CEIG Policy for Loughborough University

Senate

SEN02-P16

Subject: Career Education, Information and Guidance (CEIG) Policy

Origin: Student Services Committee - Unconfirmed Minutes of Meeting held on 7 November 2001

2. Student Guidance and Welfare

iv) Career Education, information and Guidance (CEIG) policy for Loughborough University.

The Director of Student Guidance and Welfare presented the CEIG Policy for consideration which had been considered by the Programme Development and Quality Team. The Committee considered the principles and objectives of the Policy and agreed to recommend it to Senate and Council for formal approval. The Director of Student Guidance and Welfare to report at Careers Advisory Committee.

Author - K A Alexander

February 2002

Career education, information and guidance (CEIG) policy

for Loughborough University

Introduction

Loughborough University greatly values the achievements of its graduates both in moving onto employment and further studies after graduation and in developing successful careers thereafter. The University’s mission is “to increase knowledge through research, provide the highest quality of educational experience and the widest opportunities for students, advance industry and the professions, and benefit society”. The University has a strong involvement with industry and the professions through research and training, and a large proportion of the courses at the university are vocational, providing considerable access to employers through projects, advisory groups, lectures, presentations and work experience.

All courses are designed to the highest standards and in particular the Learning and Teaching Strategy states that the University seeks:

· to produce self-motivated and enterprising graduates who affirm the principles of life-long learning and have a strong sense of individual and social responsibility

· to ensure the continuing high employability of our students, firmly based on graduate-level knowledge and skills

The University delivers careers education, information and guidance through the central provision of a dedicated Careers Service and through teaching activities in academic departments.

General Principles

1. Objectives

To provide students with the opportunity to access a range of CEIG provision, including individual guidance, access to employers, careers information, work experience and development of transferable skills and career management skills so that they are able to make and achieve career plans for immediately after graduation and for the longer term future.

To provide a dedicated, objective and professional Careers Service offering careers guidance and information and facilitating access to employment including self-employment, and postgraduate study opportunities. (The mission statement and service level standards including student entitlements of the Careers Service are attached.)

To enable students to develop the key transferable skills identified in individual programme specifications in addition to skills which relate to the professional application of the subject studied. (75% of departments offer a one-year sandwich placement programme whereby students can obtain a year’s professional experience relating to their degree subject.)

To provide an environment which offers students a broad variety of extra-curricular opportunities from which they have the opportunity to develop a wide range of personal skills.

To foster an educational and working environment which provides equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, sex, class, sexual orientation, age, disability or special need. (CEIG is provided within this framework and in addition the Careers Service follows the AGCAS Equal Opportunities policy which is wholly compatible with that of the University.)

To provide students with confidential and impartial advice.

2. Quality Assurance

All CEIG provision is subject to the University’s quality assurance procedures; in the case of academic departments’ contributions, these are subject to academic quality assurance procedures, while the Careers Service produces an annual report to Council through the Careers Service Advisory Board. All include procedures for feedback from students.

The Careers Service works closely with groups representing students who may have special needs which may disadvantage them in the employment market. Regular sessions are offered to mature students and dyslexic students to advise them on specific difficulties they may face. The Careers Service and the Disabilities and Additional Needs Service are in the same department, the Department of Student Guidance and Welfare, which facilitates the two sections working closely together to support disabled students on an individual basis.

Students at the Peterborough site have full access to the Careers Service website. Careers guidance is available via video conferencing. In addition, relevant careers information is regularly sent to Peterborough.

The Careers Service is currently working towards the AGCAS national quality standards.

3. Institutional Context

The central Careers Education programme which includes skills training, management courses, careers talks etc has a significant employer input which ensures employer views are fully incorporated. Preparation for placement is provided by the academic department in conjunction with Careers Service staff ; review of the placement experience normally forms part of the assessment which leads to the award of DIS.

Individual guidance together with presentations and skills-training sessions help to prepare students for a successful transition to employment or further study.

CEIG interests are currently represented in the Careers Service Advisory Board and through the Student Services Committee.

Effective collaboration between academic departments and the Careers Service to promote CEIG services results in a range of talks and sessions being offered in departments by the Careers Service.

4. Students

The University provides all students with a copy of the student handbook which outlines the services available to them. All second-year students, finalists and postgraduate students on taught courses are emailed and direct-mailed information about careers provision. Departments offering sandwich placements organise information and preparation sessions during the second year. All undergraduates are emailed at the end of their course about the facilities available to them after graduation and at the same time are advised to collect special packs from the Careers Service.

The Careers library contains specific information for International students who also are offered a section on the website with links to other relevant sources of information.

The prospectus entry for each subject contains information about related careers opportunities and there is also a section on careers facilities available. This is reinforced and developed both by the Careers Service and academic departments at significant stages throughout the course.

16 out of 22 departments offer sandwich placements which enable students to spend a year in a related business or organisation. Many departments have established advisory groups which include external representatives to ensure their courses offer appropriate training for future employment.

5. External Relations

The University has close links with many employers and the CEIG provision for students benefits greatly from those links. The links developed between academic departments and employers result in a strong sandwich placement provision, special lectures from employers and projects for students. There is substantial employer provision in many of the Careers Service events such as the talks and workshop programme, Top Graduate Skills programme, Insight into Management course and the work-shadowing programme. A database of alumni who have offered to be careers mentors to students has been established. In addition there are a number of opportunities including fairs, campus interviews, presentations and drop-in sessions, for employers to publicise their opportunities and Careers staff regularly advise employers on the most effective means for this. All vacancies, notified to the Careers Service, including graduate, sandwich and vacation opportunities are advertised on the web (along with opportunities from other sources) and in hard copy too.

The Careers Service regularly welcomes employer representatives on liaison visits to the campus (about 40 a year) and careers staff also visit a similar number of employers.

6. Staff

The University has a policy of supporting staff in obtaining professional qualifications and has supported two members of the Careers Service in obtaining professional qualifications. All Careers Staff receive regular training including specially devised in-house training, University courses, and AGCAS courses and the service has achieved Investor in People status.

The Careers Service works actively with AGCAS, contributing to joint activities and a Careers Adviser currently serves on the executive committee, with two others having done so in the past.

7. Monitoring, Feedback, Evaluation and Improvement

The Careers Service evaluates the effectiveness of its activities on a regular basis. The analysis of the evaluation is incorporated into the annual report of its activities which is presented to the Careers Service Advisory Board and, ultimately, to Council. In addition, copies of the report are supplied to all academic departments and members of the Student Services Committee. The Careers Service has also been subjected to external review through the Investor in People assessment.

The changes in graduate destinations and in the pattern of job-seeking amongst finalists have been instrumental in developing services for students and graduates- recent examples include finalist packs, careers fairs and the work-shadowing programme.

Author – Wendy Llewellyn

Date – 28 February 2002