges, including:

• advising on course content and course development;
• providing work experience to students;
• contributing to courses as guest speakers; and occasionally; and
• a close involvement with students in mentoring, target setting and reviews.

Although this suggests that the employability agenda is taken seriously within colleges, the individuals recruited from college into the case study employers had had very limited experience of engagement with careers guidance and support services. This cannot be interpreted as the experience of students as a whole.

Impacts of College and University Attendance

In the light of the increasing emphasis on employability skills in colleges and universities, what do employers see as the impact of attendance on the individuals that they recruit directly from these institutions?

Employers' Views on Recruits from Universities

The employers considered that attendance at university made a positive contribution to the employability of individuals that they have recruited from university. The vast majority of the case study employers see an inherent value in the university experience, stressing its importance in terms providing individuals with the opportunity to learn about themselves.

• 'A time to think and take responsibility'.
• Somewhere to 'broaden their horizons'.

Many of these employers see the completion of a university degree in itself as a proxy for being highly motivated. 'It makes you accountable. You have to get yourself out of bed in the morning. If you get your degree at the end of it you have obviously applied yourself!'. They also recognise that the demands of the university environment provide graduates with a number of valuable skills that can help them as individuals and to make a greater contribution to the organisations in which they work including:

• critical thinking;
• the ability to work under pressure and deliver to tight deadlines; and
• confidence. Not least because they 'think of themselves as professionals, rather than just thinking I'm just the student'.

However, although university attendance provides graduates with an opportunity to develop technical skills, many of the case study employers remain unconvinced that graduates know what to expect when they arrive, stressing that 'they are not streetwise when it comes to the workplace'. This suggests that there is need for more activities to help provide students with a more 'authentic' experience, yet although employers want recruits from universities to have a better idea of what to expect when they join the workforce, they do not believe that anything that can be provided at university can replicate work.

• 'It's only when you pass your test and have to drive constantly that you learn to drive … You learn most when you get a job'.
• 'All the theory in the world wouldn't prepare you for going into a workplace'.
• 'You don't become a nurse in the classroom'.

To support this point, several of the employers stressed the importance of their recruits' past work experience, particularly in relation to the part-time jobs that they held down whilst at college or university. These jobs were seldom in the same field as the individuals recruited from college and university were now working in (and were usually in retail or hospitality), but provided them with the opportunity to build up soft skills and to develop their personal attributes. They also proved to be ideal opportunities to develop the 'awareness of work' that is needed to be effective in the workplace and often gave these individuals the edge over other candidates. This view was supported by many of the leavers and graduates because it 'gave you an insight into what would be expected of you'.

Recent Recruits' Views on University Attendance

Recent recruits were very positive about their experiences at university and the contributions that university made to their preparedness for the workplace. The ways in which attending university benefited graduates can be categorised into:

• improved basic skills through report writing;
• personal development including increased confidence;
• opportunities to develop core skills such as the ability to use their own initiative, take responsibility for their own action, improved communication and presentation skills, team building, IT skills, problem solving skills, the ability to work to strict deadlines, planning and organising skills; and
• technical job-related skills - although this is dependent on the area of study.

Many recruits see a degree level qualification as a way in, a 'step up the ladder' and the 'bit of paper that says you can learn and you can do'. University 'teaches you how to learn … it puts you in a state of readiness so you can go out and teach yourself'. The experience also 'develops you socially and mentally as a person'.

The importance of university as an opportunity for individuals to develop and take responsibility for themselves should not be underestimated. As pointed out by one recent graduate 'University is the first place you are by yourself and are not reminded by your Mum or Dad to do your homework!'

The main criticism raised by the majority of individuals recruited from university was that of a lack of real work experience. As a graduate you are faced with the problem of 'trying to match up the theory with the practical once you leave'. This view underlines the same point raised by employers, which is that universities do not, and some would argue, cannot provide students with the necessary in-depth work related experience for them to be able to make a seamless transition into the workplace. Although out with the remit of this study, this raises the question of whose role it is to prepare students for the world of work and where the responsibilities lie amongst employers, universities and students themselves.

Employers' Views on Recruits from College

When asked to consider the benefits of college in general terms, most of the employers recruiting individuals from college see the potential benefits relating to the practical aspects of their course, which deliver the job related skills necessary in the workplace. However, just as with recruits from university, employers felt that the opportunity to develop these skills in college does not ensure that recruits 'know how things work in industry'.

Employers, in the main, felt that college provides students with:

• time management skills and the ability to stick to deadlines;
• maturity and a motivation to progress;
• a grounding in appropriate literacy and numeracy skills;
• the opportunity to develop a work ethic; and
• confidence.

So, in general terms, the case study employers consider that colleges contribute well to the employability agenda, supporting the findings of the Employer Skills Survey. However, the employers in our studies found it difficult to relate specific examples of what colleges may have done to improve the employability of graduates. Given the strong support for the development of employability within colleges and activity in terms of improving course content and resources for students to reflect on employability issues (The Quality in Education Centre, 2006), it may be that there is a need to better communicate this important element of college course work to employers.

Recent Recruits' Views on College Attendance

Those recruited from college viewed their time there as an opportunity to learn skills, become more responsible, learn to work under pressure, develop and become more mature and learn to focus. However it was the practical aspects of attending college that are those most valued by college leavers, particularly those provided with the opportunity to undertake work placements. 'I saw how it operated, saw what designers do on a day to day basis'.

Employers' Views on Improvements Needed to Prepare College and University Students for the Workplace

As shown by the Employers Skills Survey, recruits from colleges and universities are generally well prepared for the workplace. Nonetheless, employers were still asked to identify any possible areas for improvement. These suggestions therefore need to be set in the context of making improvements and adding value to a system that in broad terms already delivers what employers are looking for.

The single most important thing that employers consider that university students need (or need more of) as part of their course is a greater exposure to the work environment. This would provide them with a better sense of what a job requires and would also help graduates to see if they were moving in the direction of a suitable career. The majority of suggestions of how best to achieve this were around a greater involvement of employers in the development and delivery of the curriculum, where 'industry should be more involved in education in terms of the way courses are shaped'. An increase in the use of employer seminars and talks to students would also be beneficial.

However, when this suggestion is considered in the light of the levels of involvement that the case study employers have with colleges and universities, this highlights a couple of important issues.

First, the very limited connections that exist at present, which are restricted in the main to a few guest lectures and work experience placements;

Second, the willingness, at least in principle, demonstrated by these employers to get involved if approached in the right way with feasible ways to get involved.

Universities and colleges should explore employers' willingness to contribute, consulting with them to design and develop approaches that maximise the potential for students to engage in and learn about the reality of the workplace.