Graduate Internships and Employability: a Case Study from

the NE of England

Dr Ruth Helyer

Graduate employment • Global recession has created a highly competitive jobs market

• Increasing numbers of HE graduates (almost 20% of whom are failing to gain employment; many others under-employed – as many as 47% - ONS 2013).

HE participation in UK increased from 12% in 1979 – 49% in 2012 (Parliament Briefing Papers, 2013).

• Youth unemployment – 1 million under 24 in UK – predicted that 12.8% worldwide by 2018 (ONS 2013). Local Tees Valley almost double national

• Changing workplaces – ageing workforce - by 2020 1/3 UK workforce over 50 (Houses of Parliament 2011); technology; new jobs and sectors

What is UK HE doing to address this? • Internships – during vacations or after graduation • Embedded employability modules• Bolt-on employability modules • Facilitated work experience • Work-based projects • Work-placements within study time• Sandwich programmes • Work-based studies programmes– Are these compulsory? Assessed?

What do we mean by employability skills? • Job seeking skills?• Interview and CV enhancement techniques? • Broad non-specific (transferable?) attributes?

Adaptability Resilience Problem- solving skills Analytical skills

• Generic v specific? – employers want both ‘We don’t just look for degree subject content, we want enterprise and flair, confidence, common sense and drive’ Intern host

Graduate Internship Programme • 87 interns in 2013 (almost double the previous year)- from all

academic schools apart from health – most from arts/media/design (38 which is 50% more than any other school) (2014 - 122)

• Offers previous year’s graduates work experience, to improve their employment prospects – top graduate recruiters expect this – with as many as 37% of top graduate jobs being offered to graduates already known to the company (High Flyers 2014).

What is involved?• Real-life work experience with local company– 12 week paid placement – January - March (uni pays)

• Structured personal/professional development programme – Run by university – on campus – Team building at forest retreat

Other Benefits? • Enhances University/business relationships:

– previously unknown companies have sent cohorts of students to the uni; practitioners from the companies have run master classes; new collaborative programmes have been written; KTPs embarked on; as well as supporting the Graduate Intern Programme – by offering placements each year but also offering to become involved in recruitment process and development sessions

• Improves the Destination of Leavers of Higher Education (DLHE) – Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)– Publicly published graduate employment data – aligned to each HEI – asks

graduates 6 months after graduation about employment/further study status

The Process • Employers submit an outline project brief – this

summarises the intern’s role in the workplace • Graduates apply and are interviewed• 109 employers applied – from:

• Manufacturing • Engineering• Information Communication & Technology• The arts, entertainment and recreation

• 59% did not specify a degree subject

What skills do employers really want? • Very few wanted an intern from their specific

sector

• A large majority valuing HLS such as leadership & management; project

management; digital media; IT, as much as sector specific skills

I was really impressed with his ability to just fit in and get on with things. The tasks ranged from mundane to high level and nothing phased him. I found him veryadaptable and capable

We can teach them the technical skills – we need them to come as graduates with creativity, versatility, ideas and ambition

She was more organised and professional than the full-time staff

And what did the interns think? It was more than I expected, I got to manage my own project and helped to

develop some long-term strategies. I felt like I got a lot out of the experience (TU intern,

R11).

I thought I would be doing some customer service and basic admin work but I was actually given an interesting variety of tasks, some of which really tested and developed my abilities (TU intern, R31).

I did a bit of everything, it was more than I expected but I was happy to do more (TU intern, R4).

And although employers value generic skills…

What I did in the workplace really built on my degree (TU intern, R38).

Being in the company really integrated my academic studies into real life work—I loved it! (TU intern, R52).

Evaluation

– Desk research –mid-term and end survey to all employers – Evaluation day with graduates – including

questionnaire – Full interviews with selection of employers and

graduates – Graduate readiness survey – beginning (part of

induction) and end of programme

A. I feel confident about my ability to compete in the graduate labour market.

B. I am confident that I would perform well in an interview.

C. I understand what qualities employers expect from graduates.

D. I know how to write applications that will be successful.

E. I know where to look for the jobs that would suit me.

F. I know what is expected of me in a graduate role.

G. I feel confident about my future.

H. I am confident I will be able to deliver what is asked of me in a graduate job.

I. I know what I would like my career to be.

J. I know how to ‘sell’ my strengths, skills and experience to employers.

K. I know what I need to do to be successful.

L. I am aware of my own strengths and weaknesses.

M. I know how and where to find out information about graduate employers.

N. I am able to reflect on and appraise my own performance.

Progression Numbers

Employment 23

Graduates for Business scheme (TU) 18

Unemployed 15

Internship extension 8

Temporary employment 6

Other 4

Volunteering 3

Left early 2

Applying for further study 2

Self employed 2

Total 87

Employer This is the first Teesside Graduate I have employed and I am very impressed. If all Teesside graduates are like this I would like to employ more (TU internship programme—host organisation).

bright, capable, enthusiastic, good at interaction and emotionally intelligent.

Learning points • Employers are looking for rounded employees • Students benefit from time spent in the real

workplace • There are some communication issues around

terminology• Development opportunities may need to be optional • Connections must be made between HE learning and

‘work’• Employers want to be involved

2013/14 cohort • 122 interns• 79 employers (131 employers put forward 194 project ideas)

• 58 of the 194 did not specify a particular degree• 44 asked for marketing• 28 asked for a business related degree• 18 specified a humanities/social sciences degree.

• Breakdown by academic school is very similar• Sectors covered is very similar

Helyer, R., and Lee, D. (2012) The 21st Century Multiple Generation Workforce: Overlaps and Differences but also Challenges and Benefits. Education + Training, 54 (7), pp. 545-578.

Helyer, R., and Lee, D. (2014) The Role of Work Experience in the Future Employability of Higher Education Graduates. Higher Education Quarterly, 68 (3), pp. 348 – 372.

High Fliers (2014). The Graduate Market in 2014 - Annual review of graduate vacancies & starting salaries at Britain's leading employers. http://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/GMReport14.pdf Houses of Parliament, Parliamentary Office for Science & Technology. (2011). ‘An Ageing Workforce’. Postnote no. 391, October 2011. www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/post-pn-391.pdf

Office for National Statistics (ONS). (2013). Graduates in the labour market 2013. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lmac/graduates-in-the-labour-market/2013/rpt---graduates-in-the-uk-labour-market-2013.html

Parliament briefing papers (2013). Participation in Higher Education. Parliament Briefing Papers. http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn02630.pdf

EditorDr Ruth HelyerTeesside University, UKr.helyer@tees.ac.uk

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Dr. Ruth HelyerHead of Workforce Development (Research & Policy)

National Teaching FellowTeesside University, UKr.helyer@tees.ac.uk