UTF Project Interim Report
Discourses of ‘Excellence’: Bridging the Gap between Academic achievement and Professional success
Dr Raphael Hallett & Fay Rajaratnam, February 2012
a) Project Outline
Duration of project: September 2010 – October 2012
1. Aims of the project
The project’s aim is to research Employer expectations and discourses concerning graduate and professional excellence, so that the University can align these more accurately with the criteria of academic achievement and skill that shape our students’ achievement.
It will create an informed dialogue between scholarly and professional contexts of excellence and will allow our students a smoother transition between the two.
Operating within the Leeds for Life and Student Employability remits, the research will contribute to key themes within the University’s Learning and Teaching strategy, “inspiring our students to develop their full potential” by training students to translate academic achievement to employer expectation, and “increasing impact” by making graduates better equipped to excel in professional and public domains of life.
2. Planned outcomes from the project
Outcomes will include:
(i) Refined and targeted research outputs on academic and employer discourses of excellence, translated to reports, papers and where appropriate, ‘glossaries’ explaining these expectations in relation to academic criteria.
(ii) Research presentations delivered at University and National conferences on L&T / Employability / Student Experience & Transition
(iii) Training, Workshop and website materials to develop both student and staff awareness of the relation between academic criteria and employer definitions of excellence
3. Time line and milestones
Sept – Jan 2011: Recruit Student Research Intern. Set up links with Careers Service, LUBS & local business contacts to facilitate access to Employer literature. Define research framework and criteria.
Feb – Dec 2011: Undertake primary research; engage with employers at research and discussion workshops, research & discuss assessment criteria and skills outcomes within modules across the Arts
Jan - April 2012: Assemble and process research findings into reports, papers, and glossaries
April - Oct 2012: Present and disseminate research findings at conferences / through journals. Construct training materials and workshops for use at faculty and University levels. Suggest integration of findings in Faculty of Arts Employability Website. Present findings to Employability Forum. Explore possibilities of extending and elaborating the project across University
b) Project Report
Nov 2010 - Jan 2011: History Careers interns undertake online research looking at corporate material and online graduate recruitment pages. They gauge the language the employer uses to target and describe ‘ideal’ graduate employees, and how they describe the skills that they cherish particularly.
The expected gap in the ‘rhetoric of excellence’ emerges, case-studies showing that there is a particular gulf between the way University assessment privileges individual, scholarly and specialised skills (‘nuance’, ‘originality of expression’, ‘rigorous research’) and the way employers focus on more generic and interpersonal capabilities (‘innovation’, ‘leadership’, ‘interpersonal communication’, problem solving’).
There are also hints of a dialogue and symmetry in the rhetoric and expectations of excellence in each context. Academic and professional criteria both push ideas of ‘creativity’, ‘independence of thought’, ‘research and handling of data’, ‘debate’ and communication’. These are areas of commonality that can act as the foundation for better dialogue across the contexts.
January 2011: The rationale and initial findings of the project are presented at the 8th University of Leeds L&T Conference.
http://www.lts.leeds.ac.uk/news/conference_2011/PS_abstracts_25.php
Feedback is positive, with many colleagues suggesting that there is a genuine need to bridge the different cultures and languages of academia and graduate employment, especially in the Arts.
Some useful responses about the necessary separation of academic and professional criteria for excellence, and some colleagues wondered whether academic modules should be put under ‘the added strain’ of delivering recognisable ‘employment ‘skills.
The most interesting discussion takes place around the question of whether academic skills can or should be ‘translated’ into the language and ethos of professional competence.
March 2011: Employability Intern (Fay Rajaratnam, History Level 2 student) recruited as researcher on project, to build up employer case-studies and to contact employers for feedback and workshops on their expectations of the University graduate.
March – December 2011: Employability Intern builds up case-studies of recruiter websites, and the way they describe their ideal employee / graduate employee. These case-studies concentrate on Law, Public Relations, Media and Finance, mapping some of the most popular destinations for Arts graduates.
Each case study looks at the rhetoric used by employers on recruitment websites and the skills and experience they prioritise, before going on to investigate whether Arts graduates (at Leeds) are developing in ways that would match such expectations and whether our Arts curriculum provides such developmental routes.
See Appendix 1 for an example of these case-studies.
January 2012: Project Update at University of Leeds SEC1
We present at the first University of Leeds Student Education Conference, updating delegates on the research findings: http://www.lts.leeds.ac.uk/Student_Education_Conference/SEC1_2012/PS_abstracts_27.php
The presentation concentrates on the way in which employers speak of ideal ‘behaviours’ and ‘activities’ as well as skills, and raises the question as to whether the Arts curriculum is giving students the chance to experiment with and practice these. The final section of the talk looks at the range of academic assessment we conventionally offer, and whether this is sufficient to develop and test student acquisition of ‘competencies’ and ‘behaviours’ that testify to ‘employability’ and are recognised by employers.
The Q&A develops interesting discussion around whether Leeds for Life is already making students aware of these employability attributes, or whether these need to be nurtured and tested more formally within the curriculum.
January 2012: The project inspires lecture to Level 3 History students on how they can make the most of their ‘History’ skills in future careers and projects. Presentation:
http://prezi.com/lsy9h0bk9k99/the-professional-historian/
February 2012: 15th: Employer Workshop. Graduate Recruiters from Leeds City Council and Enterprise Rent-a-car visit to discuss with Arts students (14) the transition between Arts degree and employment.
The discussion reveals that Arts students are prized for certain academically-trained attributes: creativity, cultural awareness, communication and interpersonal empathy.
Much of the workshop reveals that employers demand case-studies of academic skills put into practice both within and outside the curriculum, and there is some anxiety from students about how best to fulfil this.
The employers also stress the need to adapt quickly to the conventions and interpersonal ‘codes’ of the workplace, and make it clear that these are very different from the activity and behaviour that occurs in University settings.
The discussion is recorded and written up by the Employability Intern.
For Summary, see Appendix 2
February 2012: 23rd: Meet with David Gardner, Mitch Waterman, Caroline Letherland and Antonio Martinez-Arboleda to discuss ways that Employability can be traced and evidenced within the University of Leeds Curriculum Enhancement Project.
The meeting provides useful ideas about the issue of assessing employability. I agree to map employability activities and assessment within the Faculty of Arts, and deliver findings to the CEP Assessment group, Arts Employability Committee and University Employability Committee during December 2012 – January 2013.
(This will form a strand of activity within my related USEF Project “Assessing Employability”)
c) Project Completion
I aim to complete the Project by August 2012. To do this I will:
· Hold another employer / recruiter workshop with students after Easter
· Translate the employer case-studies and workshop evidence into a UTF Project Report on what Graduate employers expect from ideal graduates, and what they expect from Arts students
· As part of this report, map those expectations on to the Leeds Arts curriculum and assessment, and offer a diagnosis of what we are doing / need to do to bridge the gap between expectation and what our students offer (taking into account student comment and perception).
· Suggest a series of strategies that Arts students can use to translate their curricular and co-curricular activities to professional relevance, using case-studies from current Arts activity. Identify some of the key linguistic transitions that students need to make to help this translation, using evidence from our research into the ‘rhetoric of excellence’ in each context
· Present the findings of this report at an end of project event, and digest the project outputs for presentation at committees and conferences within and beyond the University
RJLH, February 28th 2012
Appendix 1
Employers and Student Excellence
Employer Research Form
Company / Ernst and YoungWebsite / Brochure / Presentation / Website
Desired Graduate Qualities, Skills, Characteristics
(The rhetoric, language used to describe ideal graduate, repeated buzz-words, phrases, expected attributes etc.)
You could think specifically about desired skills, experience, abilities, attitude, and personality – but anything that strikes you.
High performers: Ernst & Young look for candidates who ‘consistently deliver quality work while continually looking for ways to improve’ indicating that an excellent academic record is of importance. [http://www.ey.com/UK/en/Careers/Experienced/Joining-EY/Experienced---Joining-EY#fragment-2-na]
Integrity: Personal and professional accountability are desirable qualities here, and the ability to build relationships ‘by doing the same thing.
Communication: This includes collaborating with people from different backgrounds and lifestyles and being able to listen, share and learn with others. ‘Welcoming and helping people from different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to perform at their best’ [http://www.ey.com/UK/en/Careers/Experienced/Joining-EY/Experienced---Joining-EY#fragment-2-na]
Teamwork: Working with others is central at Ernst & Young and candidates will find that they are working with teams from day one. Therefore the ability to listen and work with others is important to demonstrate.
Energy and enthusiasm: ‘We look for people who demonstrate drive, vision and determination, who are passionate about helping our clients to achieve their potential’
Respect: It’s important to ‘recognise and understand the value of different backgrounds and points of view, because those differences are key to our success.’ [http://www.ey.com/UK/en/Careers/Students/Joining-EY#fragment-2-na]
Company ethos and expectations
(and how new employees are expected to behave, work and perform within it: does this suit the Arts graduate?)
Diversity: Having people from different backgrounds and lifestyles ensures a diverse workplace and a constant flow of different perspective and attitudes. It also means that people are constantly learning from each other and others experiences.
Team: The company itself works as a team, even as a new recruit, candidates will be included and listened to and vice versa. By working as a team, all the options can be examined before proceeding with a decision.
Community: There are plenty of opportunities at Ernst & Young for employees to do more than just ‘give back to the community’
Relationship of Professional to Academic Criteria (if any)
[compare employer rhetoric with assessment criteria, module learning objectives, Leeds for life skills etc)
Assessment criteria and module objectives
· High academic performance is emphasized throughout the history degree, with students able to develop key skills over the period. As Ernst & Young emphasise ‘consistently’ high performance, they may look back at students’ first year grades and occasionally A levels/ Ucas points.
· The university lifestyle ensures that students mix with people of other backgrounds and lifestyles and learn how to collaborate and communicate effectively.
· Communication skills are also developed in the writing of coursework, as students write more fluently and succinctly. Verbal communication is practised in seminar discussions and spoken presentations, which also builds up confidence and verbal clarity.
· History students need to be enthusiastic in their work as it is largely independent work. In the final year students complete a dissertation which is researched and written with little guidance from the school of history, therefore it is vital that the subject chosen is one which interests the student and inspires enthusiasm.
Leeds for Life
· Leeds for life offers many opportunities for students to get involved with the community and get involved with volunteering work.
· There are also many activities which involve teamwork and working with diverse people.
The school of history
· The school of history itself offers opportunities such as internships and getting involved with the history society.
How can Arts students relate to / adapt to this?
[What could they use from their learning, Uni experience, extra-curricular activities to match employer expectations / language]
· Students should get involved with extra- curricular activities such as societies and volunteering. This demonstrates both an enthusiasm to get involved, the ability to work in a team and a willingness to help out in the community,
· By choosing modules that incorporate verbal assessment (presentations or debate) students develop their verbal communication skills along with their written communication skills.
· To demonstrate integrity and respect, there are opportunities such as internships within the school of history that allow students to work alongside lecturers in a position of authority.
Any other comments, findings, web addresses etc
http://www.ey.com/UK/en/Careers/Students/Life-at-EY/Students---Life-at-EY#fragment-4-na
Appendix 2
Arts employability workshop- Q&A
Employers attending:
Emma Grant- Talent Acquisition Manager at Enterprise Rent-a- car (EG)
Lana Fisher- Marketing and Communications Manager. Leeds City Council (LF)
Student’s thoughts- what does the art degree equip you with?
- Motivation and time management
- University provides you with extra-curricular opportunities and part time jobs that also help to demonstrate time management skills.
EG- this is useful, employers look for people being able to manage their academic schedules alongside other activities.
- The ability to defend your point of view, particular in seminar discussions. It’s important to be able to articulate a point and justify it.
- The lack of contact hours means that you have to be active if you need help or support, this in turn helps develop confidence. Students have to challenge themselves and take themselves out of their comfort zone.
- Having to stand up and talk in front of people helps provide practice for jobs and interviews.
Employer’s thoughts- what does the arts degree equip candidates with?
- EG- Arts graduates have good general knowledge and are well rounded in terms of the commercial side of things.
- LF- Students have the ability to challenge the world around them in order to make their point and think critically.