HOW ARE AGCAS MEMBERS ADAPTING TO COVID-19?
Results from the AGCAS allmember survey
May 2020
Over
100
members
across
60
institutions
completed
AGCAS’s all-member survey.
This
report
is
intended
to
provide
a
snapshot
of
how
members are feeling during these times and outline some of the ways that AGCAS can support you.
AGCAS
Whilst the nature of members’ day-to-day
How have members' roles
work has been significantly affected by COVID-19, most respondents reported that
changed as a result of COVID-19?
they have access to the technology, resources and knowledge they need and feel connected to their colleagues in their careers service.
Page 01
AGCAS
Our
How is COVID-19 impacting student and graduate support?
members
are
concerned
about
student
engagement, supporting different student groups (e.g.
disabled
students,
international
students,
part-time students) and how best to communicate messaging around the graduate labour market to students.
Page 02
AGCAS
Compared to this time last year, to what extent are students and graduates engaging with/asking for advice about the following?
Page 03
AGCAS
The experiences of AGCAS members are mixed, making it difficult say unequivocally whether student and graduate concerns and behaviours have changed as a result of the virus for all of categories on the previous page. However, we can make the following
general
conclusions
about
where
demand
for
support
has
increased/decreased:
Demand has decreased
Demand has increased
Assessment centres
General questions about the
Interviews
graduate labour market
Career exploring/planning
What to expect from remote
Entrepreneurship/ starting a
working*
business*
Reneging/ removal of job offers*
Finding and securing internships
Changing their plans/ dealing
and work experience
with uncertainty
Completing co-curricular skills
Specific support for digital/virtual
awards*
recruitment processes
Searching for jobs *n = >50
How is AGCAS supporting its members? CPD and webinars The AGCAS alternative conference
AGCAS webinars
2020
Responding to the challenges of
The AGCAS Alternative Conference will
Covid-19 (3 April 2020)
focus on a different theme each day,
Graduate outcomes (17 April
offering free webinars featuring expert
2020)
members and external speakers. The
Effective guidance for turbulent
conference themes will be:
times and adverse markets (21
• The graduate labour market
April 2020)
• Data
The graduate labour market under
• Research and research-driven
lockdown (1 May 2020)
practice
Online careers and employability
• Social mobility and widening
services webinar series: reflections
participation
from a regional Australian
• Supporting international students
university
As well as new content and webinars, AGCAS has converted the full range of its learning and events programme into an online format. Learn more here.
Page 04
AGCAS
How is AGCAS supporting its members? Knowledge and
NextStepSupport A new website, NextStepSupport.org, has launched to provide careers and
resources
The AGCAS Research and Knowledge
employability information to students in light, and as a result, of the Covid-19 crisis. NextStepSupport is a
Hub The AGCAS Research and Knowledge Committee has created the Research and
partnership between AGCAS, ASET, ISE, GTI and The Student Room.
Knowledge Hub to act as a repository for articles, research and resources in the field of careers and employability.
The website has been designed as a free, open resource to support the activities of students, employers and
The Hub showcases research and articles on a broad range of topics, including:
universities by: Providing employability content
Managing career disruption
and tools
Developing student resilience
Directing students back to their
The effects of previous economic
university careers service
downturns on the graduate labour
Offering employers the opportunity
market
to provide hiring updates and to
Using digital technology for learning
run virtual and digital events and
Virtual delivery of services, e.g.
skills sessions through the site,
internships and careers fairs
alongside usual engagement with careers services.
EMPLOYERS AND THE GRADUATE LABOUR MARKET AGCAS members are concerned about the effect of the crisis on the graduate labour market, both in their local areas and nationally/internationally. Only 6% of respondents feel that employers are engaging with their institution in the same way as they would previously and 78% feel that the extent to which employers are engaging with their institution had changed; 99% expect that the crisis will change the global graduate labour market and 95% expect to see a change in their regional graduate labour market; 96% feel that the crisis will have an impact on the number of graduate vacancies available this summer and 89% expect that there will be an impact on the employer-led internships and work experience programmes.
Page 05
AGCAS
What impact is COVID-19 having on employers and the graduate labour market?
Page 06
AGCAS
How is AGCAS supporting its members? Employers and the labour market
AGCAS is working in partnership with the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) on the second in a series of surveys to employers about the impact that Covid-19 is having on their student and graduate recruitment. By broadening the scope of the survey to nonISE members and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we hope to better understand the impact of the crisis on local and national labour markets. The data will be jointly analysed by AGCAS and the ISE and
One day of AGCAS’s
will result in a collaborative report.
Alternative Conference will be dedicated to the graduate labour market and supporting employers through the crisis.
The AGCAS Regionalisation Working Party is sourcing COVID-19 specific Labour Market Information for AGCAS nations and regions across England. The colleaction of resources will be shared with the community over the coming weeks.
What are AGCAS members priorities over the coming months?
1. Accessing accurate/up-to-date labour market information 2. Maintaining/improving student engagement 3. Creating new opportunities and resources in line with the current experience 4. Supporting students/graduates who have been negatively impacted by the crisis 5. Understanding the long-term impact on the graduate labour market
Page 07
AGCAS
Priorities continued
6. Supporting students about to graduate into graduate-level employment 7. Working with institutional colleagues to develop clear and consistent messaging to students/graduates 8. Planning for the autumn term 9. Understanding the impact of the crisis on different student groups (e.g. WP students, disabled students) and providing relevant support 10. Understanding how employers are immediately affected
How will AGCAS support its members?
AGCAS will be using what we have learnt from the members’ survey to influence how we support you through the crisis. In particular, we will: Facilitate the sharing on labour market information across the membership Host more member-led webinars and CPD Be more vocal about how we support careers services at a strategic sector level Provide communication channels and opportunities to network
How is AGCAS supporting its members? External positioning Over the past few weeks, our views and expertise have been sought by a number of sector bodies to support planning for the broader impact of Covid-19, which helps the political positioning of our profession and members.
Who have we been working with so far? Chartered Management Institute; Universities UK (UUK); Office for Students (OfS) UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA); Universities UK International (UUKi).
You can learn more about our work with sector bodies here.
Page 08
THANKS FROM AGCAS
KEEP
IN
TOUCH
There are a range of ways that you can hear from us and keep in contact with other members across the sector.
ARENA AGCAS website Twitter LinkedIn AGCAS jisc mail and discussion groups
THANKS
Thank you to all members who took part in this survey. We will continue to engage with and support you over the coming months.
If you have any comments, please send them to communications@agcas.org.uk
Best wishes from the AGCAS team