EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT – SUMMARY REPORT A summary of a report by the AGCAS Employer Engagement Task Group that explores
careers
or
employability-related
interactions
between
students
and
industry at university and analyses the effectiveness of such activities in improving outcomes for students and graduates, and employers.
1. INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT
This document summarises a report created
Whilst we are conscious that the research
by the AGCAS Employer Engagement Task
for this report was conducted prior to the
Group
UK
and
supported
by
the
Institute
of
Student Employers (ISE), that explores the range
of
careers
or
employability-related
interactions between students and industry at university prior to March 2020, and how they were delivered – on-campus, virtually, embedded
or
extra/co-curricular.
The
report provides an in-depth picture of how employer
engagement
is
managed
government’s
lockdown
enforcement
and subsequent move to home working as a
result
of
findings
Covid-19,
will
employers
be
and
still
we
be
higher
hope
useful
such
for
education
both
careers
and employability services. We hope that the
research
reflect
on
provides
the
an
growth
opportunity
and
to
increasing
within
sophistication of careers-related employer universities
in
a
context
where
employer
engagement
interactions
between
engagement is increasingly seen as vital to students’
experience
of
university.
The
research was intended to test frequently held assumptions about employer engagement – for example that ‘the careers fair is dead’ – and
track
the
changing
landscape
of
employers
and
universities
over
the
last
decade, and that it provides a benchmark for employer engagement activities to track changes
as
a
result
of
increased
virtual
interaction.
careers-related employer engagement.
The report is based on a survey of 108 The report identifies the various ways that
AGCAS members across 69 institutions, as
universities
well
and
employers
measure
the
as
qualitative
interviews
with
eight
employer
student/graduate recruiters. This summary
engagement activities and paints a picture of
document outlines the key findings of each
the
section of the report, as well as reflective
success
of
activities
employers
careers-related
that
and
were
most
universities
effective
before
the
for UK
went into lockdown in March 2020 due to the
Covid-19
form
the
pandemic.
basis
of
a
The
series
findings
of
short
will
pulse
surveys, allowing the impact of Covid-19 on employer engagement to be tracked against the
benchmark
engagement report.
of
activity
“normal”
employer
established
in
this
questions
for
universities
and
employers
and recommendations. For more detail on each
section,
please
read
corresponding section of the full report.
the
1.Introduction and context continued
HEADLINE FINDINGS
1. The careers fair is not dead. In
5. Before March 2020, a minority
face-to-face interactions, careers
(only 21%) of careers-related
fairs are still seen as one of the
employer engagement was
most effective employer
delivered virtually and only 30%
engagement activities for both
was embedded. VirtuaI was also not
universities and employers.
considered to be as effective as face to face delivery.
2. Employer presentations and skills session were the most
6. There is a mismatch between how
commonly offered activity and
universities and employers measure
rated one of the most effective
effectiveness with universities
activities according to employers.
focusing on experiential feedback, compared to employers looking for
3. Unsurprisingly perhaps, workbased learning such as
quantitative numbers of hires or applicants and return on investment.
placements, and embedded curricula activity are considered most effective by universities,
7.Employers want to know that the information they are sharing will
despite the majority of employer engagement activities being
reach students, so they are often keen to speak to student-facing staff
extra-curricular.
as well as employer engagement professionals.
4. From a university perspective, generic advertising services are 8. The majority of Careers Services
considered to be the least have specialised employer
effective employer engagement engagement teams with some form
activity, although it should be of employer engagement strategy,
noted that it is difficult to measure and most use an account
the effectiveness of this. management model to personalise the service they offer employers.
The rest of this report summarises the key findings for each section of the full report. For more information, see the corresponding page of the full report.
2. EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES This section discusses the most common employer engagement activities facilitated by universities prior to March 2020. The findings from this section will be interrogated in future pulse surveys, allowing us to understand whether Covid-19 has affected which employer engagement activities occur most frequently.
THE MOST COMMON EMPLOYER
Employer skills workshops
ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Single employer talks
DELIVERED BY UNIVERSITIES
Generic advertising
SPLIT BY:
Vacancy handling
FACE TO FACE (ON CAMPUS)
Recruitment provision
ONLINE
0
79%
50
100
150
200
OF CAREERS-RELATED EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES WERE DELIVERED FACE-TO-FACE AND ONLY 21% ONLINE
Only 3 activities were more likely to be delivered online than face-to-face:
1. Generic advertising services (e.g. social media, posters, plasma screens)
2. Vacancy handling (e.g. advertising)
3. Targeted advertising services (e.g. targeted emails)
70% OF FACE-TO-FACE ACTIVITIES WERE EXTRA/CO-CURRICULAR, ONLY 30% WERE EMBEDDED WITHIN THE CURRICULUM
70%
Only two activities were more frequently embedded within curricula than extra/co-curricular:
1. Structured year-in industry schemes (e.g. placements, usually credit bearing) 2. Structured consultancy projects (e.g. project-based learning or dissertations).
88%
THE MAJORITY OF INSTITUTIONS IN THIS RESEARCH OFFER SPECIFIC/TAILORED SERVICES TO SMES (88%) AND LOCAL EMPLOYERS (88%)
SMEs
Local employers
Specific sectors
Non-UK employers
Recruitment agencies
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
KEY QUESTIONS: 1. How will we maintain the effectiveness of these interactions whilst increasing virtual delivery? 2. How will we build effective relationships with other parts of the university to increase embedded activity?
3. THE MOST EFFECTIVE ACTIVITIES BEFORE MARCH 2020 This chapter explores the most effective careers-related employer engagement activities from a university and employer perspective prior to March 2020. The findings from this section of the report will form the basis of pulse surveys designed to understand whether the pandemic has affected the frequency and effectiveness of different employer engagement activities.
THE FIVE MOST EFFECTIVE EMPLOYER
5
95%
ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES FROM A UNIVERSITY PERSPECTIVE ARE:
95% of the employer engagement activities rated as most effective by universities were
1. Careers fairs (general)
delivered face-to-face (not virtually) and
2. Careers fairs (subject specific) 3. Year in industry (placement) schemes
63% of the most effective activities are extra or co-curricular
4. Structured internship/shadowing programmes 5. Employer skills workshops
63%
THE MOST EFFECTIVE CAREERS-RELATED EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES FOR EMPLOYERS Data from the ISE found that careers fairs are also the most effective employer engagement activitiy, followed by: Giving talks and workshops Sending targeted emails to students Providing careers information and resources
CAREERS FAIRS ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE CAREERSRELATED EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY
Providing work experience opportunities
FOR BOTH EMPLOYERS AND But interviews with employers painted a more nuanced picture with ‘Small/informal events/opportunities to meet students’, ‘internships, placements and work experience’ and ‘managed recruitment/recruitment
UNIVERSITIES, FOLLOWED BY EMPLOYER SKILLS WORKSHOPS AND WORK EXPERIENCE PROVISION
support’ referred to as more effective than careers fairs.
KEY QUESTIONS: 1. If careers fairs were the most effective form of employer engagement pre March 2020, how can employers and universities replicate this in a post-Covid environment? How can careers and employability professionals leverage that effectiveness as we move back into hybrid or face-toface delivery? 2. If embedded curricula activity is more effective than extra-curricular, how can careers and employability professionals work with their wider university to embed employability within curricula?
4. MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS In this chapter, we explore how universities and employers measure the effectiveness of careersrelated employer engagement activities.
THE MOST COMMON AND MOST EFFECTIVE METHODS USED BY UNIVERSITIES TO MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF THEIR EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES 1. Employer feedback
2.
3.
Most common
Most effective
Number of employers engaging
Number of students engaging
Student feedback
No. of students who gain internships and placements
DLHE/Graduate Outcomes
0
25
50
75
100
125
HOW DO EMPLOYERS MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF THEIR EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT WITH UNIVERSITIES?
1. Number of applicants from the university 2. Number of offers/hires from the university 3. The calculated return on investment (time or money) from attending events/ engaging with a university 4. The performance or retention of the student/graduate once in role = 5. Event turnout / engagement with students at events = 5. Students' brand awareness
KEY QUESTIONS: 1. How can we bridge the gap between employers and careers services when evaluating effectiveness? 2. Can universities better use their systems to measure effectiveness in the ways employers prefer? 3. Can employers better share their application, offers and return on investment data with universities? 4. How can universities use Graduate Outcomes with employers?
5. VIRTUAL EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT PRE-MARCH 2020 This section of the report examines virtual/online careers-related employer engagement activities delivered prior to March 2020, and the perceived effectiveness of these. The importance of virtual activities
post-March
2020
is
discussed
further
in
section
9:
employer
engagement
in
a
post-
pandemic world
1.
21% 2.
PRIOR TO MARCH 2020, ONLINE DELIVERY ACCOUNTED FOR JUST Most common 21% OF ALL EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Most effective
3.
3
The only activities more commonly delivered online than face-to-face prior to
ONLINE EMPLOYER
March 2020 were:
ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ARE
1. Generic advertising services (e.g.
MORE COMMONLY DELIVERED
social media, posters, plasma screens)
TO BE EXTRA/CO-CURRICULAR
2. Vacancy handling (e.g. advertising)
THAN EMBEDDED IN THE
3. Targeted advertising services (e.g.
CURRICULUM
targeted emails).
5%
Only 5% of the activities selected as most effective for universities are online and none of the activities in the top ten most effective for universities were primarily delivered online. Data from the ISE does not describe whether the most effective activities for employers
are
virtual
or
face-to-face,
but
we
can
assume
that
sending
targeted
emails to students and providing careers information and resources may be delivered virtually.
KEY QUESTIONS: 1. Given that a greater amount of careers or employability-related interactions between students and industry at university is now likely to occur virtually, how can universities and employers work together to increase the effectiveness of virtual activities? 2. How can careers and employability professionals improve perceptions of virtual careers-related employer/student interactions with employers, students and wider university colleagues?
6. STRATEGIC APPROACHES TO EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT IN UNIVERSITIES This section of the report discusses how careers-related employer engagement is structured and managed within universities.
THE AVERAGE FTE NUMBER OF CAREERS-
86% OF RESPONDENTS HAVE A
86%
SPECIALIST EMPLOYER
RELATED EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
ENGAGEMENT TEAM OR STAFF
PROFESSIONALS EMPLOYED IN CAREERS
MEMBERS WITH A SPECIFIC
SERVICES IS 8, THOUGH SIZE OF TEAM
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT REMIT
RANGED FROM 1-52 FTE
9
THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF FTE
57% OF RESPONDING INSTITUTIONS
STAFF MEMBERS WITH A CAREERS-
HAVE AN EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
RELATED EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
STRATEGY, 25% DO NOT.
ROLE ACROSS THE WIDER
18% answered "other". These respondents
UNIVERSITY IS 9, THOUGH
were
ANSWERS RANGED FROM 0 TO >60
strategy, or have an informal strategy.
currently
writing/updating
55% INVOLVE EMPLOYERS IN THEIR ADVISORY BOARDS OR
55%
8
their
57%
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR STRATEGY TO A MODERATE (45%) OR GREAT EXTENT (10%), 20% DO NOT INCLUDE EMPLOYERS IN THEIR ADVISORY BOARDS OR STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AT ALL
THE GRADUATE OUTCOMES
Graduate Outcomes survey
74%
26%
League tables
70%
30%
Immigration changes
55%
45%
TEF*
50%
50%
Careers registration data
41%
59%
LEO*
35%
65%
KEF*
22%
78%
SURVEY IS THE EXTERNAL FACTOR THAT HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT PROVISION. THE KEF* HAS HAD THE SMALLEST IMPACT. Moderate to great impact No impact to limited impact
0
25
50
75
100
TEF = Teaching excellence & student outcomes framework; LEO = Longitudinal employment outcomes; KEF = Knowledge exchange framework
KEY QUESTIONS: 1. How do careers and employability professionals best share employer engagement strategies and learning across the AGCAS network? 2. How do careers and employability professionals best share knowledge across their careers service to help employer engagement professionals articulate student concerns and feedback specific employer information?
7. EMPLOYER/UNIVERSITY RELATIONSHIPS This chapter of the report details how universities promote their services to employers and decide which employers/organisations to target, as well as how employers choose which universities to work with. It explores the perceptions of “partnerships” with universities from the employers’ point of view.
Face-to-face meetings
98%
External networking events
OF UNIVERSITY CAREERS Phone/Skype
SERVICES MARKET THEIR SERVICES TO EMPLOYERS
Careers service website
THROUGH FACE-TO-FACE
Mail shots or newsletters
MEETINGS. 0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
WHAT DO UNIVERSITIES THINK THEIR SELLING POINTS ARE TO EMPLOYERS?
GLOBAL MINDSET OF STUDENTS
DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS
UNIVERSITY "BRAND" AND LINKS TO
EMBEDDED WORK EXPERIENCE/
INDUSTRY/ RESEARCH
PLACEMENTS
LOCATION OF UNIVERSITY/ GRADUATES
CALIBRE OF STUDENTS
QUALITY OF EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT/CAREERS PROVISION
OF UNIVERSITY RESPONDENTS TARGET
91%
DEFINING EMPLOYER/
EMPLOYERS TO WORK WITH BASED ON EXISTING
UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS ACTIVITIES/ ENGAGEMENT; 85% TARGET EMPLOYERS IN SPECIFIC SECTORS AND 82%
Employers
TARGET EMPLOYERS BASED ON LOCATION
regards
define to
universities, Existing activity
‘partnership’,
relationships employers
exclusive
in
with
discussed
opportunities,
mutual
understanding and bespoke ways of
Sector
working
Location
together.
Partnerships
should be characterised by two-way DLHE/Graduate Outcomes
transparent communication and trust,
Student interest
and
0
25
50
75
100
result
in
tangible
outcomes
for
both parties.
KEY QUESTIONS: 1. How can careers services continue to market their services to employers effectively in the absence of face-to-face interactions? 2. How do employer engagement professionals manage resource to facilitate the more personalised interactions and tailored information employers would like, whilst maintaining a diversity of employers for students?
8. EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT CHALLENGES PRIOR TO MARCH 2020 This chapter provides details of the careers-related employer engagement challenges that faced universities and employers at the time of the research survey (January – February 2020).
1
THE GREATEST EMPLOYER 1. ENGAGEMENT CHALLENGE FACING 2. UNIVERSITIES WAS STUDENT 3.
THE GREATEST EMPLOYER
EXPECTATIONS/ ENGAGEMENT.
FILL/SKILLS SHORTAGE ROLES.
FOLLOWED BY: 1. xx
FOLLOWED BY: 1. xx
ENGAGEMENT CHALLENGE FACING Most common
Most effective
EMPLOYERS WAS FILLING HARD TO
2. Staffing resource
2. Location of roles
3. Employer expectations/knowledge
3. Students' lack of
4. Internal structures/ways of working
knowledge/understanding
= 5. Maintaining engagement with employers
4. Recruiting diverse hires
= 5. Budgetary resources
FUTURE CHALLENGES Careers and employability professionals ranked the factors that they felt were most likely to affect their institutional
careers-related
employer
engagement
activities over the next two years (pre March 2020).
1. Changes in the economy (growth/constriction)
2. Changing emphasis on university career and employability
3. Return of post study work for international students
4. Changing employer emphasis on graduates
5. Brexit
KEY QUESTIONS: 1. Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic may have resulted in new challenges and shifted priorities, how can we ensure that the challenges facing universities and employers prior to March 2020 are not forgotten?
9. EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD This chapter explores how the global Covid-19 pandemic changed the course of this research project and immediately impacted the careers or employability-related interactions between students and industry facilitated by universities.
Less than a month after the research survey closed, the
But
government announced that the UK would begin a period
activities for the autumn term – typically the busiest time of
of lockdown, which had a huge impact on student and
year
graduate
between students and industry on-campus – this research
recruitment
and
development,
as
well
as
the
wider economy.
as
universities
for
raises
careers
important
and
or
graduate
recruiters
plan
employability-related
questions
for
employer
their
interactions
engagement
professionals about how their engagement with employers Research by the ISE supported by AGCAS, found that:
continues to have positive results for students/graduates, employers
and
universities.
The
pandemic
has
had
a
Firms were reducing their planned student recruitment
severe and significant impact on students, graduates and
for this year by 23%;
the wider population and it is unlikely that things will ever
Respondents planned to recruit 12% less graduates and
fully return to normal.
40% less interns and placement students than they were going to before the Covid-19 crisis;
Whilst appreciating the damage caused by the crisis, it is
Firms shifted much of their recruitment processes online
also
and cancelled most face-to-face activities;
positive changes. For employer engagement, we may see
Most employers are keen to stay in close contact with
the
universities
move
dramatically. The flexibility resulting from increased remote
online
working may see employers targeting a wider range of
careers
and
provision
to
see
online
education to
align
providers with
their
recruitment processes.
Whilst there is still much uncertainty about what will happen
important
use
and
to
effectiveness
universities
more
afford
costs
the
acknowledge
of
sustainably. of
travel
to
where
online
Students
it
has
influenced
activities
who
interviews
increase
struggled
and
to
assessment
centres may find their access to opportunities improved.
in the next recruitment season, there are indications that online
recruitment
–
including
attraction
and
selection
AGCAS plans to use the evidence from this research as a
activities – will be the new norm, at least until the end of
starting point to conduct short pulse surveys with AGCAS
2020 and perhaps indefinitely.
members
to
understand
how
Covid-19
has
changed
employer engagement. As demonstrated in the case studies that AGCAS collected for Universities UK, careers services moved swiftly to ensure
Key questions we hope to answer:
support for students was available online. From virtual one-
Are the factors that were rated as most likely to to-ones to increased use of vlogs, podcasts, online chats,
impact
institutional
careers-related
employer
and live streams, careers services were able to offer their
engagement activities over the next two years still students access to guidance, support and opportunities to
the same now? help
them
develop
their
employability.
Employer
How
has
the
pandemic
affected
universities
engagement teams have been exploring various iterations
careers-related employer engagement? of what might replace careers fairs virtually, from avatar-
Are style fair software to combinations of web pages, webinars and video content. Presentations and skills sessions have moved to webinar formats and many are innovating with online speed networking and using new technology, as well as social media to broaden reach.
careers
fairs
still
the
most
effective
careers-
related employer engagement activity? Has
the
increased
use
of
virtual
employer
engagement activities since March 2020 influenced how effective they are perceived to be?
@AGCAS www.agcas.org.uk research@agcas.org.uk
September 2020 Š Content licensed to AGCAS To view the terms and conditions for the material provided in this publication, please see: www.agcas.org.uk