Employability and Enterprise Strategy

UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON

EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTERPRISE STRATEGY

September 2014 – August 2017

Author: Head of Careers and Employability

1.0INTRODUCTION

The Employability and Enterprise Strategy is an institutional-wide document that requires both academic and central support services to work in partnership. This new strategy recognises that employability is achieved through a combination of provision that takes place within the curriculum, through personal tutoring, via extra-curricular opportunities and with the professional support of the Careers Service.

While progress has been made in some areas of the University, there is still a great need to increase our efforts to ensure that more students leave the University of Bolton with the self-promotional skills to gain a graduate level job.

The Employability and Enterprise Strategy is intended to provide a framework through the provision of key priorities and linked activities. It is expected that Academic Groups will respond to the strategy with their own additional ideas that take into account their discipline and their specific needs.

2.0OUR AMBITION

To ensure that all of our students (UG and PG) acquire the skills, knowledge and abilities to gain graduate level jobs and compete effectively in the graduate labour market
To help students to take control of their personal and professional development in order for them to meet their career aspirations
To foster a culture across the University which recognises the significance of employability and enterprise development
To increase the range and availability of relevant work experience opportunities for all students at every level of study.

3.0KEY STAKEHOLDERS

This document reflects the University of Bolton’s commitment to providing employability and enterprise support for all of its key stakeholders: students, staff and employers. For students we aim to support undergraduate and postgraduate, on and off campus, full-time and part-time individuals to ensure that they have the opportunity to realise their career ambitions and aspirations. For staff we aim to develop a holistic approach across the university with common goals for supporting the development of employability and enterprise development in the learning and teaching environment. For employers, we seek to create a university that is responsive to the needs of the labour market, ensuring our students and graduates can add value to their workforce.

4.0REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Overall accountability for this strategy will sit with the Education Committee which is chaired by the Assistant Vice Chancellor (Quality Assurance). Two progress reports per academic year will be provided. Progress against the strategic priorities will be monitored and evaluated by the Employability and Enterprise Strategy group. This group will aim to meet twice a term and is chaired by the Pro Vice Chancellor. The Strategy Group will monitor an annual implementation plan which will detail how the strategic priorities are to be met, with clear responsibilities, timelines and a realistic assessment of the costs/budget needed.

Operational aspects which will underpin the Strategy will be discussed and actioned at the Employability and Enterprise Champions Group (EECG). The EECG includes representation from all Academic Groups, Off Campus Divisionand staff with a responsibility for enterprise developments.

5.0KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The success and effectiveness of this strategy will need to be measured against a range of key performance indicators. These include:

An increased percentage of students moving into graduate level jobs (annual DLHE statistics)
Institutional-wide awareness among staff and students of the University’s employability agenda and the professional support available.
The number of students involved in the new Bolton Employability Award.
Student confidence in their own skills and abilities related to employability and enterprise.
Proportion of each Academic Group’s students who use the services offered by the Careers Service.
The number of employers and alumni involved in on-campus activities (live briefs, advisory groups, curriculum development, visiting lectures, events and mentoring).
An increased level of satisfaction with career-related activities as evidenced in the National Student Survey, module evaluations and additional internal surveys.
The number of campus jobs and graduate internships available for students to apply for.

6.0STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Students also need to take ownership of their own employability and career development, but in order to do this they need to be aware of the opportunities open to them, and understand how their learning and teaching activities support their employability and progression. It is also fundamental that students from non-traditional backgrounds, whose professional networks might be restricted, are given the right level of support and encouragement, raising their aspirations about what they can achieve.

As a minimum therefore, this Strategy seeks to ensure that students:

Develop self-awareness of their own employability skills, understanding what they have achieved, how they have achieved it and how to take action to bridge any evident gaps.
Take part in work experience opportunities and assess and illustrate how this will help them to achieve their career aspirations.
Improve their self-confidence, particularly in relation to reflecting on and articulating their capabilities and attributes in a range of recruitment situations.

7.0 GUIDING PRINCIPLES

It is assumed that to develop and implement this proposed strategy, and effectively increase employability and enterprise provision and activities across the University, additional resources will be required.
Successful implementation of this Strategy requires a high level of collaboration across the University. There are already a large number of departments and staff who contribute to this agenda including: the Careers Service, Employability and Enterprise Champions, The Students’ Union, the Alumni Office, Academic Groups, Personal Tutors and staff within the UTC.
Priorities and activities described within the Strategy are, in the main, aimed at our on and off campus provision and take into account both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Equality of opportunity is fundamental to our employability and enterprisedelivery, and any activity should take into account our diverse student body and any possible barriers that might hinder engagement.
This document has been put together in consultation with Academic Groups, The Students’ Union, the Careers Service, the Off Campus Division, the University Technical College team and based on feedback from the Careers Service Student Consultation Group.
A detailed implementation plan will accompany this document and will highlight the operational aspects aligned to key timescales, accountability and costs.

Version 2

November 2014

8.0STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

The six key strategic priorities and accompanying activities of the Employability and Enterprise Strategy for 2014-2017 are:

Strategic Priorities / Priority Activities
Priority 1
To coordinate, establish and strengthen our collaborative links with employers, professional bodies and alumni in order to increase the number of employer-related activities and job opportunities. /

To establish an Employer Forum in each Academic Group. The purpose being to involve employers in ‘curriculum-shaping’ and to raise the visibility of employability and enterprise activities within the University
To host an annual event for Employer Forums from across the University to come together and share best practice
To identify alumni who are willing to be a source of support to our student body via mentoring, offering student placements/internships, supporting graduate recruitment, providing case studies or becoming members of Employer Forums
To create a ‘virtual shop front’ for employers with a robust system for managing employer interactions and opportunities
To build on existing employer links from the new University Technical College (UTC) and encourage further participation in university events.

Priority 2
To increase the opportunities for all students to gain relevant work experience through placements, internships, work-based projects, work-based learning and volunteering on a co-curricular and extra-curricular basis. /

To extend work opportunities within the University through an ‘on-campus agreement’, from which students could benefit
To deliver an annual internship programme for University of Bolton graduates
To establish and set a baseline for work experience activities within all programmes
To establish the Career Hub software within the Careers Service to provide more targeted marketing of opportunities, events and graduate vacancies
To compile a good practice guide for staff, students and employers on work placements.
To establish a ‘Work Experience Week’ within the University calendar
To encourage extra-curricular activity to enhance learning and acquisition of skill sets amongst the student body through the development of the Bolton Employability Award
To create a skills matrix for all extra-curricular roles within the SU/wider university to help students understand their skills development
To introduce the HEAR within the University and encourage students to engage with section 6.1 and reflect on their experiences
To seek funding in order to support students to access work placement opportunities
To explore the opportunity for undergraduate students to undertake work experience, volunteering and mentoring opportunities within the new UTC
To explore opportunities for all students to experience work-related or work-based learning in the curriculum, co-curriculum and extra-curriculum
To promote and encourage more students to undertake the Erasmus scheme and thereby increase their international exposure and work experience.

Priority 3
To ensure that the skills, qualities and graduate attributes aligned to employability and enterprise are embedded effectively within the curriculum /

To ensure that all academic groups develop a process to introduce students to the relevance and impact of employability skills from year one by means of a personal careers timeline
All Academic Groups and off campus partners to be audited for employability and enterprise skills on an annual basis
To develop a skills portal which utilises web-based and e-learning resources
To provide opportunities for students to evidence their employability via the development and use of online tools such as an e-portfolio/app
To host an annual employability and enterprise best practice event for staff both on and off campus
To embed job application skills within all degree programmes to include: writing a CV and cover letter, writing application forms, interview techniques and presentation skills
To address the literacy skills of students and improve their applications by using employability as a focus

Priority 4
To effectively market and raise the profile of employability and enterprise activities with all key stakeholders i.e. students, staff, alumni, employers, partners. /

To develop an employability and enterprise campaign to improve student, staff and stakeholder awareness of Bolton’s employability agenda
Celebrate student success within employability and enterprise both on and off campus
To devise a sub-brand for employability and enterprise and use in all related marketing
To ensure that employability and enterprise has a prominent position in student induction programmes and all learning/course materials
To compile case studies/videos for all programmes and market via web/poster campaign
To provide specific employability and enterprise materials for all new staff
To develop a set of institution-wide key messages which communicate our employability position and provision
To develop online and multi-media resources for employability and enterprise linked to the Careers Service website
To improve the employer strand of the main University web site

Priority 5
To develop an enterprising and entrepreneurial culture amongst our staff and students. /

To establish an accredited unit for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.
To develop a programme of enterprise activities which includes institution-wide activities and academic group activities
To explore the development of incubation space for students/graduates on campus utilising classroom/lab space during summer periods
To explore the possibility of helping students with registering their businesses before they leave Bolton University
To organise more focused Enterprise competitions on campus
To take part in more external Enterprise events and competitions
To support students to establish an Enterprise Society via The Students’ Union

Priority 6
To ensure that all students have access to high quality careers information, advice and guidance by enhancing universal and targeted provision. /

To deliver mandatory careers and employability workshops for all students
To provide an annual breakdown of careers support that can be provided at each HE level.
To increase the visibility of the Careers Service to students and staff through a targeted marketing campaign
To develop the use of webinars and online presentations that can be used and accessed 24/7, off campus
To explore a more consistent approach to pre-entry guidance for all prospective students
To establish a Job Club on campus to support current students and graduates with job applications and recruitment
To raise the profile of Graduate Schemes that are available to students and encourage and support early applications

Version 2

November 2014