Higher Education Academy Conference 2009 Manchester (UK)
Theme: The Student Lifecycle
TRANSITIONS TO WORK: MEETING SKILLS GAPS IN THE CLASSROOM
R. Lawton, C. Tomas,
C. Popovic, A. Hill, J. Eland and N. Morton
Birmingham City University
Birmingham, UK
ABSTRACT
The Creating Future-Proof Graduates project aims to help students in the transition from Higher Education (HE) into the workplace.
In order to complement the national lists of skills gaps, we interviewed some employers and recent graduates from the Music, Legal, Performing Arts and Housing sectors. The aim was to identify the employability skills that are regarded as crucial in early stages of employment. We also analysed previous longitudinal destinations research[1] looking at the skills graduates wished they had been able to develop before leaving university.
This data was used to inform the creation and development of a series of resources based on critical incident scenarios which are embedded in a range of disciplines in this university-wide project. Particular attention is drawn to the interdisciplinary approach and adaptation of the materials across subject areas.
The resources have been evaluated to establish the effectiveness of critical incident scenarios. We report on the evaluation of two of the resources. The discussion addresses the extent to which the critical incident scenario and the modes of delivery are effective in supporting the development of employability skills that may be transferred to workplace situations in the future.
BACKGROUND
The aim of the project is to create resources which will help students identify and prepare for critical incidents which, according to employers, epitomise the major problems that newly qualified graduates encounter when they start work in the ‘real world'.
The project, which began in July 2007 has been funded for two and a half years by Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) via the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS). We began with the premise that students learn best when they have fun[2] and have experiences which enable them to develop and apply a wide range of skills – in particular, skills which will enhance their future careers. Student feedback at our own institution[3] led us to believe that the most effective way to encourage the development of such employability skills in our students was to enable them to discover and develop these skills through critical exploration within their own learning and professional context.[4]
The Creating Future-Proof Graduates project evolved out of a long-standing interest in innovative practices in the classroom, especially in the use of games and simulations as tools to encourage participation and engagement in the classroom[5]. The resources we have developed reflect this interest. The focus is on simulations of workplace situations that are typically difficult to describe as they involve complex or emotional issues.
PARTNERS
It was important that this project have credibility in the eyes of students, provide effective employer engagement[6] and meet the needs of academic staff whose support we would need in order to pilot materials. As part of the initial tranche of NTFS Projects we wanted to ensure that our resources were relevant to all subject areas and Higher Education institutions (HEI’s) whilst it also connects with the other stakeholders of the project – students, graduates, academic and learner support staff, employers, other HEI’s and the Higher Education Academy subject centres.
THE SKILLS’ GAP
The world of work has changed significantly over the last few years and a degree is no longer enough to secure graduate employment. Students are entering HE in order to get graduate level employment: ‘It is clear that, as a more diverse population chooses to go to university, greater emphasis is being placed on long-term employment prospects when choosing institutions and courses'[7]. The Institute of Directors (IoD) Briefing 2007[8] said employers find most graduates are unprepared for employment and suggested that universities have a role to play in this. The same report highlighted that employability skills (in a generic sense) are perceived by employers as more important than subject specific skills.
Carl Gilleard, the Chief Executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) in January 2007 said ‘Much more effort needs to be made.....to get the message across that going to university and coming out with a 2.1, while an achievement, is not enough to land a graduate level job. You have to develop your skills and experience. People who put in applications full of spelling mistakes on online application forms deserve what they get'[9]. The definition of employability Carl uses on behalf of AGR is: ‘21st century graduates need to demonstrate to employers that they can ‘hit the ground running'. In addition to working hard to gain a good degree, students should engage in extra curricular activities and obtain work experience in order to develop skills that will make them better prepared for the world of work'. The issue that Higher Education is battling with is how, in the crowded market place of the university experience, do we help students to realise all of the above? One of the priorities of our project is that the resources are embedded in the classroom experience: not simply stand-alone tools or extra curricular activity.
GOING BEYOND THE EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVE ON THE SKILLS GAPS
Having started with the national research, we conducted in-depth interviews with students, graduates, employers and academic staff to understand the individual perception and / or experience of ‘graduate employability’. The interviews were semi-structured and exploratory and aimed to elicit areas of difficulty in the early stages of the life of a graduate in the workplace that are relevant to enable development as a professional.
Employers identified the following key skills as difficult to develop in their sectors:
· Housing: organisational culture and society factors, help-seeking, good communication skills and providing relevant answers;
· Music: networking, understanding the sector and its "unstructured" nature as a profession
· Law: Commercial Awareness; finding practical solutions to problems
Graduates had their own views about the most important skills that they had to develop once they reached the workplace.
· literacy: writing for diverse audiences (non-academic);
· personal attributes: develop assertiveness (say "no");
· people related skills:
· networking (in particular music and marketing graduates)[10]
· how to deal with situations and dealing with shocking situations (what to do when a theoretical model fails)
· career related: finding out what you do not want to do; understanding the profession; knowing how to go about finding information
RESOURCES
For each skill or scenario we began with a scoping exercise to make sure that resources did not currently exist.. If resources were not found we began work devising, trialling and evaluating the impact of resources.
We decided to focus on the following eight areas:
Skill / ResourceCultural awareness / No Offence Meant
Providing relevant answers / Too Much Information
Professional ethics / Ethical Dilemmas
Networking and social confidence / The Networking Game
Unexpected and extreme emotions and reactions / Expecting the Unexpected
Social responsibility / Stone Soup
Research skills / Who, What, Where
Bullying and the misuse of power / Inappropriate Behaviour
All the resources are currently being trialled and evaluation is in progress.
1. No Offence Meant:
This resource relates to various aspects of cultural awareness including national, corporate, personal and professional culture. The original spark came from the ‘naming the teddy bear' incident in Sudan, when Gillian Gibbons a schoolteacher became embroiled in an international incident when she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear ‘Mohammed', unaware of the offence that this was likely to cause in a Muslim country. Our research with employers and graduates has shown that cultural awareness or cultural sensitivity is crucial to most, if not all, graduate employment. The resource consists of a ‘wimba’[11] site as well as card sorts and quizzes to be used in table groups in the classroom.
2. Too Much Information
Employers from a range of disciplines commented on the problem of weaning graduates from the behaviour that has been instilled in them by the typical assessment process. When asked to give advice a novice is likely to recite everything they know on the topic. Although the information is usually correct, it goes beyond and often obscures the key elements needed by the client. Students are encouraged to put themselves in the place of the client to recognise the difference between being told the ‘textbook' response and receiving relevant helpful advice. The resource consists of audio files and cartoon strips showing four different contexts: housing, health, IT and education.
3. Ethical dilemmas
In this scenario an employee overhears someone sharing commercially sensitive information. The DVD features a fictional company and cast of characters in an exchange which assumes the viewer is a recent graduate-level recruit, confronted with a range of tasks and information. They are an unwitting witness to what appears to be an incident of commercial espionage within an already difficult professional environment. The incident is written with sufficient ambiguity that uncertainty is created in the mind of the participant regarding the best course of action to take, prompting debate in class and further reflection upon what constitutes professional and ethical behaviour.
4. The Networking Game
The ‘things you wished you had known’ question in the 2005/6 learning and teaching project ‘Using Graduates to Help Develop and Enhance the Curriculum’ prompted 16% of respondents to cite networking / social confidence. This skill also emerged from interviews with employers, for example one employer explained that she avoided putting new graduates in a situation where they would need to engage in social conversation with a client. The board game resource includes interactive questions. As participants in the game students do not have to answer all the questions themselves to learn the answers, and by including tasks like ‘shake hands with everyone around the table’ all participants experience and / or discuss various aspects of social confidence.
5. Expecting the Unexpected
Many graduates report that theoretical models learned during their course do not always translate easily into practice – one of these is dealing with unexpected reactions in the workplace, such as emotional or angry clients or work colleagues. This simulation resource helps to build self esteem and self confidence in students, equipping them to deal with difficult real life situations, as well as adjusting their expectations. It consists of a DVD showing a client or colleague in a range of difficult scenarios. Using the DVD as the trigger, some students deal with the difficult situation, others act as "coaches", others act as reporters.
6. Stone Soup
This is a rework of the Brothers Grimm story in which a stranger encourages villagers to produce a nourishing soup by offering to make the meal using nothing more than a stone. By encouraging the villagers to contribute seemingly inconsequential additions such as an onion or a carrot, the whole community is soon enjoying a meal together. The cartoon stimulates students to discuss the issues raised in the context of a contemporary workplace. The resource also helps students develop their understanding of story telling in modern society, as a tool to convey shared values. In conjunction with other resources students are encouraged to contextualise team work and social responsibility beyond the classroom.
7. Who, what, where…
Both national research[12] and our own interviews showed that applicants for graduate jobs often do inadequate research. Their answers to interview questions such as ‘what do you know about this firm or this sector’ reveal how little research the graduate has done into employers or their career choice. This web 2.0 based resource supports the process of searching for a job; researching the company and its background; and investigating the graduate market / sector.
8. Inappropriate Behaviour
A conductor in an orchestra or a theatre director coerces a junior musician or actor to behave in a way they would not otherwise do, to the benefit of the conductor or director. You are that new graduate - what will you do? This DVD resource is designed to help students manage their reactions when negotiating with people in perceived positions of power.
EVALUATION
The main tool for data collection was questionnaires reflecting the overall aims of the evaluation as well as referencing the specific learning objectives of the session which varied across subject and resource. The overall aim of using these resources was to enhance students’ confidence in their transition to the workplace. Participation in the evaluation was voluntary and some students opted out.
TMI Education
The lecturer used the TMI Parents’ Evening simulation as part of a session aimed at helping trainee teachers to understand their pastoral care role as well as viewing the parent as a client. The session started with a set of discussions before viewing the simulation. These discussions were aimed at reflecting on both parents’ and teachers’ expectations and needs. After the discussions, the DVD TMI simulation was shown to illustrate an example of a parents’ evening. The students worked in pairs with the transcript of the teacher and parent dialogue to reflect on how to improve it and suggest alternatives. The session ended with a role play. A total of 16 students were present in the session and completed the questionnaires.
The session was well received by the student group and all the activities were perceived to be useful.
Explicit comments
The structure of the session as a whole was commented on positively by eight students. The DVD simulation of the scenario was highlighted by two students as being particularly useful.
“the structure of the session enabled a progression through my understanding. I could explore my pre-conceived ideas and then experience other possibilities”
The role play was highlighted by six of the students as being one of the most useful activities.
“it was extremely useful how not to conduct such a meeting”
“I found the video and script useful as it gave a clear example of a poor meeting”
TMI Housing
In this session, the objective was to explore communication issues with clients in a Housing Association. The student participants consisted of a group of 25 but only seven students completed the second questionnaire. The student group started by discussing their approaches to clients and strategies. The students shared their experiences from work. The DVD presenting a simulation of a housing crisis was shown and discussed. The group then viewed a patient and radiographer situation at the hospital. This was a parallel scenario but in a different context for the students to experience and understand the client’s perspective. The group was then given the scripts from the housing scenario and the session ended with a role play.