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Lisa Gray, Peter Chatterton and Geoff Rebbeck 29/04/2015 Technology for employability webinar

Technology for Employability

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Lisa Gray, Peter Chatterton and Geoff Rebbeck

29/04/2015 Technology for employability webinar

Technology for employability

Geoff RebbeckIndependent consultant

Blog: http://employabilityproject.jiscinvolve.orgTwitter: #jiscemployability

Lisa GrayJisc

Technology for employabilityThis webinar will share emerging themes, issues and opportunities arising from a Jisc study exploring how technology can best support students to develop and communicate the skills needed for the workplace.

It will also provide opportunities for participants to engage with and discuss emerging ideas for what institutions, programme teams and Jisc can do to enhance student employability and use of technology.

Peter ChattertonIndependent consultant

Overview

»Background and context

»Examples of practice

»Five emerging themes – current practices

»Three thematic ideas for institutions to enhance practices

»Options for Jisc to consider to support the sector

»Questions, comments and contributions

Technology for employability

Why is this important?

»Employability

› Increasing importance in policy

and strategy

– evidence of an ‘employability

gap’

› Means to economic

independence and active

citizenship.

› Qualifications not an end to

themselves

»Technology

› Evidence that technology can be

an enabler….

– But it’s not clear how institutions

are using technology most

effectively to support learners

› Digital savvy graduates are

essential for shaping tomorrows

entrepreneurial activities

– But digital literacies aren’t well

articulated in relation to

employability skills

Technology for employability

Jisc “Technology for Employability” study

»December 2014 - study funded

»February - open invitation for examples of practice

»April 29th – webinar to share emerging themes and findings

»May – study completes

› Case studies

› Analysis of the technology and employability landscape

› Issues, challenges, gaps

› Recommendations for institutions and Jisc

› Good practice guidance

» June – next steps identified

Technology for employability

Effective practice examples

Table

6

Case studies - HE

Institution Subject

University of Greenwich Greenwich Connect: a joined up approach to employability in a digital world

University of Northampton Student employability development through social innovation and enterprise

Glasgow CaledonianUniversity

Problem-solving real business issues using wikis

Birmingham City University A range of creative approaches to developing student employability

Keele University ILM accredited e-portfolio-based employability award

University of Edinburgh Student-led e-portfolio-based assessments for evidencing graduate attributes

University of Birmingham Online employability skills pathway of the Personal Skills Award

University of London Employability skills MOOC

Staffordshire University Staffordshire Graduate Employability project

Bath Spa University International virtual internship programme

Oregon State University collaboration

Global student collaborative venture to compete in international student racing

Technology for employability

Effective practice examples

Table

Case studies – FE and skills

Institution Subject

The Mindset Joint venture between Reed employment and 13 colleges – in campus branches

S&B Autos Supporting motor vehicle apprenticeships through Moodle and virtual reality

Job Centre Plus Using technology to support those out of work

Welsh Baccalaureate Digital literacies embedded into the qualification

My Worksearch An online employability service supporting learners on an ongoing journey

South Devon College Using an online employability course

South West College, NI Using technology to support partnership projects between students and industry

Portland College Project using video, accessed by QR codes to support learners with disabilities

Reading College A college-wide move away from the VLE to learner-centred approaches

City of Glasgow College An e-portfolio for stonemasons to best record their experiences in the workplace

Technology for employability

Examples Further education and skills

InnoTech, South West College, Cookstown, NI

Technology for employability

Examples

Keele

Greenwich virtual law clinic

Technology for employability

Higher educationExamples

Title of presentation 00/00/2013 10

Technology for employability

Five emerging themes – current practices

Google Doc: http://bit.ly/1blC97E

Either:

Add comments/questions/contributions to the text-chat

or

Add comments/contributions to the Google Doc

Technology for employability

THEME 1

Institutions are on various points of the continuum towards student employability “maturity”

» Different visions of “maturity” and variation in

approaches to developing employability skills,

capabilities and attributes

» Authentic experiences can develop skills, but

depend on:

» the degree of “authenticity”

» the degree to which students learn/reflect

on them

» the degree to which students articulate

them

» Many creative uses of technology, but

embedding remains elusive to many institutions

» Embedding employability/ attributes into

curricula may be “ideal”, but there are challenges

Five emerging themes – current practices

Technology for employability

Programme teams are using technology to support student employability in five key ways providing significant benefits to students, employers and institutions

» Technology-enhanced authentic and

simulated learning experiences

» Digital communications and engagement

with employers including development of

digital identity

» Technology-enhanced lifelong learning and

employability

» Technology-enhanced employability skills

development

» Employer-focused digital literacy

development

THEME 2

http://bit.ly/1GaYdKx

Five emerging themes – current practices

Technology for employability

Technology is under exploited for employability

» Variation in practices and understanding of

potential of technologies- particularly with

e-portfolios and social media.

» Institutions could do a lot more to unleash

student creativity in using digital

networks/media to engage with employers,

alumni and other stakeholders

» Digital literacies are not well articulated in

relation to employability skills

» Employers and HE/FE generally have low

aspirations in relation to “digital

entrepreneurialism”

» Growing band of knowledge in terms of

what technology infrastructure is required

for "connected curricula".

THEME 3

Five emerging themes – current practices

Technology for employability

Technology is under exploited for employability THEME 3

Programme teams are using technology to support student employability in five key ways providing significant benefits to students, employers and institutions

THEME 2

THEME 1Institutions are on various points of the continuum towards student employability “maturity”

Google Doc: http://bit.ly/1blC97E

Questions, comments and contributions on current practices?

Technology for employability

Insufficient engagement and partnership working with employers

» Core employability skills, capabilities and

attributes are continually evolving

» Unclear the degree to which employers (large and

small) are involved in defining and developing

employability skills

» Not much evidence of institutions evaluating

impact of employability policies/initiatives with

employers

» Not always easy to identify “truly” authentic

learning experiences with employers for ALL

students.

» HE and FE need to find ways of improved working

with a broader range of employers e.g. SMEs.

» Need to raise aspirations for “digital

entrepreneurialism” with employers.

THEME 4

Five emerging themes – current practices

Technology for employability

Variability in resources to support institutions in using technology for employability

» Lack of awareness of e-portfolio resources

and their value to institutions.

» Insufficient emphasis in sector resources on

“making the case” for using technology.

» Guidance on digital literacies could be better

contextualized and articulated in relation to

employability skills.

» Minimal resources relating to digital

entrepreneurialism.

» Insufficient guidance on effective use of social

media to support employability.

» Potential for greater adoption of multimedia

communications approaches.

» Resources on their own are insufficient –

institutions need to be supported in using

them effectively.

THEME 5

Five emerging themes – current practices

Technology for employability

Google Doc: http://bit.ly/1blC97E

Questions, comments and contributions on current practices?

THEME 4

THEME 5

Insufficient engagement and partnership working with employers

Variability in resources to support institutions in using technology for employability

Technology for employability

"Maturity" is probably best developed through "connected curricula" - embedding employability in curriculum and assessment combined with authentic experiential learning and employer engagement and underpinned by technology.

» Some excellent examples of "connected

curricula" where employability embedded into

curricula and assessment

» "Connected curricula" inextricably linked to

assessment for learning approaches and

authentic assessment

» Curricula and assessment must incorporate

student articulation of their experiential

learning and employability skills

» "Connected curricula" map well to the QAA

"Flexible Curricula" framework **

» "Connected curricula" requires a learner-

centred connected technology infrastructure

IDEA 1

** http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/toolkits/flexible-curriculum

Three thematic ideas for institutions to enhance practices

Technology for employability

“Lifelong employability in a digital world” needs to be a core student capability – with students encouraged to take ownership early on

» HE and FE need to prepare students for taking

ownership of identifying and developing their

employability skills and capabilities - using

technology.

» “Lifelong employability” is a key employability

capability in its own right.

» Lifelong employability aligns with lifelong

learning, self-review, self-management and

learning directions concepts.

» Self-directed personal and professional learning

(planning, reflection, managing, recording,

review) can be effectively supported by e-

portfolios.

» (Digital) feedback and engagement with a variety

of stakeholders including employers to help

develop learner self-regulatory skills can be

facilitated by technology.

IDEA 2

Three thematic ideas for institutions to enhance practices

Technology for employability

Institutions can better prepare for supporting student employability through technology in five key ways

» Embedding and aligning technology for

employability into polices, plans and

resources

» Developing staff digital literacies for

employability – for themselves and their

students.

» Technology tools, resources, infrastructure

and support for employability and student-

centred flexible curricula

» Improving communication and

collaborations to drive change in technology

for employability

» Quality assuring and continuous

improvement through employability data

monitoring, analytics and review

IDEA 3

Three thematic ideas for institutions to enhance practices

Technology for employability

IDEA 3

IDEA 2

IDEA 1

Google Doc: http://bit.ly/1blC97E

Questions, comments and contributions on the three thematic ideas for institutions to enhance practices

"Maturity" is probably best developed through "connected curricula" - embedding employability in curriculum and assessment combined with authentic experiential learning and employer engagement and underpinned by technology.

“Lifelong employability in a digital world” needs to be a core student capability – with students encouraged to take ownership early on

Institutions can better prepare for supporting student employability through technology in five key ways

Technology for employability

Jisc can potentially support institutions in six key ways

» Benchmarking and effective practice

toolkits.

» Easily accessible, usable and navigable

resources.

» Facilitating an institution-led

communications and engagement plan.

» Online spaces to support creative

collaborations between institutions,

students, alumni, employers and

professional & sector bodies.

» Support services to institutions

» Staff-student-employer partnerships

OPTIONS

Options for Jisc to consider to support the sector

Also on the horizon….

»Higher Education Academy

› Embedding employability

strategic enhancement

programme

› 37 Higher Education institutions

› Using the HEA employability

framework -

https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/

node/6797

› Completing end of July 2015

Technology for employability

»Joint AGCAS / CRA seminar

› ‘Presenting yourself for the 21st

Century’

› Birmingham City University,

Monday 8th June

› Register at:

http://tinyurl.com/k9jxncr

Related Jisc activity

» e-Portfolios – guidance on what they, how you can use them and successful implementation (updated guide currently in development)

› www.jisc.ac.uk/eportfolio

» Students as Agents of Change

› www.jisc.ac.uk/rd/projects/change-agents-network

» Digital Literacies

› www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/developing-digital-literacies

» Assessment and employability

› http://bit.ly/jisc-assess

» Curriculum Design

› http://bit.ly/jisccdd

» Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development

› http://repository.jisc.ac.uk/5993/

Where to find out more

Technology for employability

Find out more

»Lisa Gray [email protected]

»Peter Chatterton [email protected]

»Geoff Rebbeck [email protected]

»Googledocs: http://bit.ly/1blC97E and http://bit.ly/1GaYdKx

»Project page: jisc.ac.uk/rd/projects/developing-student-employability

»Join the conversation on the blog: employabilityproject.jiscinvolve.org/

and on twitter #jiscemployability

Technology for employability