© University of Reading 2007 Centre for Career Management Skills April 25, 2014 Career-informed degree programmes: How might they look.

© University of Reading 2007 www.reading.ac.uk

Centre for Career Management Skills

April 10, 2023

Career-informed degree programmes: How might they look in practice?

Helen Williams

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Career-informed degree programmesHow might they look in practice?

• Career-informed degree programmes – what are we doing and why?

• Introduction to a model of career-informed degree programmes

• Developing an enhancement process

• Experience of working with academic staff

• Applying the model

• Identifying areas for enhancement

• Discussion and questions


Why are we doing this?• To understand careers education and employability from the perspective

of an academic department

• To identify areas for enhancement of provision in collaboration with departments and work with them to provide solutions

• To identify “good practice” to be shared within Reading and more widely

• To develop an enhancement process model (rather than an audit tool) that can be applied in other departments or HEIs

• To review the operation of “pervasive Career Management Skills” at

Reading


Scope of Research• Focus on Real Estate and Planning undergraduate programme

from UCAS applications through to 6 months after graduation

• Consider both curricular and co-curricular activity• Careers education• Employability activity• Skills training (generic, core, transferable)• Industry and professional experience• Industry exposure• Employer engagement

• Mapping activities to Dr Julia Horn’s developing model of Career Informed Degree Programmes



Understanding the REP profile

• Building a profile of REP students and the degree programme from available data

• Examining the admissions process and selection criteria

• Reviewing samples of UCAS personal statements to identify early career conceptions and academic and extra-curricular experiences pre-university

• Reviewing DLHE data for past 3 years

• Reviewing departmental annual reports, staff student committee meeting minutes for past 3 years

• Reviewing curriculum content and teaching and learning methods through Blackboard VLE and module descriptions

• Particular emphasis on explicit “CMS” content and related assessments


Enquiry based approach

• Qualitative rather than quantitative, seeking to capture:

• Academic voice – discussions with 8 key staff complete

• Student voice – planned focus groups for October 2008

• Employer/industry voice – through Reading Real Estate Foundation and identified recruiters ongoing

• Careers Service input – ongoing

• Experimental! But seeking longer term to integrate model with periodic review Pathfinder process currently being piloted at Reading


Real Estate Academic Response

• Positive response to concept from academic staff and high level of co-operation to date – willingness to engage in discussion around enhancement

• Coincides with REP teaching and learning review of undergraduate programme and change of head of department

• High level of access offered to teaching and learning materials, internal documents and student data


What do academics think employability meansfor Real Estate graduates?

• “a people person….reasonable degree of intelligence and integrity….self starters, problem solvers”

• “commercial awareness, knowing how to sell yourself effectively and good client skills”

• “having an awareness of the industry and being able to talk confidently about issues within the industry”

• “someone who understands the work ethic; who can demonstrate professionalism; who can respond to a client’s needs, synthesise objectives and focus on what a client is actually asking for and what needs to be produced to satisfy requirements; someone who understands property”

• “90% personality….this is a people skills business….it’s all about networking, being able to present to a client, being professional”


Career Planning

• Degree part of a pre-conceived career plan

• Degree is essential for “career progression”

• Self awareness develops during degree programme, facilitated through personal tutorials and Careers Service interventions

• Career plan refined at Reading through specialist degree pathways in part 3 and industry contact/exposure

• Focus on role within the industry and cultural “fit” with potential employers


Investigating Work

• Site visits and field trips integral to several modules

• Case studies used widely in teaching during part 3

• Use of industry-based professionals in the curriculum e.g. planning module

• Reading Real Estate Foundation evening lecture programme


Experiences

• Site visits and field trips

• Case-based learning in part 3

• Work experience – essential yet not offered within the programme?

• Active support and encouragement to seek work experience

• Extra-curricular activity levels often high

• Reading Real Estate Foundation mentoring programme being developed


Job Seeking

• CV assessments in curriculum at parts 1 and 2

• Regular Careers Service input during parts 2 and 3 through Effective Applications module, RREF autumn careers fair and other activities

• “Milkround” still well established at part 3 and students “heavy” users of Careers Service during this time

• Tutorial support

• Departmental Careers Officer support within department


Career Development

• Most finalists will seek APC training with RICS accredited employer

• Regular contact with alumni and recent graduates through RREF and in the curriculum

• Industry speakers both within and outside the curriculum

• RREF mentoring programme


Areas for potential enhancement

• Need to better co-ordinate communication between department, Careers Service and Reading Real Estate Foundation

• Consider flow of curriculum-based career interventions through three years of degree programme and link directly to “events”

• Duplication of CV assessment at parts 1 and 2 – consider other types of assignment to broaden learning outcomes

• Urgent need to define clearly the nature of the mentoring contract and consider operational issues in setting up new mentoring programme

• Debate the issues around offering a work-based learning element to the programme

• Seek to increase the visibility of the Careers Service offerings within the programme for those who might wish to consider other career destinations or who have specific needs

• Consider the need to be explicit to students about what the department and the university offers in terms of careers and employability support and what students are responsible for themselves

© University of Reading 2007 www.reading.ac.uk

Centre for Career Management Skills

April 10, 2023

Questions and [email protected] 378 4227

© University of Reading 2007 Centre for Career Management Skills April 25, 2014 Career-informed degree programmes: How might they look.

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