Aston University Erasmus+ Business Engagement

Jessica Neumann, International Partnerships Development Officerj.neumann@aston.ac.uk, 0121 204 3667

• Aston University in a nutshell

• Employability – targets for 2020

• Placements facts & figures

• Benefits, value & impact of traineeships

• Business engagement & retention

• Challenges

• Looking to the future

Agenda

Founded in 1895 and University title in 1966 Five distinctive schools based around vocational subjects

• Aston Business School • Aston Medical School • Languages and Social Sciences • Engineering and Applied Sciences• Life and Health Sciences

Strong league table positions • Top 10 in the UK for proportions of graduates achieving

professional jobs (82.2% of Aston graduates find a grad-level job or further study)

• 4th in the UK for Placement Sandwich Degree• Top 30 universities in all university ranking table

Aston University- who are we?

Employability & Internationalisation –Aston 2020

Making our students globally employable + work-ready + aware of their development + trying career paths 2020 target: 100% placements, 35% abroad

Currently: 71% students on placements,

including 25% abroad

Sandwich Degree – After second year of

study

Option for full year work, full year study,

work/work, work/study, study/study

Assessed and count 10% towards degree

classification

Facts & Figures

Benefits, Value & Impact

For the University: High graduate employability rates: 12th in UK, QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2016

Strong employer engagement: campus visits, year on year recruitment

Reputation: High performing Aston students path the way for future placement students

For students: A competitive edge: Real life work experience to add to their CV

Additional skills: Linguistic, intercultural, confidence, adaptability, resilience etc.

Links to employers: A huge network of UK and international employers likely to recruit for graduate roles

Why should employers take on Erasmus+ students?

• Additional support with projects

• Fresh perspective

• Native-English and other language skills

• Discovering new Talent for future recruitment

• Brand awareness and international customer network

Our students are:

• Eager to gain experience

• Happy to relocate if required

• Already have experience

• Flexible in terms of duration: 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 months

• Available from Summer 2017

Employer Benefits

Preparing students for the workplace

• First YearLed by Careers Consultants + Intro to Placements Sessions + Employability Modules + Fairs. Access to part-time work to build CV

• Second Year Term 1: Placement Preparation Sessions, Employers on Campus, International Placement Event, CV Checks, 1-to-1, Peer to Peer student supportTerm 2: Mock Interviews, Practical Workshops, Employers Term 3: Placement Preparation Sessions, including Intercultural Awareness Workshops. Placement Motivation Event and Coaching Sessions for unplaced students.

• Third YearPlacement Tutor – Academic supportPersonal Tutor – General SupportPlacements Team – Pastoral supportAll University Support Services available remotely i.e. Counselling.

Where Do Our Students Go?

How do we source traineeships?

• Preparing students for applications• Preparing our students so they are high quality- developing our reputation

and ensuring retention of organisations

• Alumni• Many Aston alumni are now in high positions in global companies. Invest

time and money into visiting and building connections.• Researcher alumni event• Executive and alumni team visits

• Actively searching for opportunities• Dedicated Business Development Manager• Websites: - www.erasmusintern.org etc.

• Networking• Using staff network to reach potential providers

• Student engagement• Deliver the same message in multiple ways, via multiple

channels, multiple times • Be creative, try again… and again

• Student misperceptions of Placements Abroad - Myths• Scary• Expensive• Only for language students

• Academic collaboration - ongoing work• Pockets of resistance, lack of engagement • Pockets of scepticism (mainly with Study Abroad)

Challenges

• KA107 traineeships available from 2018• Perhaps difficult to estimate but already there is high interest

• Brexit• Continually reinforcing message that scheme is available in 2017

Looking to the future!

Any Questions?

Jessica NeumannInternational Partnerships Development Officer

j.neumann@aston.ac.uk0121 204 3667