ANNUAL REPORT
2013-14
Contents 1
A strategic commitment to employability 4-7
2
Career learning and professional skills support 8 - 11
Career coaching for individuals
5
20 - 23
6
Career information in the digital age 24 - 27
7
King’s graduates - employment and further study destinations 28 - 31
Engaging employers
3
12 - 15
4
Internships, work experience and entrepreneurship 16 - 19
Introduction King’s Careers & Employability exists to support students and recent graduates to maximise their early career success; and to forge strong links between the university and graduate employers across all sectors, both in the UK and internationally. We work in partnership with students, employers and a range of university departments to deliver against three strategic aims: • To enable individuals to develop effective career management skills and attain career success • To enable the university to deliver high quality employability support to students across all disciplines • To enable employers to connect with and recruit King’s graduates This Annual Report for 2013-14 outlines our activities to achieve these aims, focussing on our work with students, with employers, and the many partnerships with academic and other departments at King’s to deliver on the university’s Strategy for Student Employability. This year has seen an increase in employer engagement in our departmental professional skills programmes; the introduction of new events on campus; and an increase in internship and job opportunities available – reaching over 3,000 live vacancies on our online portal at any one time for the first time this year. We are grateful to all our employer partners for their contributions to careers activities for King’s students on and off campus; and to the many university staff who support the work that we do to promote career development as an integral part of the King’s experience.
Laura Mackenzie Head of Careers & Employability
1 Image credit: www.flazingo.com
A strategic commitment to employability
“I got the job!!! … I still can’t believe it. Thanks so so much once more for supporting me and for introducing me this to this ‘new world’ in such a delicate but professional way.”
“I have been successful in getting a summer vacation scheme in London and I am so grateful for everything you have helped me with to improve my application form and in the preparation for the interview.”
1 A strategic commitment to employability
K
ing’s has an excellent graduate employment record, with 94% of UK first degree graduates going into work or study six months after graduation. However, the university recognises the importance of preparing students for an increasingly global, competitive and evolving career landscape. Key to this is ensuring that career preparation is an integral part of a student’s time at King’s through the provision of tailored events, skills development programmes and individual support.
A new university Strategy for Student Employability The university’s new Strategy for Employability was developed this year against a backdrop of increased focus on graduate employability amongst prospective students and their funders; inclusion of employment data in institutional performance measures; higher expectations amongst current students of high quality career development support to supplement their academic programmes; and an increasingly global student cohort seeking career opportunities across the world. The Strategy outlines how King’s will build on existing strengths in co-curricula opportunities and links with employers and alumni to make employability enhancement a central part of the King’s Experience for students.
The Strategy: Key Objectives • • •
Access to employability and career focussed learning as part of programmes of study Clear planning & evaluation at Faculty level, supported by Careers & Employability Increased numbers of students engaging with internships or placements, and with other cocurricula opportunities
6 | King’s Careers & Employability Annual Report 2013-14
• • • •
Higher profile and reach with employers (UK and international) Increased employability opportunities for students through the King’s alumni community Integrated and higher profile support for the development of innovation and enterprise skills Active university support for student-led career enhancement activities
Working in partnership with Faculties At the heart of the Strategy is the idea of active partnership with Faculties and professional service units to develop provision that students recognise as tailored to their discipline, readily available and integrated into their programmes of study. To make this a reality the Careers & Employability team have started to work with academic colleagues in Faculties and departments to develop Faculty-level employability strategies or department specific employability action plans as appropriate.
Each faculty strategy looks at current data around graduate employment outcomes as well as current student needs to develop programmes of support for students to sit alongside the formal curriculum. Outcomes and impact from each strand of activity can then be monitored to feed into annual planning and continuous development.
Enhancing co-curricula and work-based opportunities An important strand of the Strategy is work to enhance the range
of co-curricula and work-based opportunities available to students. Various units within the university have developed co-curricula initiatives over the last year, ranging from universitywide events, competitions and awards such as the new Undergraduate Research fellowships and Leadership & Professional Skills Award, to departmentally focussed activities
such as the Cultural Institute’s internship competition. The aim of the Strategy is to ensure that these strands of activity are made more visible to students, and that students are supported to access opportunities and make the most out of them from a career development perspective.
Access the Strategy via the Policy Zone at:
www.kcl.ac.uk/college/policyzone/index.php?id=516 www.kcl.ac.uk/careers | 7
2 Image credit: Kate Hiscock
Career learning & professional skills support
“The careers consultant has brought the same degree of care and enthusiasm for looking out for our students that I have! I very much look forward to continuing to work with you all to develop a truly outstanding Careers experience for our students.” - Careers Liaison Tutor
“The departmental Professional Skills Programme is a terrific programme of activities”
2
Career Learning & Professional Skills Support Delivery through Faculties and Departments
A
t the heart of the university’s Strategy for Student Employability is the delivery of careerfocussed support through Faculties and departments, so that employability is seen as an integrated part of a student’s programme of study and time at King’s. Careers & Employability work with academic faculties and departments to plan and deliver tailored programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate taught level as well as contributing to the Graduate School’s Researcher Development Programme for postgraduate research students.
INFORMATICS PROFESSIONAL SKILLS PROGRAMME The Informatics Professional Skills Programme is offered to students by the Department of Informatics in collaboration with Careers & Employability. Key to the success of the programme is appropriate timetabling and the support of the department in highlighting the value of the programme to students. This comes in many forms from academic endorsement in lectures to KEATS modules to access to department Facebook pages. This year the Programme included 11 sessions co-delivered by employers interested in connecting with Informatics students, covering topics as diverse as Introduction to start-ups and Assessment Centres for Technical subjects.
Images: Top; Mathematics Professional Skills Programme (PSP), Middle; Informatics PSP, Bottom; King’s Professional Skills Programme
10 | King’s Careers & Employability Annual Report 2013-14
BIOSCIENCE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS PROGRAMME The Bioscience Professional Skills Programme runs across the Faculty for second and final year undergraduate student interested in developing their employability skills and exploring their career options. The programme consists of seven sessions, co-delivered with a range of employers and covering topics including Further Study, Commercial Awareness and Finding Internships and Work Experience. Students who attend four or more of the seven sessions receive a certificate of attendance. The programme is linked to the annual bioscience careers fair at Guy’s which creates opportunities for students to connect with employers who are interested in hiring bioscience graduates.
889 career
and employability
skills
sessions
Number of sessions
Student Attendance
Average attendance per session
11
4,964
451
Centrally Available CEP1
107
1,676
16
Departmental CEP1
318
13,488
42
Employers on Campus
28
1,614
58
Off Campus Events
378
-
-
Skills Awards
47
840
18
Careers Fairs
1
CEP = Careers and Employability Programme
LAW AT WORK The Law at Work programme is a joint initiative from the Dickson Poon School of Law and Careers & Employability encompassing activities and events designed to bring students closer to the practice of law and careers in the legal world. The programme includes an annual conference week (‘Legal Week’) and professional skills training for LLB and LLM students, alongside one of the country’s largest university law careers fairs showcasing 69 employers over three days. Legal Week prepares students to make the best use of their time at the Law Fair by raising their awareness of the commercial context within which law is practised and the business trends that are likely to affect them. The Law at Work programme brings all the nonacademic activities organised by the Law School and King’s Careers & Employability under one brand, including employability skills training that is co-delivered by employers with close content guidance from the Careers Consultants. The close working relationship the professional services and academic staff of the Law School has enabled the Careers Consultants to deliver market-relevant employability skills in a timely and effective manner.
22,582
engaged students
25
per session
www.kcl.ac.uk/careers | 11
3
Engaging employers
“I heard about new companies and schemes for after my degree I didn’t know existed.” - Student at King’s Bioscience Fair 2013
“Always a pleasure to meet positive, delightful students about to embark on their future careers.” - Caprio Nightingale at the King’s Nursing Fair 2014
3 Engaging Employers Making Connections
C
areers & Employability acts as the central point of contact for graduate recruiters who want to connect with King’s students and recent graduates. We continue to increase both the number, and diversity, of employers who engage with King’s, building on the existing diversity of our network.
with 2779
paid internships
2013 - 14
52
students placed on to the pilot
339 off-campus
Images: Top; Barclays Smoothie Bikes in The Quad, Middle; RBS Elephant in The Quad, Bottom; PwC Coffee Takeover in Chapters
events promoted
14 | King’s Careers & Employability Annual Report 2013-14
attended
We offer a range of recruitment and promotion services to employers who want to meet King’s students on campus or advertise their opportunities directly, including: • Vacancy handling using on our online vacancy database, JobOnline. Internship brokering • On campus promotion, including recruitment and information events • Advice on campus engagement strategies • Support to build links with academic departments
4964 students
Services to Employers
Engagement with
311
EMPLOYERS
across 35 professional sectors
“We’ve recruited a number of students from King’s on to our graduate programmes. We’re interested in talented students applying to us with strong academics but just as important are their employability skills. Applicants who stand out are those who’ve done research and are well prepared. As a leading employer of graduates, we recognise the important role played in producing high-calibre, motivated individuals who are ready to enter the world of professional services” - PricewaterhouseCoopers
435
ON-CAMPUS
EVENTS
attended by
15,705
students
5 Legal Week, Media Week, Entrepreneurship Week, Public Policy Week, Assessment Centre Week
113 184 in Professional Skills Programme sessions
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4
Internships, work experience and entrepreneurship
“I was able to develop new transferable skills that will benefit me massively in the future, as well as enhance my employment chances.” - Student on a King’s Internship in Marketing Content Support role
“I was working in a really friendly environment, the whole team paid attention to my ideas and encouraged many of my proposals.” - Student on a King’s Internship in Cultural Manager role
4
Internships, work experience and entrepreneurship The work advantage
R
ecognition of the importance of work-based experiences to developing a successful graduate career is not new, but trends in graduate recruitment indicate the increasing importance of work relevant experience to securing initial graduate roles. King’s Careers & Employability work with employers to offer internships to students and recent graduates through a range of channels: • Advertising internship opportunities on JobOnline • Offering a brokering service to employers to match students to opportunities • Developing internships that are suitable for accredited internship modules in a range of disciplines as part of the Internship Programme In addition to direct employer engagement, the team work with students to help them to research and apply for opportunities as well as develop useful contacts through appropriate networking at on and off campus events and online.
King’s Internships – paid internships for King’s students 2013-14 saw the pilot year for a new internships scheme set up in partnership with Step Enterprises Ltd (www.step.org. uk). The scheme sources and promotes paid internships for students or recent graduates in SMEs across all sectors. Internships can be full or part-time and normally last between 4 and 26 weeks. During the pilot year 59 interns were placed through the King’s Step scheme, with a further 21 King’s students placed through the central London Step scheme. The success of the Step pilot led to the creation of the current King’s Internships
18 | King’s Careers & Employability Annual Report 2013-14
scheme to expand the range and number of internships available to students and graduates.
“My internship through King’s Internships has been brilliant from start to finish. I am really excited that I had this great opportunity to work in a startup in London, as it was a very challenging task, through which I gained important experience in a plethora of roles within the company, from production and marketing to management.” “I’d definitely recommend doing a King’s Internship – I learned so much in such a relatively short space of time and fortunately for me I’m still learning having joined the company full-time.”
The Internships Programme The Internships Programme was set up in 2009 to facilitate opportunities for King’s students to undertake accredited internship modules within the curriculum. Internships can be completed at either undergraduate or postgraduate level and are assessed as part of a degree programme. The Internships Team provide students with support to research, secure, complete, monitor and evaluate quality-assured internship placements. These placements allow them to apply academic knowledge and skills into a professional practical setting, as part of a longer-term career development strategy.
During the programme students are supported by professional services staff, Careers & Employability, academic departments/Institutes and host organisations. Students have direct access to a variety of resources, organisational contacts, opportunities, events, seminars, guest lectures and key speaker sessions to help boost their employability and assist professional development.
For more information on university activity in this area go to the Research & Innovation area of the university’s website: www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/business/ support/entrepreneurship/index.aspx
The Internship Programme:
WORKING WITH
students completing
Student entrepreneurship The university is keen to increase student innovation and entrepreneurship, and has a number of activities designed to encourage and support students in this area, many of them student-led. Careers & Employability provides advice and guidance to students interested in starting their own business which includes ‘entrepreneurship guidance appointments’ for business start-up advice, signposting to resources and university events such as those organised by Enterprise Connect and the new social enterprise partnership with UnLtd.
157
Arts & Humanities
Global Institutes
11
support
seminars and
bespoke department-run sessions
Law
SSPP
27 degree programmes INCLUDING
Key Speaker PRESENTATIONS
28
“I chose to take an accredited internship module as part of my degree because I saw it as a good opportunity to practically apply theory, gain experience in my field and network in the hope of finding employment afterwards.”
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5
Career coaching for individuals
“I’m really grateful to the careers office for the help I was offered in my practice interview. I’ve received a conditional offer for the course, and feel that the practice interview was a crucial part of my preparation for the interview.”
“Thank you for your unbelievable help at this very last minute. I really appreciate it. I never thought coming to careers would mean meeting someone as dedicated and efficient as you. As I’ve said, you were a breath of fresh air.”
5 Career coaching for individuals
O
ne of our most popular services to students and recent graduates is personal advice, guidance and coaching around career choice and decision-making, applications and assessment processes.
Students can now see a careers consultant at the Strand, Waterloo, Guy’s and the Denmark Hill campuses, as well as accessing support remotely through web resources, email and Skype support. Opposite is a summary of students who attended a one:one session at the careers service, broken down by faculty and study level. One:one sessions include: 20 minute careers guidance appointments, extended careers discussions, CV and application reviews, practice interviews and online careers support.
188
practice
interview
coaching sessions
22 | King’s Careers & Employability Annual Report 2013-14
TOTAL
278
Arts & Humanities
266
60
620
2 14
Dentistry
4 9
13
ELC
1 8
9
Global Institute
40
49
3 6
118
KLI
177
3 12 2 6
IoPPN
8
6 1
299
244
Law 242
Life Science & Medicine 189
100
NMS Nursing & Midwifery
88
62
564
12 2 7
421
14 15
335
32 2 8 4
41
28 12 1
243
361
47 3 15
SSPP Study Abroad Unknown
Undergraduate
669 17
11 6
45
4 1 33 7
1,299
Post Doc
32
Unknown
97
PGT Graduate
1,230 14
PGR
261
Staff
35
www.kcl.ac.uk/careers | 23
6
Career information in the digital age
“The new calendar is much better! Congratulations to the team, it really is easier to use and much clearer to the eye.”
“As I am studying abroad this year, my application has been reviewed and comments have been sent by email. I do appreciate the fact that you are keen to adapt themselves to this type of situation. I am happy that being aborad does not impede me from receiving the careers service’s invaluable help.”
6 Careers information in the digital age
C
areers & Employability have diversified the marketing and resources provided by the service during 2013-14. This has focused on creating a large online presence by using social media, blogs and various websites. We also provide students with support and advice when creating online profiles and contacting employers through social media. Through our work with The Careers Group we are able to make available a further suite of wider blogs including the REACH Diversity in Careers blog, International Development, Careers in the City, International Futures and Starting Your Own Business blogs.
We direct our students to use Careers Tagged - www.careerstagged.co.uk which is an online careers resource, maintained and updated by the Information Officers at Kings. Careers Tagged provides information on job sectors and professions, networking, CV writing, interviews and job hunting. Within the Careers Centre we stock hard copies of the majority of our online resources, including industry specific hand outs tailored for Kings students.
For a further list of the blogs available to King’s students, visit www. gradsintocareers.co.uk/advice-andresources/blogs.aspx
Be sociable at:
/kingscareers
kingscareers
King’s Careers
@kingscareers
26 | King’s Careers & Employability Annual Report 2013-14
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7
King’s graduates - employment and further study destinations
“I want to thank you with all my heart because I would have never made it without you! You told me about this position, you gave me confidence by helping me building a solid and attractive application, by listening to me carefully”
“I wanted to thank you for all your help during my mock interview. I did the assessment centre last Tuesday and I had been working on the techniques you taught me and kept in mind all the encouraging things you had said to me.”
7
King’s graduates employment and further study destinations Graduate destinations data
E
very year we survey King’s graduates from all programmes of study to find out what they are doing in terms of employment or further study approximately six months’ after graduating, as part of a national HESA-led graduate survey. The data we collect offers a rich insight into the initial employment outcomes of our graduates, and we make available the data to various departments to help inform and inspire current students as well as track performance.
The survey data • •
•
A snapshot of graduate activity six months’ post-graduation The data captures where graduates are working or studying and what they are doing, wherever they are in the world We track the proportion of our graduates who are working and what percentage of these roles are considered to be at ‘graduate’ level
King’s is fourth amongst the Russell Group for graduate employment, and the highest performing Russell Group institution for graduate employment in London
What do King’s Graduates Do? The data opposite shows top level destinations data taken from the latest
30 | King’s Careers & Employability Annual Report 2013-14
survey. Careers & Employability make this data available to faculties and departments on an annual basis to contribute to planning and evaluation activities including quinquennial reviews. The data is used to provide information to current students on the destinations of their peers and is provided to prospective students through the university prospectuses and open day events.
Finding out more If you are interested in finding out more about the employment and study destinations of graduates in your faculty or department please contact careers@kcl.ac.uk in the first instance.
AFTER 6 MONTHS...
Masters & other Undergraduate programmes postgraduate programmes
94
% of graduates
in work or further study
88%
of these graduates
in full-time work were in
91
Doctoral programmes
94
% of
% of
graduates
in work or further study
94%
of these graduates
in full-time work were in
graduates
in work or further study
100%
of these graduates
in full-time work were in
Based on 1999 respondents (57% response rate)
of those in full-time work
£27,000
£33,000
MEDIAN SALARY
of those in full-time work
£25,000
MEDIAN SALARY
of those in full-time work
MEDIAN SALARY
GRADUATE LEVEL GRADUATE LEVEL GRADUATE LEVEL work work work
Based on 297 respondents (69% response rate)
Find out more
1 in 3
undergraduates goes on to
FURTHER STUDY
If you are interested in accessing the data for a particular faculty, department or cohort, then contact us at:
careers@kcl.ac.uk
Based on 2739 respondents (79% response rate)
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King’s Careers & Employability King’s College London Level 1, Macadam Building Strand Campus London WC2R 2LS www.kcl.ac.uk/careers