making an enhancing employment skills making an impact…… a positive approach to marketing and...
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Making an Enhancing employment skills
Making an Impact……
A Positive Approach to Marketing and
Retention By
Roy Christian & Linda HoldsworthImpact Project Officers
Making an Enhancing employment skills
What is Impact? What is Impact? Working in partnership across the University
Careers Services at the four West Yorkshire universities (Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan) – led by University of Bradford
“Positive Action” project – employability aims Initially 2 year funding but now continuing
with interim institutional funding “Supporters Club” of Employers Team of 2 Project Officers Met and exceeded the student target numbers
Making an Enhancing employment skills
Marketing to Employers Marketing to Employers The “hard to reach” - Opportunity to access and
increase numbers of minority ethnic students applying
Awareness - Learning about other cultures and religions and spreading this awareness through own organisations (e.g. mentoring)
The “Supporters Club” - High number of major graduate employers/recruiters already signed up!
Two way process - Impact will advertise employer schemes and other “positive action” initiatives to students on a targeted basis
Meeting their obligations under the Race Relations Amendment Act as well as Diversity being a “hot topic”!
No cost to employers – though welcome sponsorships!
Making an Enhancing employment skills
Retention of EmployersRetention of Employers “Supporters Club” allows for networking
opportunities to learn about other employers’ initiatives and how they have implemented Diversity
Advisory support on employer schemes and honest information on what students really want
Research (e.g. Park HR) New things on offer (Afro Caribbean Fair, Muslim
females role model day) Personal approach - Continual contact and visits
from the whole Project Team wherever possible
Flexible and accommodating
Making an Enhancing employment skills
Marketing to Students Marketing to Students
Word of Mouth (a good service) Mass e-mailing (from a person not an organisation) Careers Stands (Graduate fairs/Societies and Freshers’
Fairs/Corridors!) Duty slots (outreach approach) Careers Advisers’ referrals (sensitivity) Links with academics (talks to final/first year students) Society Links (motivations, aims and objectives of the
society) Student Union Representatives to spread the word!
(priorities of the individual officer) Consultative Groups of Students
Making an Enhancing employment skills
Retention of StudentsRetention of Students
Personal style and approach (awareness/one-to-one/workshops)
Offer what they want (continual evaluation of activities and take on board the feedback received!)
Time and support (average appointment of an hour) Flexibility (out of hours workshops and one-to-ones) Mediator (between students and employers) Be open minded to cultural differences Respect both ways (e.g. missing appointments) Direct and honest with students (ambitions vs realism) Inclusiveness - even if not a target client!
Making an Enhancing employment skills
Overcoming Sensitivity Overcoming Sensitivity Students: Inclusive – “Positive action” not discrimination Value the focused provision (proven the need
for Impact)Other Staff: Lack of understanding - Inform and update,
whilst integrating into mainstream Reluctance to promote the services for fear of
being seen as “discriminatory” - be available and spread awareness of why the service is here
Employers: Give advice on what students want - Straight
talk from a focus group (e.g. Park HR)
Making an Enhancing employment skills
Some Impact facts to date:
Some Impact facts to date:
Worked with 815 minority ethnic students 130 Impact targeted careers workshop run
(many with employer involvement) Over 1,500 one-to-one appointments with
students (average of 1 hour per appointment)
Over 30 students assisted into positive action work experience placements e.g. Inland Revenue, HSBC, Cabinet Office
Over 1,000 e-mails from students per year Delivered workshops to 32 HE careers staff
nationally on “Black and White” issues in employment
Making an Enhancing employment skills
Strength of Impact…… Strength of Impact…… Quality and variety of activities offered The Impact Model and targeted nature of
support (extended beyond normal provision) The “visible brand” and notion of “one-stop”
shop for employers Dedicated, committed and experienced team High level of satisfaction amongst employers
and careers colleagues with Impact Client group – demand for the provision of
support (e.g. 98% of students said the workshops were very or quite relevant to their needs)
Links with Harris Report recommendations
Making an Enhancing employment skills
Impact – The Future …… Impact – The Future ……
Building on the success of the Impact Model
Extend scheme with further Project Officer offering services in two South Yorkshire Universities (Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam)
Graduate focus Current negotiations to extend
funding to 2005
Making an Enhancing employment skills
For more information, contact:
For more information, contact:
Roy Christian: 01274 – 235509 (Bfd)01484 – 472124 (Hudds)[email protected]
Linda Holdsworth: 0113 343 5303 (Leeds)
0113 283 5995 (LMU)[email protected]
or visit our website: www.bradford.ac.uk/admin/impact