employability

							Employability: University of Aberdeen Development Plan
2009/10


The Scottish Funding Council (SFC), through its corporate plan, hassignalled the importance of the
development of employability skills and attitudes in students in further and higher education. The SFC’s
corporate plan includes a priority action ‘improving the employability and skills of learners’ with the
associated aim, ‘learning programmes offered by Scotland’s colleges and universities to be relevant to
students’ lives and careers, society and the economy’. As a main strategy to meet this aim, the SFC
has made available funding, for a 4-year period, to each HEI to help enable institutions to better meet
the challenge of improving their contribution to learners’ employability through all of their learning and
teaching provision.


The University of Aberdeen has used the SFC funds to:


     Appoint an additional Careers Adviser and re-define the roles of existing careers advisers, each
     now having a specific employability remit, e.g. relating to international students, early years
     careers engagement, work-related learning, PDP, and postgraduate career development. This will
     allow careers advisers to work with several academic Schools and disciplines simultaneously on
     issues, specific to their employability roles, and thus allow employability to become embedded with
     the work of all the careers advisers.
     Appoint an Educational & Employability Development Adviser co-located jointly in the Careers
     Service and the Centre for Learning & Teaching to work with Schools and Colleges to explore,
     prepare, deliver and evaluate innovative approaches to the development of employability within
     curricula, including on-line delivery, and also to ensure employability is firmly embedded within the
     generic and subject specific elements of the University’s Personal Development Planning (PDP) tool.
     Establish a Placement Development Unit within the Careers Service, and appoint a 0.5
     Administrator to source and support work-related learning, work experience placements and the
     development of a database of employers under the directorship of the Head of the Careers
     Service.


Aim:


Drive Forward Year III of the Employability Development Plan ensuring ourstrategy for developing
graduate employability aligns with the University’s ongoing process of Curriculum Reform. Underpinning
the development plan are six key objectives.



Objective 1: Work Placements


Continue to develop the Placement Development Unit within the Careers Service by sourcing, arranging,
supporting and monitoring structured summer work placement opportunities for penultimate year
students across the three Colleges.



Key Actions


     To establish a co-ordinated University-wide approach to work-related learning and work
     placements as part of Curriculum Reform.
     To continue working with existing work placement providers to sustain local placement
     opportunities.
     To identify new placement opportunities by developing national and international placements and a
     broader network of SME placement opportunities.
     To facilitate by working with academic Schools an increased number of students to undertake work
     placements in 2009/10 by raising student awareness and understanding of the value of work
     placements.


Objective 2: Career Development Learning


Enhance and develop the credit-bearing careers education course provision at both undergraduate and
taught postgraduate level.



Key Actions


     To further build upon the credit-bearing undergraduate careers education course and the
     postgraduate credit-bearing employability course for masters students by designing a Level II Sixth
     Century Course.
     To increase the number of students registering for the undergraduate careers education course by
     continuing to promote the course to academic Schools, Advisers of Studies and students.
     To continue collaborating with other UK Careers Services to utilise appropriate shared resources as
     part of the developing careers education provision.
     To investigate and make recommendations regarding a University-wide credit bearing internship
     module.


Objective 3: Personal Development Planning (PDP)


Provide undergraduates at Levels I-III with the opportunity to engage with an online ePortfolio PDP
resource.



Key Actions


     To monitor and further develop the generic PDP resource across the University to support student
     achievement of Aberdeen-specific Graduate Attributes.
     To disseminate to academics examples and cases studies of innovative PDP practice in the
     curriculum.
     To further embed PDP-based activities in selected taught courses within each College.
     To deliver and evaluate a pilot PDP ePortfolio with taught postgraduate students in the College of
     Life Sciences & Medicine.


Objective 4: Employer Engagement


Enhance relationships with employers in order for the Careers Service to be responsive to the needs of
employers and the changing employment market.



Key Actions


     To further establish the Careers Service Employer Board as a conduit for the collection and
     dissemination of high quality graduate labour market intelligence.
     To utilise the Employer Board to evaluate Careers Service initiatives designed to enhance student
     employability.
     To utilise the Employer Board to inform and contribute to the delivery and development of the
     University’s Co-curricular STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Award.


Objective 5: Curricula Development
Develop curricula initiatives to enhance student employability by establishing a dedicated academic PDP
Special Interest Group and deliver other staff development events.



Key Actions


     To offer small grants to encourage academics to consider ways to develop PDP in taught
     undergraduate and postgraduate curricula.
     To continue incorporating employability and PDP as a dedicated session in the two-day
     introductory course for all new academic staff.
     To further promote good examples of employability practice through tailored staff development
     events at both a College and School level.
     To incorporate employability sections in the revised SENAS form for new course and programme
     proposals.


Objective 6: Co-curricular Activities


Continue to work with the Students’ Association to deliver an enhanced and extended STAR (Students
Taking Active Roles) Award and encourage wider student engagement with the University’s co-curricular
award.



Key Actions


     To establish a co-curricular working group with representatives from the Careers Service, the
     Students’ Association & Registry.
     To develop a revised STAR Award assessment framework which incorporates an end of year
     competency-based interview to measure student achievement of Aberdeen-specific Graduate
     Attributes.
     To further develop and deliver with support from employers, a series of workshops to support
     students during the STAR Award scheme.


Employability Development Plan Evaluation


The effectiveness of the University’s Employability Development Plan is monitored using a diverse range
of indicators, these are assessed and evaluated on an annual basis and include:


     Progression of students into employment or further study, taking into account the type of
     employment concerned, its relevance to the student’s future career plans and the current
     economic climate.
     Evaluating feedback from students on the support they are given and its value to them in
     identifying and obtaining appropriate employment, this information is gained from students’ utlising
     the Careers Service and attending career events.
     Feedback from employers, including members of the Careers Service Employer Board on the
     suitability of our students for employment.
     Views and comments from academic contacts in Schools & Colleges regarding the Careers Service
     provision.
     Comments and feedback from students undertaking credit-bearing careers education courses at
     both undergraduate and taught postgraduate level.
     PDP evaluation feedback derived from students regarding the effectiveness and helpfulness of the
     process and the available online resources.
     Evaluating experiences of employers and students involved in PDU sourced summer paid
     placements and the total number of work placements secured by Aberdeen students.

Mechanisms for self-review and evaluation in 2009/10 also include monthly meetings to review progress
with the Convener of the University Committee on Learning & Teaching, plus an annual employability
evaluation report presented to the Vice-Principal for Learning and Teaching.
The University of Aberdeen
King's College
Aberdeen
AB42 3FX
Tel: +44 (0)1224-272000