Ignite: career confidence

programme for schools

and colleges

Emma Hatfield & Jane Chanaa

Careers Service

Tuesday 27 September 2016

This morning….

• Where did this come from?

• Student and school pupils’ attitudes and

behaviours

• Taking action

• Example lesson

Destinations of Leavers from Higher

Education Survey

• 6 months after

graduation

• Response target

rates

UK: 80%

EU: 50%

International: 40%

Focus on ‘Graduate Level’ jobs as most

relevant measure

• ‘Graduate Level’ job clearly defined

• Used by league tables / KIS

• Avoids pay discussion

Oxford undergraduates work in a wide variety

of sectors

Destination of undergraduate leavers 2013-2014; 2015-2016

Gender and (somewhat) work experience are

main factors associated with graduate-level job

• Gender

• 20%-42% variability

• Work experience/internship

• 11%-21% variability

• No significant effect

• Department/faculty

• Ethnicity

• Disability status

• Final exam result

• Social background

A lower proportion of women than men leaving

leading UK universities are in graduate-level work

Sources: DLHE 2013, n(total)=8,022

This morning….

• Where did this come from?

• Student and school pupils’ attitudes and

behaviours

• Taking action

• Example lesson

All UG students seek intellectual challenge

above pay; family/partner concerns rate lowest

Sectors of high relative interest to women

generally have more informal entry processes

Women are less confident both about approaching

employers, and recruiters’ interest in them

When considering applying, women feel less

confident than men (equally in science and

arts subjects)

How much of these attitudes are embedded

at 6th form?

• Piloted a survey of 6th form pupils

• Total of 50 schools/colleges and 5,000 responses

to date

• Looking for any differences overall

• And any differences by school type

Girls rate ‘lifestyle’ and worthwhile cause factors

highest for choosing their career; boys seek high pay

Girls’ career priorities can restrict their

opportunities

• Seek jobs they consider ‘worthwhile’

• …that offer job security …

• …in occupational sectors where entry can be

informal…

• …and below a graduate-level job

6th form boys are more self-confident than

girls about their personal prospects

2.77

3.32

Girls Boys

Confidence in personal prospects post-university

Incr

easi

ng

con

fid

ence

Boys are statistically significantly more confident than girls

Sources: Attitude survey 2014; N=2,773; Careers analysis

Single-sex education increases boys’ careers

confidence, but not girls’

2.8 2.8

3.2

3.5

Girls in girls'school

Girls in co-edschool

Boys in co-edschool

Boys in boys'school

Confidence in personal prospects for when I leave university

No diff

Incr

easi

ng

con

fid

ence Sig diff

Sources: Attitude survey 2014; N=2,773; Careers analysis

6th form girls are more concerned than boys

with all steps in job hunting

1.2 1.3

1.82.0 2.1

1.9 2.0

1.51.7

2.4 2.4 2.5 2.52.8

Candidate 'fit' Tests Interviewing Where to findwhat I love?

Enough workexperience

Commercialawareness

Other, bettercandidates

Boys

Girls

Incr

easi

ng

con

cern

Sources: Attitude survey 2014; N=1,801 (girls), 1,124 (boys)

This morning….

• Where did this come from?

• Student and school pupils’ attitudes and

behaviours

• Taking action

• Example lesson

Effective interventions?

• Raise confidence and engagement around career

thinking / application processes, and more widely

• Do so as early in the school career as possible

• Develop a teacher / context-led delivery

programme

Feedback from Teachers / Schools / Pupils

• Enthusiasm to build career relevant opportunities

into the curriculum to practise confidence and

resilience

• Demand for flexible, accessible approach and

structure

• Importance of high engagement and interactivity of

material

• Incorporate ‘learning checks’ throughout

Flexible and Accessible

• 4 modules

• 32 lessons

• 3 year groupings: KS3, KS4, KS5

• Choice of lesson duration: 20, 30, 45, 60 minutes

KS3 KS4 KS5

Lesson 1 Understanding

your Values

The Importance

of Values

The Importance

of Values

Lesson 2 The Importance of

Change

Understanding

your Values

Understanding

your Values

Lesson 3 The Importance of

Change

Identifying

Possible Careers

Lesson 4 How We Respond

to Change

Understanding Yourself:to equip pupils with self-knowledge that will be useful for choosing and

developing careers

KS3 KS4 KS5

Lesson 1 Acting with

Confidence

Acting with

Confidence

Acting with

Confidence

Lesson 2 Having Assertive

Conversations

Having Assertive

Conversations

Having Assertive

Conversations

Asserting Yourself:to equip pupils with the skills to express their opinions in a confident

manner

KS3 KS4 KS5

Lesson

1

Your

Network

Your

Network

Your

Network

Lesson

2

Information

Interviews

Information

Interviews

Information

Interviews

Networking & Connecting:how to network, and for KS4 / 5 to explore possible careers

KS3 KS4 KS5

Lesson 1 Identifying Your Skills Writing Your CV Writing Your CV

Lesson 2 Writing in a Formal

Style

Identifying Your Skills Identifying Your Skills

Lesson 3 Writing Cover Letters Writing Cover Letters

Lesson 4 Preparing for

Job Interviews

Preparing for

Job Interviews

Lesson 5 Writing Personal

Statements

Marketing Yourself:How to apply to jobs and other opportunities. For KS3 lessons, the focus is

on developing knowledge and skills that will be useful in later years.

Implementation

• Introduce confidence theme as early as possible

• Focus more on career context in later years

• Flexible, short modules and lessons that can be

integrated into the wider curriculum

• User group feedback

2nd Pilot Phase

• Two modules June -July

– Understanding Yourself

– Marketing Yourself

• Further two modules in September:

– Asserting Yourself

– Networking and Connecting

• Up to 45 Schools – State and Independent

Ignite: not just for schools

UNIQ

Department Open Days

Outreach work

Schools’ visits to colleges

Interested? Contact: ignite@careers.ox.ac.uk

Ignite in the University Context

• One-day career confidence programme

• Undergraduates

• Postgraduates

• Researchers

Let’s have a go………

Your networkwww.ignite.ox.ac.uk

Oxford Careers web site – always open

• Options and occupations

• Application process

• CVs & letters

• …and much more

www.careers.ox.ac.uk

QUESTIONS?

WWW.IGNITE.OX.AC.UK