Employability and Enterprise
Developing Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Employability at Newcastle University.
Employability and Enterprise
The University’s Employability and Enterprise Strategy was written and approved in 2016 and will be updated during 2021/22 as a new Graduate Outcomes Strategy. In the meantime, our interim plan (below) sets out short to medium term goals for the next eighteen months, taking into account factors such as:
- Economic uncertainty among students, graduates, employers and other key stakeholders
- Raised competition for jobs which do exist
- Reduced availability of work experience for students
- A shift to online for recruitment activities
- Significant losses of employer income across the sector
- Increased challenges for graduates starting their own businesses
- The shift from DLHE to a new Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS)
- The University’s performance on the new GOS measure.
Consultation on developing a new three year Gradate Outcomes Strategy will be carried out in the autumn of 2021/22, to be introduced for the start of the 2022/23 academic year.
This will enable wide consultation, internal and external, and for the strategy to be informed by the new post-pandemic normal. The new strategy will be ambitious, scalable and evidence-based, and focussed on the future success of all students, taking account of the key role this will play in University reputation and rankings.
1. Academic staff engagement and recognition
- Provide a calendar of events and meetings, including a Summer Conference for Academic Leads, to celebrate and share best practice in employability and enterprise learning and teaching across the institution.
- Working with the Strategic Planning Office, provide updates to Schools on the change from DLHE to GOS, and ensure that GO data is disseminated to Schools and discussed in School and Faculty meetings, so that Schools are able to identify areas of success, and where support can be prioritised.
- Update our training for Academic Leads, including alignment of employability and enterprise with the University’s Vision and four core strategies relating to education, engagement and place, research and global.
- Consult with Academic Leads on the creation of a new Graduate Outcomes Strategy, to support all students to be successful.
2. An embedded yet visible offer
- Ensure that each School has an agreed Employability and Enterprise Action Plan, based on identified needs of students and a clear offer which is communicated effectively.
- Clearly communicate to all existing and prospective students how their Newcastle Experience will enhance their graduate prospects.
- Continue to ensure that the Graduate Framework is embedded into courses and taken into consideration in the context of new programme development.
- Continue to ensure that the University is recognised nationally and internationally for best practice and innovation in employability and enterprise.
3. An experience informed by global and sectoral trends
- Build upon our existing knowledge base within the University, and utilise alumni and other external partners, to ensure the highest quality of support and advice for our international students, whether their career aspirations are in the UK or other parts of the world.
- Continue to develop strong links with partner institutions, and other stakeholders who can provide students with global opportunities and contribute to the University’s knowledge base.
- Continue to ensure that programmes are globally relevant and developed with an international outlook.
- Ensure that we are at the forefront of national and international debates and engaged in consultation and feedback at all levels.
- Utilise the experience of our international students and university alumni to inform our way forward and globalise our offer.
4. The opportunity of work related learning for all students
- Extend our wide range of work-related learning opportunities for all students, building on existing curricular activity within our UG and PG programmes.
- Develop a strategy to increase student-led knowledge exchange, including engaged learning, that will capitalise on innovation experiences for students, and enhance the University’s role and reputation in contributing to regional economic development.
- Seek to increase the number of undergraduate students undertaking 9 to 12 month placements, and to provide support through enhanced risk management processes.
- Ensure all students have opportunities to engage in entrepreneurial learning on or around their programmes, and as part of our extracurricular offer.
- Provide, through NUSU, access to volunteering opportunities and other forms of work experience.
- Develop opportunities for international work placements and a global work related learning offer.
- Underpin all of the above with encouragement for reflection and articulation of learning.
5. Strong links with employers, alumni and professional bodies
- Adapt to the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic by developing a programme of engaging online events with recruiters, for students and graduates.
- Work with regional partners in the private, public and VCSE sectors to support the University’s commitment to the Newcastle Agreement and Regional Entrepreneurial Acceleration Programme, to include knowledge exchange opportunities, placements and internships which will help attract, support and retain graduate talent.
- Work towards a better customer relationship management system for employers engaging with the University.
- Further diversify our engagement with graduate recruiters by actively engaging with start-ups/micro businesses, small to medium enterprises and with a range of sectors including charities and the public sector.
- Work closely with employers, entrepreneurs, support organisations and other influencers to inform our employability and enterprise strategy and operations, for example through advisory boards.
- Ensure that the student and graduate businesses we help to start-up have access to appropriate resources to support their sustainability and growth so that they can create work experience opportunities for other students and graduates.
6. Students engaged by the right offer at the right time
- Undertake a review of Careers Service products and services, and those offered by other parts of the University (e.g. NUSU) to ensure we are providing a tailored, accessible and coherent offer that meets the needs of all students and recent graduates.
- Better understand our student body and levels of engagement with employability and enterprise from all sections of the student population.
- Work across the University, and in collaboration with NUSU, to promote key messages to targeted groups of students at specific times.
- Work with partners on our overseas and London campuses to ensure that students on all campuses engage with the opportunities available to them.
- In light of the new GOS, and the census point at fifteen rather than six months after graduation, contact our students at graduation, and within six to nine months of graduating, to find out whether they need support in securing graduate outcomes.
- Develop a compelling coaching offer for graduates to ensure they are supported to meet their careers aspirations and to attain or create graduate level outcomes
Continuous Activity
Underpinning all of our priorities the Careers Service continues to;
- Work closely with the Strategic Planning office, to disseminate and support Schools with appropriate data around employment metrics
- Disseminate and share best practice, within and beyond the higher education sector
- Disseminate employability data, including numbers on employability modules, placement numbers, engagement with the Careers Service and volunteering
- Seek to enhance and improve support in relation to employer engagement, from regional SMEs to national and multinational recruiters, including on-campus recruitment activities and opportunities for student placements.
- Seek incubation space for students and graduates starting new businesses
- Develop and enhance the employability and enterprise offer at our Malaysia, Singapore and London campuses.
Graduate Outcomes Strategy
During 2021/22 the Careers Service will consult upon and develop a post-pandemic Graduate Outcomes Strategy (2022–2025), that furthers the aims of the University’s vision and four strategies, and aims to maximise the number of our students progressing into graduate level employment, starting their own business and/or further study.