The Frame Issue 2 / Autumn 2015
This issue: Framing Co-Curricular Activities
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The Frame Autumn 2015 FEATURES Foreword Rob Ward, CRA discusses the importance and value of students taking part in activities beyond the formal curriculum. Regular Features Editor’s Letter by Charlotte Betts Sue Young, Head of Goldsmiths Careers Service considers how we support students to enable them to become employable graduates. Guest Contributors This issue includes a number of guest contributors talking on scaling up Skills Awards and other Skills models from HEI’s including Birmingham, King’s College, MMU, Nottingham, Sheffield and Worcester. In addition there are perspectives from volunteering related organisations and a top graduate employer. Goldsmiths Staff Perspectives Discover projects and approaches and hear some personal viewpoints on co-curricular activities such as volunteering. Case Studies & Focus Groups Find out more about an organisation that works closely with Goldsmiths students as volunteers. Explore the findings of student focus groups that help to demonstrate how and why they choose to get involved in activities such as societies, sports and student media.
Student Perspectives Watch videos and read articles from students about what contributes to their rich student experiences. HEAR and Gold Award Learn more about the modes of recognition and reflection that are available to students and how they make use of them.
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Contents 1 Features 2 Contents 3 Foreword, Rob Ward 5 Editor’s Letter, Charlotte Betts 6 The Frame, Charlotte Betts 7 Rounded Students, Employable Graduates, Sue Young GCS 9 Why I Volunteer, Sue Dixon, TaLIC 10 Student Innovation Scholarship, Isobel Bowditch, TaLIC 11 Valuable Volunteering, Sam Sparrow, Task Squad 13 An Employer’s Perspective, Kate Croucher, FDM Group 15 Goldsmiths Student Ambassadors, Dan Bond, Student Ambassador Coordinator 17 Reflections on the First Year of the HEAR at Goldsmiths, Joanie Magill 19 HEAR Activity Verifiers, Joanie Magill 23 BE MORE with The Gold Award, Katarina Lezova 25 Gold Award A Student Perspective, Lisa Burford 27 Goldsmiths Activities, student perspectives 29 CEN8 Developing Creative Talent 31 Students’ Union Focus Groups, Charlotte Betts 35 Co-curricular Learning at King’s College London, Michael Flavin 37 Goldsmiths Volunteering Fair, Fergus Gleeson 38 Scaling up a Skills Award: Goldsmiths, Charlotte Betts
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Scaling up a Skills Award: Nottingham, Vicky Mann Scaling up a Skills Award: Birmingham, Sarah Jeffries-Watts Scaling up a Skills Award: MMU, Helen Lord Scaling up a Skills Award: Worcester, Adela Cragg The difference between the HEAR & the Gold Award, Joanie Magill & Katarina Lezova Interview: Francine Lindley, Sheffield Graduate, Charlotte Betts Goldsmiths Careers Service
THE FRAME Editor: Charlotte Betts E. c.betts@gold.ac.uk W. gold.ac.uk/careers/skills
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Foreword Rob Ward, Centre for Recording Achievement Academics tend to relate best to others in their disciplinary ‘tribe’, which may be why the feedback from graduates a few years into their careers can sometimes be a bit disconcerting. Certainly, when we’ve included this area in discussions with students and alumni, they tend to put facets of the wider HE experience - making new relationships, becoming more independent, and so on, top of their lists, as opposed to particular subject-based learning. And recently we’ve seen some – though by no means all – high profile employers rethink the significance they give to the academic outcomes of Higher Education in selecting applicants. See this recent Times Higher Education Article1 an example. And this view extends to SMEs too; as a small employer we interviewed for our work on the HEAR remarked “we are not interested in the degree classification - the whole person is of far more interest to us. We need people who can take responsibility and are able to pitch in as and where necessary.” All of this does not mean that formal learning and achievement does not matter. For some professions in particular it remains central for the purposes of progression. But it does remind us of the reality that three years or more in Higher Education is just that. Students do loads beyond the formal curriculum - as
volunteers, society members and representatives, in sport, and as mentors and ambassadors – for example. So it’s no surprise that the vast majority of UK Universities have begun to recognise the contribution of such opportunities to student development, achievement and employability. Almost all now offer an award of some kind which seeks to capture the evidence of such participation, and these and other activities are often recognised in the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). Section 6.1 of the HEAR is particularly relevant here, intended as it is to provide a ‘richer picture’ of student achievement through recording verified additional achievement under one of three headings: • measured or assessed performance in nonacademic contexts accredited by, or with external accreditation recognised by, the university (for example, extra-curricular awards) • additional recognised activities undertaken by students which demonstrate achievement, but for which no recognition is provided in terms of academic credit (such as fulfilling roles as course representatives or students’ union officers) • university, professional and departmental prizes
Students and alumni “tend to put facets of the wider HE experience - making new relationships, becoming more independent, and so on, top of their lists, as opposed to particular subject-based learning.”
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https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/ernst-and-young-drops-degree-classification-threshold-graduate-recruitment
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“distilling the key learning for presentation to new audiences is a crucial student capability we all need to support our students and graduates in developing.” And yet, we are missing a key element if we think that institutions recording more about students is – of itself – likely to transform the landscape. Recognition of such ‘lifewide achievements’ by an institution, while important, will count for little if we don’t also support students themselves in recognising the value of such achievements and taking responsibility for translating these for different audiences, such as employers, in terms of ‘what this says about me that is relevant to my application’. Alongside such awards, and other institutional recognition, we need to ensure we help
students and graduates appreciate the significance of, and make explicit, their achievements gained through such less formal learning experiences. As Norman Jackson highlighted in a previous issue of this magazine, reflecting upon one’s actions to learn from the experience is key. A record provides a reference point; opportunities for ‘stopping and thinking’ and distilling the key learning for presentation to new audiences is a crucial student capability we all need to support our students and graduates in developing.
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Editor’s Letter Charlotte Betts, Santander Skills+ Developer Welcome to the second issue of The Frame. I am delighted to be introducing the issue to you which takes for its focus the area of ‘Co-curricular’ activities. These types of activities that are offered by universities and run alongside the formal curriculum are a huge part of many students’ university lives. In this issue we were interested to explore the variety of activities students are involved in, why they choose to take part and what they gain in terms of personal and professional learning and development. At Goldsmiths we have students that are working as Student Ambassadors, mentoring as PALs or Residential Mentors, representing their programmes as DSCs or Student Representatives, volunteering with groups such as CEN8, Open Book and Green Impact, and others who are active in the Students’ Union in societies, sports and student media. Many of these experiences make a lasting impact and contribute to a rich and fulfilling individual student experience. At a time when the QAA continues to prioritise student
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employability as a key theme for review for the third consecutive year, it is valuable and topical to consider this area and its ability to contribute to students’ personal and professional development and therefore positively impact on student employability. With the right support from universities students can learn how to make the most of the array of opportunities that are on offer to them. Initiatives such as the HEAR and Skills Awards enable learners to showcase their experiences, reflect on the skills they have acquired through them and articulate them effectively. This issue is full of interesting articles from Goldsmiths staff, students and guest contributors from other HEIs and external organisations. I hope you enjoy looking through the wide range of projects and approaches, opinion pieces, interviews, case studies and videos that are included and I would like to thank all those who have contributed and made this exciting issue possible. Charlotte Betts Santander Skills+ Developer
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A Cross-Campus Skills Framework The Frame is a campus-wide skills framework for students at Goldsmiths. The framework brings together four thematic areas: Academic Skills, Co-Curricular Activities, Professional Development & Enterprise Initiatives The Frame allows students to discover the opportunities that are available to them in these areas and to build and develop their skills. The Frame: Directory An online directory of opportunities, this space signposts to the many activities that are available to Goldsmiths students in areas including: • Volunteering • Part-time work • Societies and sports • Mentoring and Ambassadors • Enterprise and Entrepreneurship • HEAR and Gold Award • Academic Skills • Work Placements and Internships • Career Planning • Workshops and Events gold.ac.uk/careers/skills
The Frame: Skills for Success on Learn. gold A new VLE space for students to consider their skills, strengths and weaknesses in areas including: • Presentation Skills • Essay writing and referencing • Leadership • Self-confidence • Communication • Being Enterprising • Creativity and more The Frame: Workshops and Events A range of workshops and events are available throughout the year to enable students to develop their skills in areas such as: • Leadership • Team working • Enterprise • Academic Skills
Research In order to inform The Frame we work closely with students and staff. We are constantly researching skills areas to ensure that the framework develops in a way that will best support Goldsmiths students and to contribute to the wider sector discussion on skills development. The research gathered forms the basis for this publication. The Frame: Publication is a way to share our findings and communicate areas of good practice and interesting approaches. If you would like to share some of your own work, whether you are a member of Goldsmiths staff, a student or you are from an external HEI or organisation we would be very interested to hear from you. For more information on any aspect of The Frame or to express interest to contribute to a future publication please contact: frame@gold.ac.uk 6
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Rounded Students, Employable Graduates Sue Young, Head of Goldsmiths Careers Service The notion of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities has been around in education for many years. In more recent times, the value of such activities has been the subject of government dialogue with employers, spawning a plethora of research on the subject. From the Robbins Report1 of 1963 through to the Dearing Report of 19972 and the 2006 Leitch Review of Skills3, there has been an acknowledgement of the importance of UK higher education to the UK economy. In latter times, of course, the co-curricular agenda has moved to centre stage with a national focus on higher education learning being complemented by the development of skills and knowledge for life and for the workplace - commonly referred to as ‘the Employability agenda’. In its best form, employability is seen as being closely aligned to learning and not as an oppositional construct. Yorke and Knight propose a sensible working definition of employability A set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes – that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.4 For me, ‘employability’ refers to the potential a graduate has for obtaining, and succeeding in, employment - particularly in graduate-level positions. And it is important to recognise that the co-curricular activities of students in higher education contribute to their employability. The notion of a ‘rounded’ student becoming an employable graduate is now expressed in concrete terms with the arrival of the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). It was launched in 2008, following publication of the Burgess Report5 in 2007 and its aim is for institutions to do full justice to the range of knowledge, skills, experience and attributes of a graduate in the 21st century The Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) provides a single comprehensive record of a learner’s achievement… The HEAR enables institutions to provide a detailed picture of student achievement throughout a students’ time at university, including academic work, extra-curricular activities, prizes and employability awards, voluntary work and offices held in student union clubs and 7
societies that have been verified by the institution6 In the Careers Service at Goldsmiths, we are acutely aware of the need to do justice to our students and graduates on their journey into and through higher education and beyond. Coming out of university armed with a good degree is excellent, a real achievement. But it doesn’t speak of the individual beyond his or her academic learning. This is where co-curricular learning comes in. Co-curricular, not extra-curricular. ‘Extra’ implies just that: something added on to the academic learning. I prefer the term ‘co-curricular’ as it implies alongside: activities that complement or are connected to academic learning. Activities that are part of the holistic learning journey from entry to graduation that we have a responsibility to support, encourage and enhance. Goldsmiths students have a wide variety of cocurricular activities to get involved in, including: being Treasurer of a Student Society (developing accounting and teamwork skills); managing a sports team (developing leadership); being a PAL mentor (developing interpersonal skills); working as a DSC (enhancing research and report-writing skills); being a Resident Assistant (requiring a responsible attitude); taking part in an Enterprise Boot Camp (developing ideas, understanding how to create a business plan), and participating in our employer engagement programme (talking directly with employers, hearing about different recruitment practices). Students can also talk to our Careers Consultants and CV Adviser about how best to present their co-curricular activities to potential employers. The Careers Service has a good relationship with CEN8, a non-profit organisation created to enable children and young people to fulfil their potential as ‘creatives’. Volunteering with CEN8 gives our students an understanding of how an organisation works internally as well as developing their skills and confidence in working creatively with youngsters. In 2014-15, 62 Goldsmiths students volunteered for CEN8; one student we interviewed about volunteering with CEN8 said, It’s important to be able to record your co-curricular activities (on your HEAR), because all of these
GOLDSMITHS PERSPECTIVES activities help you to build skills which will help you later on in the workforce and sometimes you’re not able to build these skills in your own course, so this is a nice way to show your potential employer the skills that you have gained throughout university. Media and Comms Student Another route for our students to develop their employability is by undertaking the Gold Award. This is a personal and professional development programme managed by the Careers Service that helps students to reflect on their experiences and develop the skills they are gaining from cocurricular activities (for instance, part-time work, volunteering, mentoring, running a society at Goldsmiths, putting on an exhibition or running their own business). Students are asked to complete a Personal Development Record, undertake a minimum 40 hours of co-curricular activities, attend four workshops, submit a creative element, create a LinkedIn profile and give a final presentation to a panel. A non-academic award scheme that can be recorded on the HEAR, the Gold Award often has a positive impact on students’ academic performance partly because of the improvement of their organisational skills, presentation skills and time management. Interestingly, a considerable number of students noted in meetings with the Gold Award Coordinator that they benefited from the SWOT analysis (reflection on students’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) that forms part of the Personal Development Record. In fact, many said that this was the first time that they really thought about their own strengths and weaknesses. In Careers, we have been developing a campuswide skills programme which, to date, has resulted in the delivery of 11 skills sessions, drop-ins and events to student groups including Presentation skills, Report writing, Academic writing, Team working, Building self-confidence, Time management and a number of others. Total attendance for all sessions was 186. As part of this skills programme, we have developed an online skills framework, The Frame Directory of Opportunities and Skills which can be found at www. gold.ac.uk/careers/skills. Between March and July 2015 there were 5266 page views of which 2048 were unique page views which tell us that skills References 1 Committee on Higher Education (23 September 1963), Higher education: report of the Committee appointed by the Prime Minister under the Chairmanship of Lord Robbins 1961-63, Cmnd. 2154, London: HMSO 2 London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office 1997 3 Leitch Review of Skills: Prosperity for all in the global economy - world class skills. HM Treasury, December 2006 4 Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team (ESECT), Learning and Employability Series 1; Yorke & Knight; HEA publication,
THE FRAME development is very much on students’ minds. Out of this work has also come this publication - The Frame - and a new learn.gold area which has been designed and launched for the start of the academic year 2015, ‘The Frame: Skills for Success’. This space has many useful resources for students to develop and enhance skills in areas such as presentation skills, leadership, team working, creativity and problem solving. We will be watching the analytics closely to ascertain the areas of particular interest to students so that we can target the right kind of support to those who need it. More and more employers tell us that work experience is a big selling point for graduate jobseekers. Undertaking a work placement or an internship, engaging with the world of work firsthand, is a valuable experience for students; it can offer a ‘taster’ of a sector or role, enabling students to figure out what they don’t like as well as what interests and attracts them, in addition to developing new skills or networks. Crucially, though, we see how it can give students confidence, both in themselves and applying for paid jobs at a later stage. Some employers are impressed enough with their placement students or interns to offer them further work. Indeed, we’re delighted that this has happened to a number of our own students. Significantly, the UK Graduate Careers Survey 2015 reports that, “A fifth of finalists had subsequently been offered a graduate job with the employer they had done work experience with…”.7 All in all, the crucial thing is that students are developing skills both for life and the working world. Engaging in these activities helps them to grow as people, to become self-reflective learners, to grow in confidence. And one of the key ways we support our students throughout their higher education journey is in helping them to articulate where their strengths and abilities lie. Our aim is not only to produce fully-rounded students and graduates, it is also to enable them to communicate their achievements in the context of a CV, or application form, or job interview. It is one thing to engage in co-curricular activities, but it is quite another to be able to convince employers or educational institutions that you are the best candidate for the role or a higher programme of study. We want all our students and graduates to become confident, articulate, rounded individuals: supporting them in their co-curricular journeys is vital to their success. April 2006 5 Burgess Report, 2007 http://www.hear.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Burgess_final2007.pdf 6 Accessed from HEAR official website on 23 September 2015 http:// www.hear.ac.uk/about 7 The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2015, High Fliers Research, 2015. Summary available at http://www.highfliers.co.uk/schoolsconference/ resources/research/The_UK_Graduate_Careers_Survey_2015.pdf
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Why I Volunteer Sue Dixon, Associate Pro-Warden (Teaching and Learning Enhancement) and Head of the Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre (TaLIC) talks about how she got involved in volunteering. My entry into volunteering My entry into volunteering started in my teenage years. I remember someone coming to our school to talk about the Lepra Society and how they needed people to stand in the street and shake collecting tins. I signed up with some friends and from that day on I was hooked on voluntary work. From there I moved on to volunteering in a youth club run by a charity which was a five minute walk from my home. I did this every summer right up until I went away to university. In addition I would go each year as a staff volunteer to a camp for inner city ‘disadvantaged’ children so that they could have a holiday. Over time I have engaged with other voluntary work such as being a school governor and a trustee for a charity. Current Volunteering At present I am the group contact and facilitator of a Self Help Support group based in Central London which supports people with eating disorders working in partnership with the national charity called BEAT. The group operates for two hours twice a month on Wednesday evenings. In addition I take phone calls on Sunday evenings from members of the public who are interested in attending the group plus I manage the operational demands of the group finance, accounts and the securing of the venue. My relationship with the group has spanned 20+ years and as a result I was nominated for a BEAT national lifetime achievement award. Getting started If you’re unsure what you want to do then start off small. You could do something simple like volunteering to sing at an old people’s home during the Christmas period or collecting money for a charity. I did that when I was a student at university.
Your hobbies or special interests might be a starting point. I used my love of netball to run a netball club after school and at weekends in my own time. If you feel passionately about a cause then make contact with the organisation and explore how you could get involved. Benefits Volunteering helped to build my self-confidence when I was growing up which I was able to bring into my first job as a primary school teacher and subsequent jobs. My work with the charity BEAT helped me obtain a training counselling placement when I retrained to become a counsellor. They were able to recognise the value of my longstanding voluntary work and experience and were willing to offer me a placement despite my not having accrued the requisite experience of formally counselling clients. I now have a small counselling private practice which I run alongside my PT role at Goldsmiths. I developed skills that I would not have acquired by just studying for my degree, for example I learnt about financial processes associated with running a group, managing other volunteers and record keeping systems. I also developed confidence in speaking at conferences and workshops and being interviewed on the radio due to my work with BEAT. Many employers need to differentiate between applicants with similar qualifications and often they might look for something different that makes an applicant stand out. By showing that you can balance your studies with volunteering, you are demonstrating how you can manage conflicting demands on your time, and that you are committed.
“I developed skills that I would not have acquired by just studying for my degree, for example I learnt about financial processes associated with running a group, managing other volunteers and record keeping systems.” 9
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Student Innovation Scholarship Isobel Bowditch, Academic Developer, discusses TaLIC’s Student Innovation Scholarship in technology enhanced learning. In May 2015, TaLIC (Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre) launched a competition to attract proposals from students with interesting, innovative ideas on the use of technology to support the student learning experience at Goldsmiths. Radical changes in HE over the past decade or so have been a driver in seeing students more as stakeholders than passive consumers of education. Jisc Change Agents Network Initiative (CAN) is one of the agencies responding to this shift in HE culture. The Student Innovation Scholarship is informed by this work in championing students as change agents, particularly in their role as ‘digital pioneer’. (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/enhancingthe-digital-student-experience) TaLIC decided to run a small-scale pilot this year. The two projects that we selected from the wide range of applications are very different but both have the potential to make a real difference to student experience. The winners were awarded a £250 scholarship to work with TaLIC over the summer period to develop their innovation and to implement them this academic term. Mustafa Mohamed, a Politics undergraduate student, proposed reworking the Departmental Virtual Office to improve staff–student interaction and to make it more user-friendly for students. With the backing of the Departmental Business Manager, he set about remodelling the Virtual Office on a test area, using the available tools and resources on learn.gold. In Mustafa’s words, he wanted
‘technology which assists users rather than confuse or delay us’. He has come up with what we think is an exemplary model and is working hard to ensure that it goes live this term. Feedback at the end of the term will inform any changes or improvements. If Mustafa’s model is well received, it could provide a template for others to follow. Bevis Halsey-Perry, a creative computing student, proposed setting up a skill share student network at Goldsmiths. A Sociology student, for example, might want to work on a film project and could tap into some expertise from a Media & Communications student. Bevis wanted to draw on his experience with the Hackathon community (he is Hacksmiths president) which, he said, has ‘taught me the benefits of interdisciplinary learning and collaboration - Learn. Build.Share’ With that in mind, Bevis set up GASS (Goldsmiths Accessible Skill Share), which will help Goldsmiths students find assistance to work on projects, allow them to advertise their skills for mutual benefit and facilitate access to University resources and support from different departments. This concept, says Bevis, fits well within the creative spirit and tradition of Goldsmiths and one that GASS will promote. He is currently in the process of building up his user base and his learn.gold support area is about to go live! TaLIC are thrilled with the quality of these two proposals and feel confident that we will be able to continue this initiative next year. This has now been validated by HEAR so that all students, including Mustafa and Bevis, will get their work recognised through that channel.
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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
Valuable Volunteering Samantha Sparrow, Director of Task Squad, vInspired Task Squad is a youth recruitment agency with a difference. It’s a social enterprise that places bright young people into paid temp and permanent roles, giving them a chance to put their great volunteering experience to use and take their first step on the career ladder. It also gives small businesses and start-ups a reliable source of motivated workers, keen to build their experience in diverse fields. Who is eligible? Anyone aged 18-25 years old, with some volunteering experience, looking for part time and full time work. How can students get involved? • Register on the Task Squad website • Use our CV builder to sell your skills and experience • Make an appointment to visit the Task Squad team with your ID documents • Apply for a task • You’re all set! How do you support volunteers transitioning into work? What makes us different to any other recruitment agency is that we only recruit people who have some volunteering experience. We are part of vInspired, a national youth charity with a mission to give young people inspiring social action opportunities that will also help them gain new skills for life. Communication, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership are just a few of the skills young people can develop through volunteering. Our Task Squad CV builder helps them display those skills to stand out from the crowd. Why would you encourage students to start volunteering? Volunteering is great for your job prospects. On your CV it shows you’re passionate and selfmotivated. But it also gives you a chance to build your confidence and skills in areas that you might not have much experience in. And can even help you to identify what you’re really good at and what you love doing. On top of the career benefits, it’s just a really great way to make friends and do something interesting, 11
while you’re doing something positive for great causes. Do you think students recognise how volunteering can impact on their personal and professional skills development and how it relates to future employment? A lot of people don’t realise how good volunteering can be for your career prospects. It’s more and more important for candidates to be able to set themselves apart from the crowd, and employers have told us they love seeing applicants who can show the sorts of real life, rounded skills volunteering can give you – like team work, budget management, leadership and project management. They also like to see that applicants have the motivation to get out there and do something positive. Do you provide any training, courses or structured support for volunteers? People who sign up to Task Squad have access to our monthly CV and interview workshops. Our CV builder tool is also a really great way to bring out your unique skills and experience, and the Task Squad team is always on hand to support with applications and interviews. How can Universities support students in their volunteering work? Most universities have loads of student-led volunteering happening on campus. But often we find that volunteers can’t always express the skills they have gained through that work. It would be great for students to get more support on how to sell their skills, and how to use their experiences to work out what sort of job they might like to go for. And, equally, for those who haven’t tried volunteering but are looking to boost their CVs, it would be great to share more information on how volunteering could set them apart.
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How can universities work with vInspired/ Task Squad? Universities can signpost students to vInspired. com, where there are thousands of volunteering opportunities – including regular placements and things they can do in term breaks. Students looking for work can sign up to Task Squad at tasksquadhq. com/registration. What do the young people you work with say is valuable about their experience of volunteering? A lot of young people tell us that their volunteering experience has helped them build their confidence in new areas. And also that the chance to try out different roles helped them to figure out what they’re good at and what they might like to pursue for a career. Which is similar to what many of the young people who find short term, paid work with Task Squad tell us. Here’s what one of our young people has to say about the valuable experience he gained through Task Squad: “I just wanted to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for everything. You guys have given people like me who come from a not so wealthy working class family, an opportunity to actually gain experience and become independent individuals who can stand up on their own two feet. In a world
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where qualifications are not enough of a means in gaining a job, you guys have worked hard to provide a platform where everyone can shine and actually put their skills to use.” Taaseen Rahman,Task Squad What is the feedback you receive from employers about the value of volunteering? Employers tell us that volunteering can really help CVs stand out from the crowd. It can demonstrate a really wide variety of skills. But someone who has gone out of their way in their own time to do something positive also stands out because it shows they’re self-motivated and have great energy. Employers are particularly keen to see Task Squad candidates because, unlike other temp agencies, Task Squad is all about giving young people opportunities to learn and build their careers. As one of our clients Steven Coates, CEO of IT recycling company ICTR, told us: “Task Squad has been a different and a pleasantly surprising experience. Because it is more than just “temp” work, it is about providing young people with the opportunity to get the experience they need to better their lives. As a result, the candidate approached her work with that bigger picture in mind. Task Squaders are more motivated and more prepared to do what is needed to get the job done.”
Akua Boateng, 23, from Reading, had been volunteering for many years. When she realised that her original plans to become a lawyer weren’t right for her, her voluntary work at a children’s home helped her find a new focus. “I fell out of love with law in the second year of university. Thankfully I kept on volunteering. It all started to help me form ideas about what I liked and what I didn’t.” Gradually, she realised that marketing and social media were where her talents lie. However, when she graduated last year she was repeatedly told she lacked relevant experience for the marketing roles she was going for. After joining Task Squad, she was placed in two short term roles with start-up businesses, which boosted her CV and helped her to showcase her volunteering skills more clearly. It also shifted her expectations of finding a dream job. She said: “It became clear to me once I started that I should start meeting employers half way – not just look for the dream job, but look for work that could lead to the dream job.” With her new experience, she successfully applied for an admin assistant role, which is giving her opportunities to build experience in lots of different areas, including marketing. She said: “I’ve had to learn quickly, I do a little bit of everything, but I love the challenge. There’s no doubt that without all the experience I gained from volunteering I wouldn’t have the confidence I needed to find that crucial first job and then to do it well.”
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An Employer’s Perspective Kate Croucher, University Relationship Manager, FDM Group FDM Group is a professional services provider with a focus on IT. The Group’s main business activities involve recruiting, training and placing permanent IT and business consultants on to client-site enabling graduates to become professional IT and business Consultants. Hiring all year round, its award-winning Graduate Programme uniquely combines fully-funded training, commercial experience and ongoing support. Consultants work across a range of disciplines including Software Development, Test, Production Support, Cyber Security, Project Support, Data and Operational Analysis, Business Analysis and Business Test. From an employer’s perspective next to a good degree what are the most valuable things students can do to enhance and demonstrate their skills? Work experience – internships, part-time jobs and voluntary work. The important learning points are to gain exposure to how organisations work, put skills and knowledge gained into experience, gain exposure to industry essentials such as customer service and test out suitability for a sector or role. How do you support graduates transitioning into work? The first three months of the Graduate Programme is an intensive programme of training covering both technical knowledge and competencies, commercial awareness and professional skills. Ongoing support is provided once Consultants are on client-site via Account Managers and Consultant Support team. Time spent between placements is spent back in a training environment in order to enhance existing skills and develop new competencies. Why would you encourage students to get involved in co-curricular activities (e.g.
volunteering, societies, sports, mentoring)? Skills such as project working, organisation and meeting deadlines show commitment beyond a general interest; provide real life examples of your interests and examples of when you have developed a skill or competency; gained a bigger picture understanding of your community or society; given something back to something you are passionate about; or met new people and supported others. Do you think students recognise how these types of activities can impact on their personal and professional skills development and how it relates to future employment? Students are increasingly more aware of the importance of work experience and extra-curricular activities and understand that in a competitive job market standing out from the crowd is essential but they are not always as reflective of the experience in terms of what they have learnt and how it relates to the sector or role they are applying for. Bringing these examples to life and articulating how it has enhanced them as a candidate will make the difference in how they present themselves to future employers.
“Students are increasingly more aware of the importance of work experience and extra-curricular activities and understand that in a competitive job market standing out from the crowd is essential but they are not always as reflective of the experience in terms of what they have learnt and how it relates to the sector or role they are applying for.” 13
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How can students make the most of these experiences when applying for a graduate scheme? Articulate at each stage of the experience – explaining what they have achieved and how it has developed them as an individual. Speaking with passion about the experience and the organisation they were involved in. An ongoing commitment is also something to be admired. As an employer to what extent do co-curricular activities impact on the selection process? Whilst the FDM Graduate Programme does not look for a proven track record of graduate-level work experience we do look for evidence of the skills, competencies and motivation to achieve that cocurricular activities can provide. We receive around 20,000 applications per year so a candidate who
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can show evidence of the skills and behaviours we are assessing against outside their academic achievements will make a strong first impression and throughout the recruitment process. With so many opportunities to get involved in voluntary work and extra-curricular activities there is an expectation that students will acquire these skills at university. What types of key skills do you think students can acquire and apply through co-curricular activities? Co-curricular activities show a passion and motivation that would indicate that a student is enthusiastic and has a lively and enquiring mind and is interested in other people, a commitment to interests and a passion to achieve beyond academic study.
“Co-curricular activities show a passion and motivation that would indicate that a student is enthusiastic and has a lively and enquiring mind and is interested in other people, a commitment to interests and a passion to achieve beyond academic study.�
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Goldsmiths Student Ambassadors Daniel Bond, Student Ambassador Coordinator Co-curricular activities whilst at university are becoming ever so more important, with employers regularly looking for individuals with work experience to go with a degree. Along with the increasing competition amongst graduates for jobs, having something extra to add to your CV is really important. Becoming a Goldsmiths Student Ambassador is one of the ways students can do this. Student Ambassadors primarily support the Recruitment and Outreach Team with our activity, working on and off the Goldsmiths campus on activities including mentoring, subject support, HE & UCAS Fairs, running campus visits or supporting creative workshops with primary school pupils. In addition to this, Ambassadors also support Goldsmiths events such as open days and graduation. Departments within Goldsmiths, both academic and administrative, are increasingly taking
https://youtu.be/RmLM3E6Vzbw 15
on Ambassadors to support with activity including phone campaigns, administrative tasks and induction programmes. With such wide ranging opportunities for students to take part in, the variety of skills and experience to be gained is vast. Many of these skills will be essential in and transferable to the working environment – from time-keeping, customer service and working in groups to honing their telephone manner, dealing effectively with complaints and developing strong organisation skills. Along with the professional elements, Ambassadors get to meet a large range of fellow students of all ages, and backgrounds and from different departments, whilst also working closely with members of staff, whether in Recruitment and Outreach, Events, Admissions, Governance and Legal or IT. Ambassadors end up knowing pretty much everyone on campus at the end of their time
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“The fact that being an Ambassador involves meeting so many new people, whether it’s working alongside them or supporting them, naturally helps the student develop their communication skills and hopefully instils a level of confidence that can be used at university and outside of university.”
The fact that being an Ambassador involves meeting so many new people, whether it’s working alongside them or supporting them, naturally helps the student develop their communication skills and hopefully instils a level of confidence that can be used at university (tutorials, making new friends) and outside of university - applying for jobs and being successful in interviews, for example. The Student Ambassador Programme can be recorded on the HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Report) and can also form part of a students’ Gold Award. This allows Ambassadors to reflect on the achievements they have made
and also the obstacles they have overcome. We work alongside the Careers team to ensure that Ambassadors have access to training relevant to finding work upon graduation and the programme itself provides an interesting and diverse range of activity that can be added to CV’s and talked about in interviews. From personal to professional development, to giving themselves an edge over other students and graduates in the job market, being a Goldsmiths Student Ambassador is definitely a co-curricular activity worth getting involved in. The pay’s not too bad either.
Goldsmiths Careers Service works with the Student Ambassadors each year to provide training and support for them in their roles. Below are some examples of the types of sessions that have been offered in the past: • • • •
Developing your Presentation Skills Introduction to Advice Skills Recording and Reflecting on your Skills Marketing your Skills (in job applications and interviews)
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Reflections on the First Year of the HEAR at Goldsmiths Joanie Magill, HEAR Coordinator In 2013 Goldsmiths committed to providing all full programme undergraduate students, beginning a degree programme in September 2014, with a Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). Taking a first year only approach, the HEAR was launched in September 2014 and, in July 2015, the first interim HEARs were issued to students via their online account, MyGoldsmiths. The value of the HEAR is in its ability to offer a unique picture of the knowledge, skills and experience students gain at university, challenging the limitations of the single summative judgement of the degree classification. The introduction of the HEAR after the 2007 report by Professor Sir Bob Burgess, Beyond the Honours Degree Classification, intended the HEAR to provide a ‘rich record of student activity and modernise the traditional degree classification system’. Along with the details of programme modules and results, the HEAR provides an outline of additional co-curricular activities and achievements during university. It catalogues students’ successes and the Interim HEAR provides a framework to review and plan activities. The need to provide a fuller picture of achievement was reiterated in July 2015 by Universities Minister Jo Johnson in a speech to Universities UK: “The UK’s standard model of classes of honours is on its own no longer capable of providing the recognition hardworking students deserve and the information employers require. They rightly want hard work at university to be recognised and for their degree to be a currency that carries prestige and holds its value. At the same time, businesses need a degree classification system that will help them identify the best applicants for their firms. I know the sector is starting to tackle this need for richer information through the Higher Education Achievement Report and this is a valuable development, but this work needs greater urgency.” Much has been achieved in the first year since 17
introducing the HEAR at Goldsmiths, both institutionally and in terms of student engagement. Students have begun to record their activities and see their achievements on their Interim HEAR. What has become apparent during the course of this first year, is that students are articulating a need for experience in addition to their academic studies and acknowledging the HEAR’s ability to formally recognise their additional achievements. First year students who have been recording activities are aware that they are graduating into a competitive job market and recognise the opportunity the HEAR offers to help them stand out from their peers. Taking a first year only approach meant too that we had the unexpected but encouraging challenge of explaining to second and third year students why we had taken this approach. Students expressed a sense that they were missing out on accessing what they saw as a valuable tool to articulate their employability. The HEAR offers a way to support students to reflect on their co-curricular activities and look at the skills and attributes they are acquiring through doing them. Section 6.1 outlines their additional experiences and achievements, but unless a student can articulate the skills, experience and attributes they have gained from these achievements, the HEAR will have limited value. Students aren’t always able to connect the activities they are doing with the skills they are developing as a result and this is an area of work for development. A number of unforeseen positive effects of the HEAR have also emerged. Up until now, opportunities to participate in co-curricular activities have not been collated and promoted in one place. The HEAR has provided a platform to highlight cocurricular opportunities available to students during their studies. Students can access in one place, information on the breadth of opportunities available to them.
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The HEAR has also provided an opportunity to structure, formalise and recognise activities. CEN8, a community interest company based at Goldsmiths, has used the HEAR to structure the volunteering opportunities it offers to students. During the process of reviewing the activities recognised in Section 6.1, two new levels of volunteering opportunities have been created. These additional activities offer the opportunity for progression and further skills development. One of the key areas of collaboration has been with the Students’ Union. Almost half of the activities recognised for Section 6.1 are run within the Students’ Union and they have been, and remain, a key partner for the development and successful implementation of the HEAR at Goldsmiths. The Students’ Union has aligned itself as an organisation with the skills agenda and this offers potential for further collaborative opportunities to develop how students recognise their skills and attributes. In total there are almost 100 recognised activities that can be recorded in section 6.1 of the HEAR. Eleven new activities were approved by the HEAR Validation Group in 2014-15. Proposals came from academic and professional services departments and well as the Students’ Union and
students themselves. It has been encouraging to see positive engagement with the HEAR across different departments and stakeholders. The growth of Section 6.1 of the HEAR is important to ensure that the HEAR recognises all of the opportunities available to students to participate in meaningful activities during their time at university. Students’ Stories A number of students who verified co-curricular activities were asked about their experience and perspective of the HEAR. Video interviews took place in the summer term as part of an ongoing evaluation process. View a collection of these videos here
https://youtu.be/iP7N0yAwamw
Georgina Ingram set up the Taekwondo Society and was President in 2014-15. Why did you decide to undertake a co-curricular activity? I love the sport. I’ve done it for years and wanted to give other people the chance to get involved. A lot of our members are brand new to it and a couple of us have done it before, so it’s nice for people to try it. It was nice to bring the sport to the university. I’ve overseen the set up and general running of the club, especially when we’ve gone to competitions, I’ve been the one to organise it and get people there and general management of it. What skills do you think you have gained from your role? My communication skills have gotten a lot better, because I’ve had to liaise with the Students’ Union, finding spaces to train, if there have been any clashes or anything like that as well as liaising with the coaches. Do you think getting involved in co-curricular activities like this will help you after you graduate? How? I definitely think it will help, especially when it comes to the HEAR being recognised by employers outside of university. I think it’s good not to just have your academic achievement when you finish university. It sets you apart from everyone else who comes out of university with a degree. You’ll be the individual that has the extra work you have put into because you have been willing to and wanting to as well. The reason why I got into the HEAR was my coach. He set up a club when he was at uni and he said it was all he talked about at interviews, how he set it up, grew it from nothing and it was encouraging for me to think I’ll do that as well. Why did you want to record your role on your HEAR? I want to show that I’ve done something else other than just my degree. I want to show that I’ve done other work within the university as well. The HEAR gives a platform for people to be recognised. It will set you out from the crowd. How do you think you will use your HEAR while you are at Goldsmiths? Even just at the end of this year, I can show an employer for a summer job what I’ve been doing.
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HEAR Activity Verifiers The Higher Education Achievement Report requires that each activity students would like to record is verified by a recognised individual. Joanie Magill, HEAR Coordinator interviewed a number of HEAR Activity Verifiers about their roles and the activities that they verify. Claudia Turkington HEAR Activity Verifier: Societies & Community Engagement How many students undertake your activity? In 2013-14 there were 1400 official society members and a similar number are expected this year. In the same year there were 150 students in leadership roles (president, co-president etc.) in societies and student media. There are currently 78 societies, the strongest (in terms of activity) are academic societies and interest societies (such as Student Remind). How do you record and store student information (details and hours)? Names and contact details are recorded on a spreadsheet database. Activities are verified by witnessing students’ active participation and engagement with the role. Facebook, face to face meetings and emails are also used as a way of logging activity. What are the key/top 3 skills students develop by taking part in this activity? • President/ Co-president: public speaking, organisation, leadership, event management. • Treasurer: budgeting, communication, events management • Committee member: all of the above.
https://youtu.be/uME_3AEZxY4
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What motivates students to take part in your activity? Students enjoy being part of a society, being part of a community and making new friends. They enjoy the activities which they undertake as part of the society and take up leadership roles so that the society can continue and students coming into GS can enjoy the same experiences. Also, they are aware that it is useful for their CV and leadership roles can be HEARable but these aren’t the primary driving motivations for becoming involved. What training do you provide for participants? General training for society leaders is provided at the beginning of the year and skills-based training will be introduced for 2015-16 for example, how to use social media responsibly. Has the HEAR made a difference to student engagement with this activity? It is too early to tell but students are aware of the benefits of being involved and the recognition they can gain on the HEAR for the leadership roles.
GOLDSMITHS PERSPECTIVES
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Daniel Bond, Student Ambassador Coordinator HEAR Activity Verifier: Student Ambassadors
Gill Jarman HEAR Activity Verifier: CEN8 Volunteers
How many students undertake your activity? 150 students UG and PG
How many students undertake your activity? In 2014-15 there were 62 volunteers.
How do you record and store student information (details and hours)? On a system called Dashboard Technology Solutions. The Ambassadors have login details where they can book on to activities, their timesheets are stored, the activities they have done can then be verified and paid for by payroll.
Do you have a volunteering policy? There is a volunteering handbook which outlines the code of conduct, what is expected of volunteers, dos and don’ts, safeguarding, health and safety and the equal opportunities policy which the volunteers must sign that they have read.
What training do you provide for participants? The core training involves information on how to deliver campus tours, key facts about Goldsmiths, working with young people, what WP is, what is expected of an Ambassador. Additional training includes information on UCAS personal statements, mentoring, finance and budgeting. This takes place every Wednesday. What motivates students to take part in your activity? Money is an incentive. It offers good flexible paid work which fits with study. Students also enjoy meeting new people and engaging with students from other courses. It is also fun and students develop a sense of camaraderie. What are the key/top skills students develop by taking part in this activity? Communication, confidence, interpersonal skills, presentation, leadership.
Do you provide a reference for activity participants on request? Only if a volunteer has completed at least 30 hours of volunteering and worked on and fulfilled a written brief. This is outlined in the volunteer handbook. What motivates students to take part in your activity? Some students enjoy taking part in co-curricular activities. Others don’t feel they get enough experience of working on live projects within their academic programme and this is a good way to get real life experience. Some students recognise that a degree isn’t enough and want to undertake activities which will give them experience. What are the key/top skills students develop by taking part in this activity? Flexibility – the ability to work both in a team and alone. Practical application of theoretical knowledge. Communication and interpersonal skills.
Do your marketing and communication materials include reference to the HEAR? Not yet – but they will be integrated for academic year 15-16 through providing digital badges for promotional materials and delivering HEAR information through training sessions. Has the HEAR made a difference to student engagement with this activity? Gaining recognition on the HEAR is a bonus, but currently not a motivation for undertaking it.
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Tolu Magbagbeola, HEAR Activity Verifier: President, Captain, ViceCaptain, Committee Member of a Sports Club
Anthony Crowther HEAR Activity Verifier: Careers Service Enterprise Boot Camp
Is the activity open to all students? (selection processes, restrictions on year groups etc) Yes. Selections are made through an election process which is managed by students in the sports clubs and occasionally by the SU when needed (cheerleading).
How many students undertake your activity? 2014-15 – 18 sign ups, 11 turned up, 8 finished
How many students undertake your activity? Approximately 50 students in elected roles and 600 total club members. What training do you provide for participants? General training is provided in September. During the monthly captains’ forum informal training is provided on areas like budget management. What motivates students to take part in your activity? They are passionate about the sport they are involved in and often they are attracted by the leadership position (leading a team). What are the key/top skills students develop by taking part in this activity? President and Vice-captain: leadership, conflict management, communication Captain: same as above plus budget management. Do your marketing and communication materials include reference to the HEAR? Do participants understand that your activity is HEARable? Yes, but further marketing can be done. Do you feel that the HEAR description of your activity and criteria for the HEAR are still appropriate or do they need revisiting? The Committee Member role could be further broken down to Treasurer, Social Secretary, Uniform Secretary.
What motivates students to take part in your activity? Some students have an enterprising idea they want to develop and realise. This can range from speculative to specific ideas and it can be a business project or a creative project. Some are interested in gaining skills. What are the key/top skills students develop by taking part in this activity? Teamwork. Problem solving (finding solutions in innovative ways), communication and presentation skills. Do you work with any other departments/ teams within Goldsmiths or with any external organisations? The Boot Camp is a partnership with SOAS and external individuals who represent organisations or companies also contribute. What further support would you benefit from to help you in running your activity? Recruitment. Working with the Students’ Union to engage students who are volunteering. Fairooz Aniqa HEAR Activity Verifier: Departmental Student Coordinators (DSCs) How many students undertake your activity? 35 UG, 20 PG What training do you provide for participants? A full day of training is provided at the beginning of the year which includes: committee structure, team bonding, staff structure, how to campaign, report writing, presentation skills. What motivates students to take part in your activity? Students are interested in changing things in their departments and just want to get more involved. Some are interested in higher education in general and are interested in how things work. What are the key/top skills students develop by taking part in this activity? Communication, organisation, report writing / data interpretation.
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Katarina Lezova HEAR Activity Verifier: Gold Award
Sarah Lambert HEAR Activity Verifier: PAL
How many students undertake your activity? In 2014-15, 25 students achieved the Gold Award plus 2 from the previous year.
How many students undertake your activity? Around 130 per year
What training do you provide for participants? Workshops are offered by the Careers Service, Library and CELAW. Some students undertake external courses which can sometimes be included in their Gold Award for example, in 2014-15 one student attended a course at Birkbeck. What motivates students to take part in your activity? Some want to improve their skills and learn how to talk about their experiences. Others have specific self-identified needs. The Gold Award provides a structure to helps students to grow. What are the key/top skills students develop by taking part in this activity? Self-confidence, presentation/ public speaking, organisation skills.
What training do you provide for participants? 2 full days of mandatory training is provided for all participants. Top-ups in various training areas are available by arrangement. What motivates students to take part in your activity? Various – self learning, “giving back”, interest in teaching/mentoring altruism. What are the key/top skills students develop by taking part in this activity? Reflection, group learning, team work, reliability, communication, presentation. Do your marketing and communication materials include reference to the HEAR? They will from this year!
Do you work with any other departments/ teams within Goldsmiths or with any external organisations? CELAW, academic departments, Students’ Union, Student Engagement, Greening Goldsmiths, CEN8 and Open Book.
https://youtu.be/nWnuAbJpc_Y
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GOLDSMITHS PERSPECTIVES
BE MORE with the Gold Award Dr Katarina Lezova, Gold Award Coordinator The Gold Award is a personal and professional development programme helping students to reflect on their experiences and develop the skills they are gaining from co-curricular activities. The Award helps to increase students’ self-awareness and understanding of their strengths and weaknesses but it also enables them to reflect on what they want to do in the future and to improve their skills. The Gold Award adds something extra to students’ CVs and can be recorded on the HEAR. Last academic year, 25 talented students from 9 departments (Media & Communications; Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies; ECL; Music; Educational Studies; Computer Studies; History; Theatre & Performance and Psychology) successfully completed the scheme and we celebrated their achievements in June at the Gold Award Ceremony. In 2014/15 the Award was transferred from the Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre (TaLIC) to the Careers Service and the Ceremony was a great end of the first academic year under the new administration.
the Leopard Student Newspaper or got involved with the Wired Radio.
I have seen students growing and developing not just on a professional level but also personally and this makes my work really rewarding. One of the most important skills that students develop through participation in the scheme is self-confidence. It is evident that shy students grow into confident young people aware of their potential. Once their confidence improves, it is usually like a domino effect: suddenly students’ presentation and communication skills get better too. Through the workshops that we offer as part of the scheme students learn how to organise their time more effectively, how to develop their leadership skills and team work. Therefore, although it is a non-academic award it has a positive impact on students’ academic performance.
I have noticed how with the help of the Gold Award, students have become interested in new areas and have started to consider new possibilities – among these are further study, a change of direction or simply pursuing their passion. After students achieve the Award, they are in a better place to choose a career that would suit their personality and allow them to fully develop their potential.
The Gold Award challenges students and often takes them out of their comfort zone but that is the only way to learn and progress. When completing the Personal Development Record students need to be honest with themselves and able to talk about their weaknesses. Last academic year I worked with an excellent group of students who did not just passively talk about their weaknesses but actively sought ways to improve.
I still keep in touch with many Gold Award Achievers from last year and it is always good to hear about their career successes and plans for the future. I am already looking forward to working with the new group of Gold Award students.
Throughout the year, I work closely with students so that I am able to guide and support them. However, each of the students has her/his own individual path and own responsibility to progress and complete each of the elements. My one-to-one meetings with students help with building mutual trust. Last academic year, students participated in Greening Goldsmiths, worked for a number of societies (for instance Re:Mind or Debating society), volunteered for CEN8 or other organisations, wrote articles for https://youtu.be/QnNsNUmuICc
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GOLDSMITHS PERSPECTIVES
For the academic year 2015/16, we have improved the programme and added an extra element to encourage students to be creative. We have also opened the scheme to all Goldsmiths students as previously the focus was on undergraduate students only and we recognise that any student can benefit from the scheme. To achieve the Gold Award students need to: 1. Complete a Personal Development Record. This is the main document in which students record their skills and reflect on their development. 2. Do a minimum 40 hours of Co-curricular Activities (for instance part-time work, volunteering, mentoring, setting up an exhibition or running a society). 3. Attend 4 Workshops of their choice (for instance ‘Improve your time management’, ‘Build your selfconfidence’, ‘Leadership’, ‘The Power of LinkedIn: Using LinkedIn in your job search’ or ‘Presentation skills’). 4. Submit a Creative Element. Students reflect on one of their skills or attributes in a creative way. This can include photos, scrapbook, video, blog, piece of creative writing, poster, story board, cartoon or piece of music. 5. Set up a LinkedIn Profile so that they can build a professional network. 6. Give a Presentation in front of a panel and reflect on their Gold Award journey. FEEDBACK FROM 2014-15 GOLD AWARD ACHIEVERS: ‘All in all I can say with confidence that after this past academic year, I am a more confident, better rounded person with more insight into career opportunities and the ability to word things in a more professional manner. I believe that I have increased my employment opportunities through this.’ ‘.. I feel that the Gold Award has provided an extra push and motivated me to commit to extra-curricular work and projects I might not otherwise have felt an urge to do while at University. These various responsibilities and projects have given me a better
insight into not only what career and kind of work I enjoy, but also a better idea of myself – what kind of person I am, how I like to work and how to reflect on my own strengths and weaknesses.’ ‘I have gained skills through being a more active member of my university.’ ‘I am proud of the roles and positions I have taken on and I believe that it is these roles that have helped build my confidence.’ ‘I have learnt to take as many opportunities as possible when they are presented to me.’ ‘This year has been the most successful one I have had so far during university.’ ‘I felt very proud to be part of the Gold Award.’ FEEDBACK FROM A MEMBER OF THE FINAL PRESENTATIONS PANEL Howard Littler, Goldsmiths Students’ Union President 2014-15: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed being a judge in the Careers Service organised Gold Award scheme. It was clear to me after the first two or three presentations that the scheme had served not only to develop students but give them confidence in presenting and talking about their respective strong points and future ambitions. The award process is cleverly designed to ensure students are celebrating clearly the skills they possess as well as identifying what areas they need to work on. There was also an opportunity for the panel to give honest and constructive feedback to the student which I’m sure they found helpful. If it was down to me I’d provide a place on this scheme to every student who came through our doors, knowing now that they will undoubtedly benefit from it.’
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STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
Gold Award A Student Perspective Name: Lisa Burford Programme of study: BA Social Work Programme Year: 1
Why were you interested in doing the Gold Award? As a mature student leaving full time employment to embark on a new chapter I wanted to engage with all opportunities University life had to offer. The Gold Award appealed to me on many levels, such as the structure which enabled me to assess my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and realistically plan and implement ways to enhance my skill set and challenge myself to progress. Having a plan in place alongside my busy study schedule armed me with a clear set of objectives to meet within an obtainable time frame. I also wanted to use the opportunity to meet people from other Departments and courses, having regular contact with Katarina was really beneficial in hearing about voluntary opportunities, such as the Dedicated
Listener service, attending the training and carrying out voluntary work on Campus provided ample opportunity to meet students on different courses to mine. What activities did you include in your Gold Award? Student Representative, September 2014 – May 2015. My fellow Social Work Student colleagues elected me for this role. I made a conscious effort to speak to all of my colleagues and let them know they can feed back any concerns to me to pass on to the course convenor. I also showed moral support and encouragement to colleagues and friends on my course. Following meetings with the course convenor I attended a stakeholders meeting and met with the Department Student Coordinator to give feedback and voice any concerns. Voluntary work at Lewisham Family Action, Siblings Together Buddy. Following assessment, interview and Safeguarding and Child Protection training I worked with another buddy to facilitate contact between siblings living in different care settings. Dedicated Listener training and voluntary work. I attended evening and Sunday training events to gain further understanding about the role of a dedicated listener and participated in role play activities prior to working on Campus as a dedicated Listener during the pilot of the project during the exam season. National Citizen Service. I attended a four hour assessment following a job application for summer work. The assessment included responding to various scenarios in relation to young people, giving a presentation, and a one-to-one interview. I was offered the role of Assistant Programme Leader, which I accepted and worked during the summer
“The Gold Award appealed to me on many levels, such as the structure which enabled me to assess my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and realistically plan and implement ways to enhance my skill set and challenge myself to progress.� 25
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STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
“The main benefit for me [of the Gold Award] is taking part in activities on Campus but outside of my course. The dedicated listener training and voluntary work has given me a sense of belonging to a group of people and being part of a much needed service.” What sorts of skills did you develop through the Gold Award? Although I had confidence prior to starting University and the Gold Award, the new beginning and environment was overwhelming. My confidence has grown through gaining the Gold Award as I have pushed myself to engage with extra-curricular activities involving role-play with people I hadn’t previously met and giving presentations to people applying for the same role. This has also improved my ability to manage my time and allow myself to gain experience opposed to thinking all of my time at University has to be dedicated to my Social Work studies. Of course all of the extra-curricular activities are relevant to my Degree and have promoted a positive sense of well-being for me. All of the skills I have gained are beneficial for professional and personal development, as a social worker in training it is important to engage with activities outside of work and/or study. How did you benefit from the Gold Award? The main benefit for me is taking part in activities on Campus but outside of my course. The dedicated listener training and voluntary work has given me a sense of belonging to a group of people and being part of a much needed service. I also benefited from the information sent by Katarina, for example, the meditation class, which I attended and learnt how to meditate. Although the University has a wealth of seminars, workshops and classes advertised on the website and around Campus, having emails directly sent was very beneficial and helpful in planning my time. Would you recommend doing co-curricular activities to other students and why? I would recommend doing extra- or co-curricular activities to other students because being at University is about more than gaining a Degree
or other qualification. In itself that is a massive achievement but for me the 3 years I have I want to make the most of and by participating in other activities my experiences have been enhanced and I’ve had the opportunity to meet more people and learn from them. Independent learning can be lonely, I’ve been at the library and seen people from activities I’ve attended, stopping for coffee or a quick chat in-between reading and/or writing assignments can boost morale during the long day! Would you recommend the Gold Award to other students and why? I would recommend the Gold Award due to the fact that the format allows you to identify areas you want to build on for yourself, by doing this the thought of attending activities pushes you outside of your comfort zone to actually attend. Also the Gold Award is complementary to your studies, it isn’t time consuming, and it is a framework to use to make the most out of your University experience. What were the most valuable aspects of the Gold Award? For me, all aspects were valuable, however as I’m not from South East London, volunteering in the local community gave me knowledge and insight into the Family Action Service in Lewisham. I have work experience in Wandsworth and all Boroughs operate differently so prior to going onto placement in my second year of study this experience has proved extremely useful. Has the Gold Award impacted on you for the future and if so how? Yes, I will use the framework to plan and achieve goals for my second year of study. Also having the Award and my Personal Development Record gives me motivation to continue challenging myself and gaining new experiences.
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STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
Goldsmiths Activities Students at Goldsmiths are involved in many activities alongside their studies including sports, societies, volunteering and supporting their departments as student representatives. The Careers Service Skills Team is always trying to discover more about what activities students are involved in, why they enjoy them and what they gain through the experience. Here is a collection of responses from students about some of their activities.
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Alumni Telephone Fund
Dance Society
https://youtu.be/cMq9KMe4_SM
https://youtu.be/eafD0f_wf9I
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STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
Student Representative
https://youtu.be/XhWEWpo1ksc
Student Ambassador
https://youtu.be/-r7avSlLpRk
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CASE STUDY
CEN8 Developing Creative Talent The Careers Service Skills Team works with CEN8 in a range of ways. Anthony Crowther, Charlotte Betts, Joanie Magill and Katarina Lezova consider the success of this approach. CEN8 identifies, develops and promotes young creative talent. CEN8 is a non-profit organisation that developed out of a desire to ensure that children and young people’s exposure to and passion for the creative arts is not thwarted by their financial or social circumstances. Led by a team of professional artists and student volunteers, CEN8 delivers creative after school activities for young people aged 7-18 years. The Careers Service has engaged with CEN8 in the past on the Volunteering Fair, and we have now built on this engagement through the establishment and development of the HEAR, the Gold Award and The Frame. CEN8 is a great example of how these initiatives can have a positive impact on the co-curricular activities that are recorded, recognised and reflected on in these programmes. This is a successful reciprocal relationship as we in turn signposted and encouraged two students to get in touch with CEN8 and subsequently they have helped find opportunities for them to teach music and manage a blog, areas which these students wanted some experience in.
https://vimeo.com/139738298
Gold Award Through engaging with participants on the Gold Award it has become increasingly clear how the aspirations and development of participants varies widely. For many students the Gold Award is a tool to help them reflect on the skills they are gaining in the co-curricular activities they are undertaking. But for many more participants, it is also acting as a tool to identify skills gaps they may have, and understand what skills and experience they need in order to be able to pursue their aspirations. The Gold Award is a way of helping them explore and identify additional opportunities that exist that they can get involved in to help them in their development. Altogether last year there were 5 students on the Gold Award (out of 25) who were participating in CEN8 volunteering, demonstrating the demand amongst volunteers for skills development. Engaging with activity organisers is incredibly important as a tool for recruitment into the Gold Award, with 3 of the participants coming from CEN8.
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HEAR CEN8 has also worked in partnership with the HEAR to help identify and formalise existing activities as well as develop new opportunities which offer students the chance to deepen their level of experience, take on increasing levels of responsibility and develop skills within a framework and with support. The validation process helps activity organisers themselves understand the skills that students develop through participation in their activities, and can give them a better understanding of how to create, manage and develop opportunities. The March 2015 HEAR Validation Group approved four CEN8 volunteer roles for inclusion on the HEAR. These positions are: • Volunteer Facilitator / Mentor Plus • Volunteer Promotions / Marketing and Events Organiser • Lead Volunteer Facilitator / Mentor • Lead Volunteer Promotions / Marketing and Events Organiser at CEN8 The volunteer plus roles existed already and have been formalised through the HEAR validation process. The lead roles have been newly created by working collaboratively with CEN8 and offer progress to a further level of skill development.
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CASE STUDY
The HEAR has provided a way for CEN8 to categorise and recognise different levels of participation, engagement and responsibility with a volunteering role. The HEAR criteria for the roles can be used in the process of supporting volunteers and identifying their progress and development. In this way the HEAR has acted as a catalyst for roles to be formalised and crucially allows the HEAR to accurately reflect the exact activity and corresponding skills that students are participating in and developing. Skills development focus group We engaged 9 students from CEN8 in a focus group in December 2014 in order to help identify the learning, skills and development that students value from their academic and extra/co-curricular activities whilst they are at Goldsmiths. Two key areas were covered through the session: • What skills (academic, personal, social and professional) do students wish to develop whilst they are at Goldsmiths? • How can the institution best support students in their academic studies, personal and professional development and prepare them for life beyond the classroom? Key skills that CEN8 volunteers identified developing from their volunteering activities were: • Teamwork (social) skills • Organisational skills • New-media and fundraising – marketing, branding
A number of students made reference to the value of volunteering, in providing real world experiences to complement their academic abilities and to help demonstrate their skills to future employers. ‘The practical skills that you gain from [volunteering] and after having already tried to get a job and get into the real world I became painfully aware of how little your degree means in a way. At the end of the day they want the degree but they also really want the experience - you actually need to have already done it before almost, so that the bar is really high for a whole range of jobs even grad schemes.’ This research helps us to understand the personal and professional skills development potential of cocurricular activities such as volunteering and clearly demonstrates the value students place on such activities. We are currently continuing this research, exploring a variety of volunteering and other activity areas, to gain a greater understanding of students’ co-curricular engagement and gather perspectives on how this enables the development of skills. It also helps us to understand where to signpost students to, both through the Gold Award and other Careers Service activities, and demonstrates why we should engage with such activity providers to ensure students can record these skills development opportunities on their HEAR.
https://youtu.be/Zqn1e96pPCI
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THE FRAME
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
Students’ Union Focus Groups Charlotte Betts, Skills+ Developer, Careers Service Skills Team In April 2015 three focus groups were conducted by Charlotte Betts with staff and students from the Goldsmiths Students’ Union (SU). The aims of these groups were to identify what skills students develop through SU activities and roles and how the SU and Goldsmiths Careers Service Skills Team could further support skills development and employability. Through the sessions a number of themes emerged and this summary focuses on three key areas: • • •
Student motivations Skills development Challenges and training
Student Motivations Through analysing the data collected it is clear that students are motivated to get involved in SU activities for a range of personal, professional, academic and social reasons. For many, their initial interest comes from a personal passion for the activity whether it be a sport, society or a cause and it is this enjoyment or affinity with the activity that attracts them to taking part. ‘Primarily people get involved because this is their passion.’ ‘As I was elected I had a manifesto with goals that I wanted to achieve.’ Some focus group participants expanded on this element of ‘enjoyment’ explaining that a feeling of success was also important and the ability to utilise their personal strengths. They identified a sense of fulfilment and pride in their work, being pleased to be able to use their strengths to contribute. ‘But for me, I’m good at it. I’m a very organised and communicative person and I loved that job. We have done so well this year.’ An awareness of the social aspects to certain roles was frequently referred to. Some of these activities can be a vehicle for self-expression and open up new networks of like-minded individuals, allowing for friendships to be formed. Some activities, including being a Departmental Student Coordinator (DSC), enable students to expand their networks not only with students but also with staff. It was suggested that these activities could have a positive impact on student retention, as they can help students to build 31
a ‘network of friends that can support them.’ ‘I don’t actually know how people cope without [a society] … because actually otherwise your university world can be really small….it [a society activity] expands your university bubble.’ In terms of motivating factors an area that was met with a mix of responses was employability. Some participants viewed the ability to demonstrate their skills to potential employers as a major attraction and reason to get involved, others were opposed to the notion of joining an SU position to increase employability and many acknowledged that an interplay of both a passion for the activity and skills development or employability motivated their participation. Indeed, it could be suggested that a perceived passion for the activity and employability factors are two extremes of a continuum and that students may view their reasons for participation at any point along this spectrum. Passion for activity
Employability
Figure 1. Motivations for participating in SU roles and activities Although some participants insisted their motivations were not employability driven they did acknowledge the skills acquired through these roles and the potential advantages and impact this could have. ‘So it wasn’t about getting a job. Although, now that I’m applying for jobs, this is one of the strongest things on my CV. It’s a plus to my degree.’ Perhaps it is important to consider whether the associated skills development of these activities are seen as an implicit part of the role, or alternatively as an explicit motivation for getting involved initially. Differences of outlook appeared to be present according to the types of activities people were involved in and their length of engagement. For example, some society leaders were happy to explicitly refer to the need to demonstrate their skills and how the activity had enabled them to do this, clarifying that this was a strong motivation for taking a position of responsibility.
THE FRAME
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
‘What was the urgency to do a society in your final year?’ ‘Because I thought it would make me more employable.’ ‘I wanted to demonstrate my skills.’
Passion for activity, enjoyment, personal strengths, implicit skills development
In considering the three main areas of motivation as seen in Figure 2 – passion for the area (Personal), social and networking opportunities (Social/Professional) and skills development and employability (Academic/Professional) it is clear that everyone will have their own individual combination of these factors. It could be of interest to see where students would plot their own motivations within this model. Skills Development All Focus Group participants were asked what skills and capabilities were required for their roles. The responses are included in Figure 3 with the frequency for each group recorded. Some skills such as communication, organisation, people management and time management were mentioned by the majority of groups but others were more specific to particular roles for example report writing (DSCs) and challenging oppressive behaviour (Sabbatical Officers).
Motivations for engagement in SU activities
Skills Development/ Employability, explicit skills development
Networking opportunities, social aspects Social/Professional
Figure 2. Motivations for Engagement in SU activities
Skills and Capabilities Required for Students' Union Roles
Adaptability Administrative skills Advocacy Analytical skills Attention to detail Budgeting Campaigning Challenging oppressive behaviour Communication Confidence Conflict management Creativity Data analysis Diplomacy Events management Fundraising Interpersonal skills IT skills Leadership Listening skills Managing expectations Media/ comms/ marketing/ advertising Mediation skills Meeting skills Motivational skills Negotiation Observational skills Openess/ accessible/ approachable Organisation Patience People management Planning Prioritsing Problem solving Professionalism Public speaking/ presentation skills Reliability Report writing Social media Social skills Stakeholder engagement Teamwork Time keeping/ management 0
2
Volunteering
Societies
DSCs 4
Sports
NUS Conference Delegate 6
Sabbs
Figure 3. Skills and Capabilities Required for Students’ Union Roles
Student Media 8
10
12
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STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
Figures 4 and 5 present a further breakdown of these results for two of the groups and their specific roles, with the associated skills identified by participants.
SOCIETIES Budgeting Campaigning
Time keeping/ management
Adaptability Advocacy Analytical skills
Teamwork
Communication
Social skills Reliability Public speaking/ presentation skills
Confidence Conflict management Creativity
Professionalism Planning
Diplomacy
People management
Events management
Stakeholder engagement Report writing Reliability Public speaking/ presentation skills Problem solving Prioritsing
Patience
Diplomacy
Leadership Organisation Motivational skills
Negotiation
Organisation IT skills Negotiation Leadership Meeting skills Listening skills Mediation skills
Figure 4. Skills Associated with Society Positions
Figure 5. Skills Associated with DSC Positions
As can be seen, a range of skills were identified by focus group participants. When asked if the skills gained through these activities were transferable, all of the groups said yes referring to many of them as ‘life skills’.
example, public speaking, communications or campaigning. They may have done this in the past and this process has come quite organically. In that position they might not be aware that they have that specific skillset. Unless people receive particular training, people might not recognise that they have these skills to put on their CV. They are unsure how to translate that to a CV. Our job is to empower them and make them aware what skills they gain.’
‘A lot of the skills you are not expecting to get out of it. You go into this role with a very fixed idea of what it entails. Because you might have talked to people or have read the job description. But then there is always that extra bit where you don’t have an idea how to solve it. This is where you can gain skills such as problem-solving etc.’ However the staff group felt that this was not always recognised by students themselves. ‘Do you think that students recognise that these skills are transferable?‘ ‘No, speaking of student representatives, I think there is a type of student that wants to do it without having to be approached. Usually they come with some of these skills required for the role for
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Conflict management Data analysis
Interpersonal skills
Listening skills Media/comms/marketing/ Meeting skills advertising
Communication
DSCS
Figure 6 shows the key transferable skills the groups listed. The staff group were invited to consider the most valuable skills that can be taken from the complete experience of HE including SU activities. Their responses included, critical thinking, how to build and maintain relationships and a sense of selfdevelopment and direction. One staff member suggested that the real value for students is: ‘The ability to know what motivates them in work/ life and a vision/plan of how to get to a point of selfactualisation.’
THE FRAME
Figure 6. Transferable Skills
Challenges The groups were invited to share some of the challenges faced within SU roles. The discussion on the challenges faced opened up issues around self-management including balancing workload, time management and being able to be self-directed. There were also points made around learning to manage others: how to communicate effectively, issues around recruitment, participation, attendance, delegating, coping with frustrations and managing expectations.
The final area of challenges seems to be around the personal qualities or capabilities necessary to successfully perform these roles such as confidence, resilience, reflexivity, leadership, motivation, patience and perseverance.
‘When I came to Goldsmiths I didn’t take into consideration that societies are led by students themselves. When you get to your final year, and I’m running a society and saying “hey does anyone want to help me out?” No one is eager to help. It takes a certain group of people to help. I’ve done everything by myself this year. Even the vice-president does not want to help sometimes. This is really difficult. When you want something to get done, you need to do it yourself. That’s how it gets because the more people you have and you say “oh can you do this? Can you put some posters up?” And it only gets done 2 hours before the event. You just end up doing it yourself.’
In conclusion, the focus groups were extremely informative. We spoke to society presidents, DSCs, Campaigns Officers, Sports Captains and those working in Student Media and it was evident that these activities and roles have a major impact on students’ personal and professional development. They allow them to broaden their university social circles and contribute to a rich and engaging student experience.
Participants also referred to the knowledge, practical skills and understandings that are necessary for their positions, including an understanding of SU regulations, an awareness of the issues around bureaucracy, potential social barriers and political opposition.
Though the groups reported a number of challenges they were able to refer to them as learning experiences. In addition, many useful ideas were suggested for additional training or support that may be able to help address some of their concerns.
Using the information and themes gathered through the focus groups, several recommendations and ideas for further collaboration between the SU and Careers Service Skills Team were proposed. These included further building on connections with existing initiatives, including the Gold Award and the HEAR. These schemes provide recognition in addition to access to developmental planning and support. This aligned well with the feedback from the focus groups and helps to address the areas identified as being of benefit and value to students’ skills development by students themselves.
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Co-curricular Learning at King’s College London Michael Flavin, Head of Curriculum Innovation, King’s College London King’s Experience, a unit to develop and support learning opportunities outside (but related to) the formal curriculum, was established in 2013-14. Having originally started with one appointment, King’s Experience now comprises a head of department, two administrative officers, a learning technologist shared with another department, and, hopefully, a new appointee joining us for the 2015-16 academic year. A decision was made early on in the life of King’s Experience to treat the new learning opportunities (which we termed co-curricular learning) as if they were credit bearing. In practice, this meant steering new modules and programmes through validation committees, having blind double marking of assessments and convening an exam board, with a professor from another university as our external examiner. By these means we imbued our new co-curricular learning opportunities with full academic rigour, credibility and quality assurance. In addition, we recruited and trained postgraduate researchers to assess the work submitted for our
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awards, overseen by three members of academic staff, thereby creating a paid academic practice opportunity for King’s postgraduate researchers. Initially, we sought to enhance local and global engagement at King’s, through the introduction of a King’s Experience Global Award and a King’s Experience London Award. We then sought to enhance interdisciplinary study opportunities through a King’s Experience Interdisciplinary Award. Our next step took us in a new and exciting direction. We introduced undergraduate research fellowships in summer 2014. These allowed undergraduate students to learn alongside academics, being active in the production of new knowledge. All students who undertook the scheme were supported by a bursary. We had 80 undergraduate research fellows in 2014, a figure which has risen to 109 in 2015. We intend extending the scheme further in 2016. The scheme is also immensely popular with students; we received 1235 applications for the fellowships in 2015.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
In the early stages, our main challenge was cultural. Establishing a new department is challenging; establishing a new department centring on a different type of learning outside the formal curriculum is more challenging still. There were, inevitably, difficulties and objections, but the tangible outputs of our work established our credibility across the University. We had had learning opportunities outside the formal curriculum at King’s prior to the formation of King’s Experience, but we had not co-ordinated all our offerings in one place. Therefore, a further achievement of King’s Experience was to publish a university-wide co-curricular prospectus presenting all of our additional learning opportunities; 15,000 copies of the prospectus are being published for the 2015-16 academic year. The prospectus allows students to see the full breadth of our provision and to plan their co-curricular learning. In our first operational year (2013-14), over 300 King’s students took up the opportunity to submit work for our awards. We set ourselves an ambitious target of 25% growth for 2014-15 but, in the event, over 600 students benefited from the opportunities we provided. Furthermore, our provision expanded to include the Student Opportunity Fund, whereby individual or small groups of students can apply for funding to attend or establish an activity of their own. We confidently expect continued growth, with the aim of over 1,000 students a year enhancing their learning through King’s Experience within the next three years. In 2015-16 we will be adding to our
THE FRAME
portfolio of awards through the King’s Experience Enterprise Award, and we are also developing a new award on the theme of global leadership. Students undertaking our awards have produced some fantastic outputs. These have ranged from reflective essays through to blogs, creative work and videos, some of which are available on our Vimeo channel, along with footage of our awards ceremonies. Co-curricular learning adds both extrinsic and intrinsic value to learning. Extrinsically, co-curricular learning can enhance employability by demonstrating a distinctive skill set. Intrinsically, co-curricular learning adds value because it encourages students to see learning as something produced through collaborative practice, rather than as a commodity to be handed on. In retrospect, one of the most important steps we took was to spend an initial period building networks across the University. Having done this, we had support when we sought to introduce new modules and programmes. Through our networking we created advocates at individual faculty and departmental level, helping to build and sustain student participation. We would therefore encourage any university starting out a on a similar journey to spend time building relationships and networks, as a foundational practice, to enhance awareness and to ensure the sustainability of the new learning opportunities.
“Extrinsically, co-curricular learning can enhance employability by demonstrating a distinctive skill set. Intrinsically, co-curricular learning adds value because it encourages students to see learning as something produced through collaborative practice, rather than as a commodity to be handed on.” 36
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Volunteering Fair
Fergus Gleeson, Employer Engagement Manager Giving your time to volunteering with a charity or non-profit organisation can help you to build new skills and having volunteering experience on your CV will also make a great impression with prospective employers. Even better…being a volunteer can be a great way to make new friends and build your network - all while helping to change lives for the better! With this in mind make sure you come to the Volunteering Fair 2015 where you can meet up to 30 charities and voluntary organisations and explore the range of volunteering opportunities available to you. Organisations exhibiting include: • • • • • • • • • •
The British Red Cross CEN8 Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Cystic Fibrosis Trust Afghanistan and Central Asian Association Volunteer Centre Southwark Alzheimer’s Society South London Cares Carers UK Peoples Centre for Change
• • • • • • • • •
Voluntary Services Lewisham (VSL) Time and Talents MyCompleteFocus Starfish Greathearts Foundation The British Chinese Project Making the Leap Age UK Westminster IntoUniversity Lewisham Irish Community Centre
If you are interested in pursuing a career in the charity or not-for-profit sector, why not come along to the NGOs and Charities Industry Panel on 21st October 2015 (4.15 – 6.15pm, RHB 300a). Listen to 5 speakers from across the sector who will discuss their careers and offer you some advice to launch yours. There will also be an opportunity to speak to the panel members informally over refreshments.
‘I learnt a lot from just having a conversation, something you can’t do on a website.’ – 3rd Year, Music
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Scaling up a Skills Award: Gold Award The Gold Award is now in its 6th year and has generally had a take up of between 14 and 25 per year. In the past year the Award has changed management and is now being administered by the Careers Service. Looking forward one of the challenges for the new Gold Award Coordinator, Katarina Lezova, will be how to increase participation whilst maintaining the quality of interaction, engagement and ongoing feedback that the Award has become associated with. As part of this process the Careers Service Skills Team has been keen to learn more from others about how they have managed the process of increasing participation in Award schemes in other HEIs. A series of case studies can be seen in the next section which give an insight into four Skills Awards all at different stages of the process - one that has been running for over ten years and others that were started just a few years ago. The Award Coordinators here reflect on the advantages and challenges of growing enagagement in an Award, retention and how to ensure quality as well as increasing quantity.
The Awards included in this study are: • • • •
Nottingham Advantage Award Birmingham PSA MMU Futures The Worcester Award
This information has been incredibly valuable as a learning tool for us at Goldsmiths and we hope that sharing these different approaches may be of interest to others considering similar areas.
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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
Scaling up a Skills Award: Nottingham Advantage Award Name: Vicky Mann Position: Nottingham Advantage Award Manager University: University of Nottingham Award: Nottingham Advantage Award Year Award started: 2008/9 Level of participation (in last academic year): Approx 3000 (UK) 5000 (UK, China and Malaysia) Level of participation in first academic year: Approx 50 Who can participate? UG/PG
Have you actively worked to increase numbers each year or has this been a natural progression? A bit of both! In the early years we wanted to increase numbers. Our target was for 10-15% of the student population to be participating in the Award. Now we focus on maintaining this and so we are not currently actively increasing numbers significantly. The numbers of students from module to module does vary also depending on the module cap.
Overview of Award requirements: Students can take up to 30 credits of modules to complete their Award. There are 250 modules offered at our UK, China and Malaysia campuses which are led by academics, professional services staff, and employers. Students can choose which modules they wish to complete. Most modules are generally 10 credits, with a few exceptions 20 credits.
How have you approached the scaling up process? How do you reach new students? Do you work with other departments, academic staff, student reps or other groups to promote your Award? Our Careers and Employability service have faculty based teams, and a number of modules are delivered in partnership between the service and academic schools. This enables us to reach colleagues and students across the institution. We have various social media platforms including a blog for which we encourage student’s staff and colleagues including employers to contribute articles to. The Students’ Union and Enactus have dedicated categories of modules which also engage a wide audience. And most recently, the university has launched a series of NOOC’s (Nottingham Open Online Courses), some of which are NAA accredited and therefore reach a wide audience of students.
Do you have one-to-one meetings with students as part of your Award scheme? It varies depending on the module. Some modules offer one-one-one meetings, this could be for feedback, a tutorial discussion, CV check or formative feedback. Mode of recognition (certificate/credits etc.) Modules are 10 or 20 credits. These are featured on the diploma supplement in section 6.1. Students that complete the Award (30 credits) also get a certificate signed by the Vice-Chancellor, presented to them at our Celebration Event. The Graduation Handbook also features students that have completed 30 credits.
How have you streamlined the scaling up process? By making use of the various online systems that are available so that as much information as possible is accessible online.
“In the early years we wanted to increase numbers. Our target was for 10-15% of the student population to be participating in the Award. Now we focus on maintaining this” 39
THE FRAME
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
We have created a comprehensive mini website within our intranet in which there is a page for every module listing the timetable, application process and deadline, assessment method and supporting materials. If possible the Moodle page is linked. The modules are also listed in categories to assist students to browse through. There is an FAQ’s page and a module guide. We regularly schedule information and drop-in sessions to provide information and advice to students in groups, to try and reduce the volume of individual queries wherever possible. We have just launched a Moodle site designed for staff to access support resources and information and this includes a forum so that colleagues can support each other also. Hopefully this will make accessing support and information much easier for colleagues. Are there any challenges around retention? Retention tends to be quite good, largely because there are caps on modules and so there is often a shortlisting process that takes place before the module starts. Students generally have to complete application forms for modules, which encourages students to choose their modules carefully. However, we find that whilst we have large numbers of students who complete individual modules, a much smaller number go on to complete 30 credits. Are there any other challenges to scaling up? For us, there are a significant amount of administrative tasks involved and it can be challenging to manage the volume of data. So being able to use parts of the careers service online system is helpful as we can run reports and store records of student’s marks. In addition, the growth in modules means that whilst it is positive that
students have so much choice, they do sometimes need extra support to make decisions about which modules to choose. We have increased the number of drop-in sessions and information sessions to help manage this. We are also currently thinking about a range of ways to ensure that the Award is communicated effectively so students are aware of the full range of options available. Is how you underpin and communicate an Award important? For example, what do you think students respond to best: employability/ skills/personal and professional development/ experience/other? Students do seem to value the benefits the Award can offer in terms of employability and skills and often enrol for this purpose. The programme is currently categorised by activity type to help students navigate through the modules, however it might be important to also categorise modules by skills in the future in order to help students make effective choices. Has there been a steady increase in numbers each year or were some years particularly high? If so how did you deal with this and was resourcing an issue? We had a steady increase in the first two years (from 50-200), followed by two years of very high increases in numbers (1000-2000). The last three years has had a slower steadier increase and we tend to find that between 2500 and 3000 students are enrolled at any one time. When we factor in our international campuses also, this number is closer to 5000 in total.
“Retention tends to be quite good, largely because there are caps on modules and so there is often a shortlisting process that takes place before the module starts.” 40
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Would you ever consider capping numbers? The majority of modules have their own caps due to the teaching and assessment involved. What measures enable quality to be retained when increasing numbers? We are overseen by the School of Education, so the marks are submitted to the exam board every year. We have a steering committee that draws in academic and senior management expertise from across the institution and samples of assessment are moderated twice a year. We comply with undergraduate regulations and there is a comprehensive approval process for modules to be included – modules have to be approved by two senior academic colleagues and then by the Academic services department. We have also started to run yearly CPD sessions for colleagues to share good practice. Has it been necessary to expand resources or at what point do you think this would be necessary? Yes – we have always had 2 full time roles since the Award started, but from year 2 we have also had temporary staff to support the administration. To replace the short term temporary staff roles, we recently had a fixed-term post approved to support the administration which will be a huge help. Have you altered the requirements of the Award at any point? Not substantially. There have been changes to some of the mechanics and operational aspects but the award as a 30 credit award completed via 10 or 20 credit modules has always remained the same for students. Do you have any advice for others about how to approach scaling up an Award scheme? Consider what you may need from your
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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
administrative/student records system to provide you with an effective infrastructure. We didn’t anticipate the level of administration required to support the scheme as it grew and so it would have been useful to start thinking about systems early on. We are able to utilise the careers online system so that we can record module marks but we also have to manage a number of databases and spreadsheets! We are lucky that we are also well-supported by colleagues in academic services in order to access data, so it is definitely a joint effort to make it work. What is next for your Award scheme? Our key priorities in the next couple of years will be quality and student engagement. We want to focus on quality assurance processes that underpin the Award and think about ways that we can support module leaders more effectively: this could be via resource development, advice and consultation, or by continuing to develop an effective community of practitioners across the institution to share good practice. We are also aware that whilst the Award may not be for all students, there may be students who would like to take part, but for whatever reason are not currently doing so. It is important for us to think about how we can ensure that a greater number of students understand the opportunities available, the benefits and how to access them. We would also like to focus on supporting more students to achieve the full Award, and understand more about why this may not be currently the case. Can you think of an inspiring student story from your scheme that could be shared? Every year our employer partners give prizes to Award students that demonstrate outstanding achievement. Here is a recent student blog article in which one of our students highlights the benefits of taking part in the Award:
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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
Scaling up a Skills Award: Birmingham PSA Name: Sarah Jeffries-Watts Position: Programme Manager (Personal Skills Award & Online Developments) University: University of Birmingham Award: Personal Skills Award Year Award started: 2003/04 Level of participation (in last academic year): 1900 Level of participation in first academic year: 12 (in 2003/04) Who can participate? UGs Overview of Award requirements: A short video summarises the award here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fHY_MJbCz8#t=58
There are currently two main pathways for students to enrol on to: 2003/04 – Present: PSA (Modular): three 10 credit modules are taken over a minimum of two academic years. There is one compulsory module: ‘Employability and Professional Development Skills’ and students choose two skills modules from a portfolio. Each pathway is assessed and subject to the same Codes of Practice as any other module at the University. This pathway tends to appeal to students that prefer a structured learning environment, as the majority of modules are classroom-based. 2009/10 – Present: PSA (Activity): Over 220 extracurricular activities (ECAs) across the institution
have been formally recognised and given a points value (using a bespoke matrix); students are expected to engage in ECAs to reach a prescribed number of points. In addition, students complete a compulsory educational programme and a formal piece of assessment. This pathway tends to appeal to students that prefer a flexible and experiential approach to learning. It is the most popular pathway by some distance. In addition to the two main pathways, we have the PSA (Advanced) pathway (introduced in 2009/10); this is to recognise students that have undertaken an exceptional level of engagement in ECAs. A student is expected to have fulfilled the criteria for either the PSA (Activity) or the PSA (Modular) and undertaken a further prescribed level of activity. Students complete an assessment and an assessed employer-led interview to complete. The number of students is typically around 70 a year, so it is much smaller than the main pathways. We have also developed a ‘feeder’ programme into the main PSA pathways. The PSA (Foundation) is not accredited; however it is certificated by Careers Network. Introduced in 2014/15, the pathway comprises of a suite of innovative online skills courses. Students can take a prescribed number of courses to receive a certificate, or use the courses towards achieving the accredited main PSA pathways. Do you have one-to-one meetings with students as part of your Award scheme? Yes, on request. We host multiple ‘drop-in’ sessions across campus on a weekly-basis throughout autumn and spring term. In addition, students can book one-to-one meetings (although they are rare for general queries, as they are encouraged to attend drop-ins), and we offer both ‘drop-in’ and ‘one-to-one’ assessment feedback sessions with students (e.g. if a student has failed their first attempt, or would like feedback on a draft).
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Mode of recognition (certificate/credits etc.) The main PSA pathways are accredited. This year sees all PSA pathways formally recognised on the University’s Extended Transcript (including the PSA (Foundation).
(Award staff still undertake second marking and moderation). This has been a huge success, with the External Examiner praising the quality of the feedback provided to the students by the PGR student-staff.
Have you actively worked to increase numbers each year or has this been a natural progression? A combination of both! In the early stages of the award the award grew from 12 students to 350 by 2007/08 with fairly modest marketing. When the programme was re-designed for launch in 2009/10, there was an expectation that the numbers should increase to 700 in the year of launch, and expand to 1,500. This was achieved and now we are at c.1900 students (in 14/15). There is a comprehensive marketing plan that the team works hard to achieve each year.
Are there any challenges around retention? The main challenge has been students not achieving the requisite amount of points to be able to complete. The introduction of the PSA (Foundation) is intended to support these students that are seeking recognition of their development, as well as seeking the opportunity to develop their skills and ability to articulate them in a meaningful way.
How have you approached the scaling up process? How do you reach new students? Do you work with other departments, academic staff, student reps or other groups to promote your Award? When the new award was designed in 2009, one of the key objectives set was to ensure the award was scalable. This has been achieved, to date. A key part of this was to make the feature of the employerled interviews, a part of the PSA (Advanced), rather than part of the PSA (Activity). The interviews are resource-intensive at 20 minutes per student. This doesn’t include typing up detailed feedback on their interview performance, which typically takes around 30 minutes per student (as feedback is an integral part of the learning process). By not including it in the PSA (Activity), which the majority of students complete, it has meant that the award could be scaled up. To promote the award we work with departments, providers of on-campus ECAs (the most powerful way of reaching students), and our Guild of Students, to highlight the opportunities of the award. How have you streamlined the scaling up process? As the award grew from 1000 to our current numbers, the assessment marking had to be rethought, as it was too much for current staff. As a result we have recruited and trained, every year for four years, Postgraduate Research students to undertake the first marking of the assessments 43
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Are there any other challenges to scaling up? The resource for the award was agreed at the outset of re-designing the award. If this had not been achieved, then it could have been an issue. The challenge has been when thinking about adding to the breadth of offer, rather than the volume of students. Is how you underpin and communicate an Award important? For example, what do you think students respond to best: employability/ skills/personal and professional development/ experience/other? It is a combination of them all. It is difficult to pin down one thing that appeals to all students. In the marketing we focus on the recognition element, and the fact that we support students to be able to articulate their experiences to employers in a meaningful way. We do also touch on the other benefits such as the volume of ECAs that are formally recognised, and that we are a gateway to so many rich and interesting opportunities on campus. Has there been a steady increase in numbers each year or were some years particularly high? If so how did you deal with this and was resourcing an issue? There has been a steady increase, so it has been manageable. Would you ever consider capping numbers? Yes; if it went above the resource allocated. At the moment we use the marketing as a ‘push’ or ‘pull’ on the number of places available to manage this.
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What measures enable quality to be retained when increasing numbers? The initial planning stages were integral to this. Our programme went through the University’s formal Programme Approval and Review Committee, so it was essential that the growth strategy was fully considered. We also have an External Examiner, Exam Board, and Board of Studies that ensures the quality of the award. Has it been necessary to expand resources or at what point do you think this would be necessary? Yes; in 2011/12 as part of an expansion of Careers Network, a bid was put in place for a FTE to join the existing team to grow the award further and increase the volume of classroom-based and online teaching. It is difficult to say, but additional resource needs to be thought about in terms of not just volume of students, but if you want to add to the breadth of what you offer (which is normally only after you have been able to reflect on what you offer and assess the impact on your current students). Have you altered the requirements of the Award at any point? Only when we re-structured the award for 2009/10. We had added to the breadth with the PSA (Foundation) but that hasn’t altered the main requirements for the award. Do you have any advice for others about how to
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approach scaling up an Award scheme? The QAA ‘Recognising Achievement Beyond the Curriculum’ has some very useful guidance, and associated questions to ask when making changes or developing an award. When considering resource it can be helpful to think about how you might expand the breadth of the award and add in innovations, as well as increasing the number of students. Our decision to work with students in delivering and assessing on the award is one of our best and most effective decisions in terms of scaling up and the contribution that they bring. What is next for your Award scheme? A potential review of PSA (Modular) pathway and teaching elements, as the PSA (Activity) attracts over eight times more students than the modules. Any other comments? Always happy to chat awards! The AGCAS Skills Award Task Group has a bank of resources (recorded webinars, case studies, posters etc.) on the AGCAS website for AGCAS members http:// www.agcas.org.uk/agcas_resources/334-SkillsAwards-Task-Group-careers-information-resources and a Jiscmail discussion list for those interested in Awards and PDP is available at: AGCASAWARDSANDPDP@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
https://youtu.be/K1Pa1egwrLY
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Scaling up a Skills Award: MMU Futures Award Name: Helen Lord Position: MMU Futures Award Manager University: Manchester Metropolitan University Award: MMU Futures Year Award started: Academic Year 2012/13 Level of participation (in last academic year) * please see table below Level of participation in first academic year (or each year) if known * please see table below Who can participate? All students Levels of participation in the award: Bronze 2012/13 19 2013/14 21 (9 Global) 2014/15 38
Silver N/A 8 (1 global) 7 (1 global)
Gold N/A 9 (2 global) 7
https://youtu.be/IFeFQaDfoAA
TOTAL 19 38 52
Overview of Award requirements: 50 hours at bronze (participatory activity) plus 2 careers workshops, 50 hours at silver (leading/ organising activity) plus 4 careers workshops, Gold is assessment and reflection (assessed interview with employer, reflective piece of work) plus 3 careers workshops. Do you have one-to-one meetings with students as part of your Award scheme? In the past we haven’t had the capacity to do this, although we have met with students on occasion when they have requested this. However we have just recruited an Intern into an Award Manager role. Their responsibility is to increase participation in the award (rather than the programme as a whole) so he will be offering the 1:1 support and encouragement.
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Mode of recognition (certificate/credits etc.) Students collect points towards the award for the activity they take part in. They are then awarded certificates at bronze, silver and gold at our ceremony which is held at the end of Term 3 each year. Certificates are awarded when possible by the Vice Chancellor. Activity will also be recorded on the HEAR once it is introduced. Levels of engagement in activities: 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 Number of events 85 270 350+ advertised Number of 1020 1524 1774 students Total number of 2300 2813 3918 engagements
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“We work tirelessly to increase engagements, as well as the range of opportunities we offer to students.”
Have you actively worked to increase numbers each year or has this been a natural progression? We work tirelessly to increase engagements, as well as the range of opportunities we offer to students. For something that is free, beneficial and even fun, it can be a hard sell! How have you approached the scaling up process? How do you reach new students? Do you work with other departments, academic staff, student reps or other groups to promote your Award? We have a Steering Group and have representatives from all the faculties, as well as the Students Union, Careers and Employability Services and the Environment team, all of whom we work closely with to grow the programme. We are also led by a Pro Vice Chancellor. How have you streamlined the scaling up process? It’s a very organic process. We tend to try to identify enthusiastic and committed people who want to work with us. Are there any challenges around retention? Last year we decided to ask students to physically register to take part in the award through the website, as previously students were just automatically given their points towards the award when they attended our activities (not everyone who does the activities we advertise has to take part in the award, but we log everyone’s points). Around 600 students registered to take part in the award last year, but only 50 actually achieved this. We are hoping that creating the Award Manager role will give us a higher conversion rate.
Are there any other challenges to scaling up? As the service grows, we inevitably need more resources and staff, so forecasting what we need is difficult, as well as having to ask for and getting more resources (I’ve just had to fight tooth and nail to get us an office now the team has grown)! There are a lot of administrative tasks involved in managing the programme too, but we will be using a system called Career Hub in the near future which should automate a lot of the things we currently have to do manually. Would you ever consider capping numbers? I feel scalability may become a problem at some point which may result in capping numbers, but this would be a last resort. We’re actually looking at embedding our bronze level (or at least some of it) in the curriculum – support from faculties is essential in terms of scalability. What measures enable quality to be retained when increasing numbers? I don’t think we’re at that stage yet, it will be nice to have to worry about that because we have so many students doing the award! However ensuring the quality, relevance and appropriateness of what we do is helped by having the Steering Group, as the staff on this group are all so committed.
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Has it been necessary to expand resources or at what point do you think this would be necessary? Until now we have managed to grow within the current budget, but for next year (2016/17) we will certainly need to re-assess our budget needs. This year, with having additional staff and starting to spend more on promotional materials and the students we employ, our budget is going to be very stretched. Have you altered the requirements of the Award at any point? Yes, we have recently re-assessed the compulsory careers workshops which students have to complete at each level of the award to reflect the emerging needs we have observed in our students. At Gold we have also included some flexibility in terms of the interview, where students from the Art School would present their portfolio rather than giving a presentation.
opportunities for our Gold students. Can you think of an inspiring student story from your scheme that could be shared? One of our students took the short Mandarin course we run and decided to go away to China that Summer and then to study abroad there, she was so inspired. Other students have told us that they have met their best friends by taking part in our activities. We have seen students from different faculties, and from across the world, work together on different projects, and they love getting involved. We don’t have any success stories in terms of ‘this student went off to work for a bank in New York, or to South Africa to work for the UN’ as we’re a bit early in our development, but the positive effect it has on the student experience is extremely evident (and rewarding to see).
Do you have any advice for others about how to approach scaling up an Award scheme? Network. Find the right people across the university who are committed and passionate and get them involved. Everyone who we work with and who offer to run workshops etc. through our programme do so on a voluntary basis because they are excited about Futures and what it offers students. What is next for your Award scheme? We need more employers endorsing the award and being involved. We’re looking at starting to work with some employers to offer work experience https://youtu.be/bcwDOYqD6Gs
“students have told us that they have met their best friends by taking part in our activities. We have seen students from different faculties, and from across the world, work together on different projects, and they love getting involved.” 47
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Scaling up a Skills Award: Worcester Award Name: Adela Cragg Position: Careers & Employability Assistant University: University of Worcester Award: Worcester Award Year Award started: 2010 Level of participation (in last academic year): 250 completers, 644 registered. 70 students did the Worcester Award +. Level of participation in first academic year (or each year) if known: 13 completers, 30 registered (No Worcester Award + until 2014-15) Who can participate? UG & PG Overview of Award requirements: For the Worcester Award students must complete: - 40 hours of work experience (min.) - 20 hours of skill development activities (min.) - 1 employability activity (min.) For the Worcester Award + students must complete: - 40 hours of work experience (min.) - 20 hours of skill development activities (min.) - 2 employability activities (min.) - An additional reflective workshop - A panel interview NB: These were the two levels in place for 2014-15 where 250 completed. Do you have one-to-one meetings with students as part of your Award scheme? Yes I hold regular 1-2-1 meetings with students throughout the year and run support workshops too where I can see 25 students at a time. Mode of recognition (certificate/credits etc.) Official certificates from the University given at the Celebration Event and the Worcester Award is recognised on their HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Report – degree transcript).
Have you actively worked to increase numbers each year or has this been a natural progression? Yes, there has been a big push to increase numbers for 2014-15. In 2013-14 there were 52 students who completed the award, so it has really grown over the last year. How have you approached the scaling up process? How do you reach new students? Do you work with other departments, academic staff, student reps or other groups to promote your Award? I liaise with academic staff from all 6 institutes at UW, the Student’s Union, student sports clubs and societies and other support staff across the University etc. I promote the award through social media, poster campaigns, flyers and attending lectures and giving brief presentations. Student ambassadors also help spread the word! How have you streamlined the scaling up process? Now I have been with the University for a year, I have built good relationships with academic staff and this has really helped streamline the scaling up process. If students have a query about the Worcester Award, they can ask their staff as well as me. Therefore there are more people aware of the award and are able to help, which makes the higher numbers easier to manage. Are there any challenges around retention? A few, it was always going to be difficult to convert 644 registered students into 644 completers, but from Christmas – April I focused on supporting students to complete, rather than just promoting the award. As it’s just me running the award we were very pleased to have 250 students complete, but we will work to raise this figure for the coming academic year and have more who registered complete!
“Now I have been with the University for a year, I have built good relationships with academic staff and this has really helped streamline the scaling up process.” 48
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Are there any other challenges to scaling up? Yes! As mentioned it’s just me who runs the Worcester Award, so there’s only so much one person can do alongside their other job responsibilities – the Worcester Award is only a third of my role. Plus, the Worcester Award is open to any student, so every student’s timetable and responsibilities are different; the Worcester Award is not part of their degree per se, so some focus on coursework instead and seem to forget/don’t have time for the Worcester Award when term gets busy. Is how you underpin and communicate an Award important? For example, what do you think students respond to best: employability/ skills/personal and professional development/ experience/other? Our students respond well to all of the above, and we promote all of the above. Many students like to show their personal/skill development, but we have a whole section of the award for personal/skill development which all students have to complete, so this may influence this. We have an additional section for just skill development, where students have to document their top 3 skills and examples of how these have developed during their activities. Has there been a steady increase in numbers each year or were some years particularly high? If so how did you deal with this and was resourcing an issue? No, this year was the biggest jump by far…it was an extremely busy year for me but not impossible. If the numbers continue as they did this year then resourcing will definitely be an issue!
2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
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No. of students No. completed registered Worcester Award 30 13 117 17 223 39 213 52 644 248
Would you ever consider capping numbers? Not as yet, but if the numbers get much higher we will need to re-think how the award is staffed. What measures enable quality to be retained when increasing numbers? All log books (where students record their activities) are checked for content and accuracy. If I feel the student hasn’t really understood the task, or hasn’t recorded their hours fully etc. then I will pass it back and ask the student to edit it. I also spot check all signatures in log books to ensure all activities are documented accurately, thus ensuring only good quality activities and students achieve the Worcester Award. Though, it is very time consuming marking 300+ log books! Has it been necessary to expand resources or at what point do you think this would be necessary? Not as yet, but in future we may well need to expand our resources. We will see how this coming year goes and review at the end of May 2016. Have you altered the requirements of the Award at any point? Yes, between 2013-14 we added the top up aspect to the Worcester Award, the Worcester Award +. For 2015-16 we have changed the award to now be a three tier programme, detailed below: Bronze: - 40 hours work experience - 20 hours personal skill development - 1 employability activity Silver: - 80 hours work experience - 40 hours personal skill development - 2 employability activities - 1 additional reflective workshop Gold: - Completion of Bronze & Silver - Presentation - Interview
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Do you have any advice for others about how to approach scaling up an Award scheme? Organisation is key, alongside good relationships with academic staff and external employers. The latter made the promotion across the year and interview process (towards the end of the year) much easier, streamlined and enjoyable! Also, make sure you have good systems in place to keep track of which students are doing the award etc., as this saves a lot of time when you are dealing with nearly 700 students! Also communicating with other Universities about how they run their awards is very useful too. What is next for your Award scheme? The move to the Bronze, Silver & Gold levels, detailed above. Can you think of an inspiring student story from your scheme that could be shared? One 1st year Sports Therapy student was the only one from that cohort to take the Worcester Award;
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they ended up achieving the Worcester Award + too and shone at their panel interview. So much so that the employer on the panel (Participation Manager at Worcestershire County Cricket) offered the student a placement with Worcs CCC after being so impressed with their performance. Another student, a 3rd year Integrated Working with Children and Families student was incredibly quiet and shy prior to starting the Worcester Award. They took up several new activities in order to meet the required hours of work experience and personal development. They then moved on to the Worcester Award +, and when asked why in the panel interview said they had always been very aware of their shyness and wanted to push themselves where possible to help overcome this. From sitting on the panel you could really see the journey this student had been on and it was a real pleasure to be a part of it. Stories like these make you remember how important and beneficial these awards are to students.
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What’s the Difference Between the HEAR and the Gold Award? The Gold Award and HEAR both recognise students’ co-curricular achievements; however there are a number of differences between the two initiatives. Joanie Magill, HEAR Coordinator and Katarina Lezova, Gold Award Coordinator address some of these areas and also demonstrate how the Gold Award and HEAR work together.
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Sheffield Graduate
Like ‘The Frame’ at Goldsmiths, Sheffield has a framework for skills development that includes the HEAR and a Skills Award. Charlotte Betts speaks to Francine Lindley, Employability Programmes Manager, University of Sheffield about The Sheffield Graduate, what it is, what it includes and how it works. CB: What is the Sheffield Graduate? FL: The Sheffield Graduate is not really a programme it is more of a framework which is underpinned by a set of graduate attributes. The Sheffield Graduate connects a number of different initiatives including The Sheffield Graduate Award and The Sheffield Graduate Development Programme. It also links to the HEAR and other areas of Academic Study Skills and Enterprise. Managing the Sheffield Graduate Award means that I work closely with the Students’ Union, the HEAR Coordinator and the Learning and Teaching Unit. The Learning and Teaching Unit ask us to evaluate annually how we are working with and meet the outcomes they define each year. CB: Can you tell me a little more about the Graduate Attributes? How and why were these designed and who were they designed by? FL: The Learning and Teaching Unit devised these about ten years ago. A group of academics worked with the Learning and Teaching Unit to consider what we want students to achieve and what attributes we expect them to develop through their experience at Sheffield. The Sheffield Graduate Award links directly to these attributes and allows students to consider how they are developing them. However, these attributes have not been promoted as much as perhaps they could be and most students don’t know what the graduate attributes are. The Sheffield Graduate Award is currently the only vehicle for them to really concentrate on these attributes. The attributes have lots of potential but it can be difficult to get the message across. In a sense the Award is only a small part of what the attributes could represent for students.
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The Sheffield Graduate Award is also one way of introducing PDP to students. The HEAR could also be a vehicle for PDP, in the sense that it can be used as a formative assessment tool, for meetings with personal tutors. Students can access their HEARs via the blackboard system and this could form the basis for a discussion with their personal tutors on their progress. CB: How long has the HEAR been running at Sheffield? FL: The HEAR was introduced at Sheffield in 2011 and is run from Student Registry. It was in development for 2 years with the first HEARs being issued last year. Exit HEARs were provided for students that started in 2012 and they were therefore issued to all students graduating this year. All Undergraduates can now access the HEAR and it is delivered through blackboard. CB: Does the Sheffield Graduate include elements around Academic Skills or Enterprise? FL: Yes. Enterprise is very much integrated and is part of the Careers Service as the Director of Careers is also the Director of Enterprise. We are planning to redevelop our Award and Enterprise will remain a core part of it, with Enterprise activity being eligible to count towards Award requirements. There is also provision for Academic skills at Sheffield including an online hub and an Academic skills workshop programme. There is an Academic Skills Certificate that students can take for attending a series of sessions and this can be added to the HEAR.
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“we are undergoing a major review this year to redevelop the Sheffield Graduate Award. To ensure that it is not in competition with the HEAR but instead with an emphasis on bridging the two.” CB: Is there any confusion about the HEAR and the Sheffield Graduate Award? How do you communicate how they work together and the differences? FL: Yes there is some confusion and this was difficult at first. Some students and staff were asking ‘has the HEAR replaced the Award?’ it has become clear that it is necessary to explain how they work together and how they are different. So far this hasn’t impacted on numbers for the Award yet but it potentially could, which is why a review of the Award is taking place this year. The message is that the HEAR is for everyone whilst the Award is for those going the extra mile. The Award is open to everyone but not everyone will achieve it. This is because it is an assessed piece of work. The Award also provides a reflective structure. Other recent changes are that there is now a large Work Placement team in the Careers Service. There is a real emphasis on Placements and Internships but not all of these are able to be recorded on the HEAR, for example, summer internships. Currently there is a Skills for Work Certificate which could help to recognise some of these activities. This Certificate currently runs as a separate initiative to the Sheffield Graduate Award but with the new changes to the Award that will be taking place over the coming year, it may be possible to combine this with the Award. CB: How do you ensure there is a coherent clear message about what all these different elements are? FL: As I have mentioned, we are undergoing a major review this year to redevelop the Sheffield Graduate Award. To ensure that it is not in competition with the HEAR but instead with an emphasis on bridging the two. The HEAR currently has a list of 190 verifiable activities. Previously the Award was the only way of acknowledging these activities. Now we want to avoid duplication. Work experience and external
volunteering cannot be verified and therefore included on the HEAR so the Award’s focus will shift to these activities. Once students have achieved the Award this can be included on the HEAR. There may also be other elements including evidence of activities to develop skills such as a MOOC on applications and interviews, and in addition a further activity of their choice will be permitted. This review is taking place as the current Award was a result of the Graduate Attributes that were developed ten years ago. Since then the profile of employability generally is now much higher up the agenda at Sheffield and across the sector. There is the need to revisit the Award structure with this and the HEAR in mind and update it to effectively articulate all that we have to offer to students. As the current system is a rolling programme where students are able to sign up from their first year and submit by their final year, a number of students will still be completing the old-style programme and it will be gradually phased out. Currently 150 hours of activities over the three years of engagement are required, this would be something that we would be looking to maintain, or even increase, as students are frequently exceeding this requirement. It allows for a depth and breadth of experience over a sustained period of time which is important. Things that will not be included within the new style Award are SU activities and ambassador work, this is because they are already recognised by the HEAR and the emphasis will be on part-time work and volunteering experience. However, students will still be able to refer to some of these activities as their additional free choice if they wish.
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CB: How long has the Sheffield Graduate Award been running? FL: Ten years. It is well established but will benefit from a revamp! CB: How many students participate in The Sheffield Graduate Award? FL: Approximately 500 portfolios are submitted every Easter. Numbers each year are around this 500 mark which is about 10% of the graduating cohort per annum. There are usually around 1200 that register interest although about half of these drop out over time. There is a rolling system so there are many more than 500 on the Award at any one time. It is always possible that as many as 650 portfolios could be submitted at the deadline although it usually levels out at around 500. I think the reason we don’t get more is because people run out of time and they have other academic pressures in their final year. Most Award participants will submit in their final year as we encourage them to see this as their journey through University.
https://youtu.be/5Bd39vNn5oo
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Currently students are required to submit a portfolio for the Award but looking to the future, we want to have a number of possible different outcomes. It is uncertain what these will be at the moment but they may involve elements including CVs, personal statements and social media such as LinkedIn. There is concern that some of the individual creativity demonstrated in the portfolios may be lost if we alter our approach but we will try to look at ways we can keep this and also allow for alternative formats. CB: 500 portfolios must involve a large amount of assessment work– how do you manage this? FL: To assist with assessment of the portfolios several PGR students are usually recruited. These are paid positions. There are usually 2 members of staff and 3 PGR students acting as assessors. Total assessment costs are usually in the region of £3500 and assessors are asked to mark roughly 100 portfolios each. The assessors are provided with marking criteria and working as a team is useful if any issues arise as these can be brought to the table and discussed.
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There is also an Award Board/Steering Committee. Rob Ward from the CRA is the External Examiner and the Board consists of a range of staff from academic departments, professional services and the SU. It can be very useful to have an Award Board for support and to justify decisions that are made.
activities, and also for those who want us to look through a draft of their portfolio.
CB: Have the numbers of students participating in the Award increased gradually or quickly over the years? FL: There was a steady increase for a number of years but it now seems to have levelled off.
CB: Can postgraduates take the Sheffield Graduate Award? FL: Currently PGT students can do the Award but we never get many more than around 35 each year. Many of the PGT students that take the Award are international students. In the future we may consider introducing a presentation element for these students.
CB: Do you have one-to-one meetings or presentations as part of the Award? FL: We have an open drop in session every week in the Careers Service, whereby students who have issues can call in without making an appointment. These drop-ins last for an hour, and nearer the submission date, we can see as many as 20 students during that hour. Over the course of last year, we saw approximately 114 students, mainly with queries relating to their particular set of
The Sheffield Graduate Award does not include a presentation element. I know from speaking to other Award Coordinators that organising presentations for large groups of students can be very difficult.
CB: What is the purpose of the Award? FL: Recognising individual personal skills development, as a result of undertaking activities. Enabling students to recognise their individual attributes and articulate them effectively.
The purpose of the Award is “Recognising individual personal skills development, as a result of undertaking activities. Enabling students to recognise their individual attributes and articulate them effectively.�
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Departmental Careers Education Programmes Careers Information, Advice & Guidance
Work Placements & Internships
One-to-one Careers Discussions
Careers Workshops
HEAR
Jobs and Volunteer Fairs
CAREERS SERVICE
Gold Award
Skills Development Sessions, Information & Advice
CV Checks & Practice Interviews
Enterprise Boot Camps, Competitions & Advice
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Employerled Events & Industry Panels
Goldsmiths Careers Service Team
Colin Baumgart-Osborn, Receptionist Cal Brindley, Careers Information Assistant Charlotte Betts, Santander Skills+ Developer Mark Chadwick, Events and Placements Assistant Claire Coveney, Careers Information Assistant Anthony Crowther, Student Enterprise and Skills Manager Vanessa Freeman, Senior Careers Consultant Fergus Gleeson, Employer Engagement Manager Beth Guilding, CV Adviser Helen Kempster, Senior Careers Consultant Eva Kiss, Careers Consultant Katarina Lezova, Gold Award Coordinator Joanie Magill, HEAR Coordinator Alison McGregor, Placements and Internships Manager Sophie Picard, Careers Information and Administration Manager Sue Young, Head of Goldsmiths Careers Service
www.gold.ac.uk/careers
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