Collaborative approaches to enhancing graduate employability in Sport: event introduction - Rob Griffiths

Welcome
Fit for the workplace - collaborative
approaches to enhancing graduate
employability in Sport

Schedule
10.00 Overview of the day / introduction
10.30 Graduate employability – dissemination of research findings
(Dr Hannah Mawson)
11.15 Coffee
11.30 Embedding employability within the curriculum – USW Case Study
(Rob Griffiths, Paul Rainer and Jonathan Evans)
12.30 Lunch / Networking
13:15 Employers Exhibition/ Student poster presentations
14.00 Employer Forum – Question Time
15.00 Event close

Time Session Details
9:00am Arrival, registration (Conference Centre, Treforest Campus)
9:30am Welcome session & Keynote (All conference attendees)
10:00am Session 1* Session 2* Session 3* Session 4*
Schools / Education ‘Getting the Job’ ‘Making the most
of your Job’
Sporting
Pathways
Routes into
sports careers
HEA Seminar –
‘Fit for the
workplace -
collaborative
approaches to
enhancing
graduate
employability in
Sport’
10:30am Schools / Education ‘Getting the Job’ ‘Making the most
of your Job’
Sporting
Pathways
Routes into
sports careers
11:00am Schools / Education ‘Getting the Job’ ‘Making the most
of your Job’
Sporting
Pathways
Routes into
sports careers
11:30am Details of Employability Fair (All Students)(Application process etc.)
Placement/module updates
Employers
Forum
12:00pm Lunch (Recreation Centre, Treforest Campus)
1:00pm
Employers Fair 3rd Year Student Poster
Presentations
3:00pm Close

About USW
• 33,000 students (65% Welsh)
• Equal numbers under 21 as over 30
The university will
1. support students to achieve their professional and career
aspirations by embedding employability in the curriculum and
maximising their chances of finding employment
2. be among the leading UK institutions for the proportion of
graduates in employment or further study
3. embed and foster a culture of enterprise and entrepreneurship
across the institution and provide facilities to support student
start-ups

Undergraduate Sport Courses
@USW
School of Health, Sport and Professional Practice
Merger of universities & fusion of faculties
Generic Sport Specialist
BA Sports Development FD Rugby Coaching & Development
BA Sport Management BSc Rugby Coaching & Performance
BSc Sports Studies FD Football Coaching & Development
BSc Sport & Exercise Science BSc Football Coaching & Performance
BSc Sports Coaching FD Community Football Coaching &
Development in partnership with
Football League Trust

The Employability Journey
• Strategic priority from 2005
Pre-requisites of working within sports development sector
(SkillsActive, 2005)
1. Industry experience (paid or voluntary)
2. People skills
3. Coaching qualifications
• Students not prepared for industry
• Sandwich year placements limited
• Voluntary opportunities not taken up
• Embedded within modules
• Placements linked to assessments

Current Position
• Core focus on ‘employability’ across all Sports Degree programmes
• Currently have partnerships with nearly 50 sports organisations and
employers across South Wales
• Work-Based Learning is embedded into all sports degree programmes
at Level 5 and 6 (years 2 & 3)
• 6000 community coaching and leadership volunteer hours provided
during 2013/14
• Additional opportunities to gain experience on the sports industry
through volunteering, paid work and internships.
• 92% of sport students are in employment or are undertaking further
study within 6 months of graduation (Graduate Destination Survey
2012)

Key Challenges Faced
• Health & Safety
• Student Numbers
• Maintaining partnerships
• Internal communication
• Quality Assurance
• Mentoring
• Reflection
• Empowerment
• Ownership

Desired Outcomes
• Highly qualified
workforce
• Highly knowledgeable
workforce
• Sustainability of the
programmes

© University of South Wales
Researching Graduate
Employability
Dr Hannah Mawson
Lecturer & Employability
Coordinator for Sport

What has previous research shown?
USW Graduate Employability research findings
(with interactive activity!)
Considerations for further enhancing employability of
students
Researching Graduate
Employability

What does ‘Employability’ mean?
‘Employability is a set of achievements, skills, understandings and
personal attributes that make graduates more likely to gain employment
and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits
themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.’
Yorke (2004)
Research into Graduate
Employability in Sport

Increasing priority for HEI’s to embed employability into degree courses
Despite progress in HEI’s responding to employers’ needs, the literature
suggests that there is a lack of clarity and consistency in how best to
promote graduate employability
Lees (2002) suggest there is little common understanding of student
employability between employers and HEI’s, as employers tend to view
generic skills as more important than the academic content (and
academics vice versa)
Still a contemporary issue according to Cranmer (2006) and Lowden et
al. (2011)

Research suggests that employability of students should be embedded into the
curriculum within HEIs (e.g. Knight and York, 2002).
Approaches to employability skill development should therefore include the
development of employability attributes; support in career and job-related
decisions; the opportunity for placements and internships and personal
development planning.
There are a number of case studies from HEIs who are experiencing some
success from their approaches to employability – tends to be
descriptive/anecdotal in nature.
More evaluative evidence of the impact of such approaches on graduate
employability is lacking (Lowden et al., 2011).

Previous Research
University of Glasgow SCRE Centre & Edge Foundation (Lowden et al., 2011)
Aims of research –
To examine the perceptions of employers concerning the skills, knowledge and
characteristics which help make graduates employable.
Examine approaches to student employability within HEIs

Previous Research
Key findings –
There is a broad understanding of what is meant by the term ‘employability’ and
the general skills and characteristics that constitute employability.
Employers identify that students/graduates require industry specific knowledge,
but broader skills such as communication, team-working, leadership, critical
thinking are essential.
Overwhelming evidence that employers, graduates, students and HEI’s all value
work-based learning opportunities such as placements and internships in
improving and promoting employability
However, efforts to address graduate employability in HEI’s is extremely
variable (and in some cases unknown)

Current Research
University of Gloucestershire –
‘Employability of Graduates of Sport’
project working with HEIs across
Europe to create a ‘toolkit’ for
enhancing student employability and
share good practice.
www.egsproject.eu

USW Sport Research
Keen to evaluate current approach to
employability and gain views and
perceptions of employers, with
regards to the employability of our
students.
Given the lack of evaluative research
– need for evidence

Two components of initial research:
Surveys
• Completed by 45 employers working in the sport industry in Wales
• All employers attending last year’s USW Sport & Events Employability
Conference
• Employers advertising opportunities for student placements therefore
supportive of the programme at USW
Employer Forum focus groups
• 32 Employers attended a forum at last year’s conference
• Interactive group discussion on expectations of the employer;
University and student for work-based learning placements
USW Sport Employability Research

Employers/survey respondents:
64% Male 36% Female
Majority were aged between 20 – 34 years (71%)
Attending the conference on behalf of their
organisation to advertise a sport related placement to
students.
USW Sport Employability
Research - Employers

Sector of sport
industry
represented:
Research - Employers
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%

So – what were the employers’ perceptions of our students
and how suitable they are to work in the industry?
Now for some audience participation!
To start with – some initial test questions….
Research

Test Q 1.
How did you travel here today?
1. Car
2. Train
3. Bus
4. Cycle
5. Walk
6. Other

Test Q 2.
Are you in the right workshop?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Don’t know

Test Q 3.
Rob is an Everton fan. Which
of the following is most likely?
1. Rob will want Everton to
beat Man City
2. Rob will secretly want
Man C to beat Everton
(so Liverpool are less
likely to win premiership)
3. Rob won’t be watching
the game

On the survey, we asked employers from the sports sector a
number of questions related to the appropriateness of skills
of current students; why they are providing placement
opportunities; and what placements should provide.
The next few slides you will be asked the same question and
you can provide your own response, so we can compare to
the actual findings
Back to the Employer
research!

Q1. Why do you take a student on
placement?
Select 3 options
1. Nurture future employees
2. Develop someone
3. Create links with USW
4. Projects need doing
5. Free resource
6. Fill gaps in workforce
7. Find talent
8. Need volunteers
9. Organisational Dev

0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Q1. Why do you take a student on
placement?

Q2. What should a placement
provide to students?
Select 3 options
1. Subject knowledge
2. Planning & Evaluation
3. Industry learning
4. Communication skills
5. Application of theory
6. Skills & expertise for role
7. Experience real life work
8. Networking
9. Employment
10. Exposure to the real world

Q2. What should a placement provide
to students?
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%

Q3. What skills do you think are lacking
in current students?
Select 3 options
1. Subject knowledge / expertise
2. Previous work experience
3. Planning & evaluation skills
4. Self-direction / initiative
5. Application / Interview
6. Communication skills
7. Confidence / Attitude
8. Admin skills
9. Team working
10. Maturity/professionalism

Q3. What skills do you think are
lacking in current students?
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%

Q4. Is a relevant degree sufficient to
make graduates employable?
1. Strongly Agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree
5. Strongly
Disagree

0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neither Agree Strongly
Agree
Q4. Is a relevant degree sufficient to
make graduates employable?

Q5. Should sports graduates
undertake a placement as part of
their degree?
1. Strongly Agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree
5. Strongly Disagree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Strongly
Disagree
Agree
Q5. Should sports graduates
undertake a placement as part of
their degree?

Q5. Sports Graduates possess
enough work-experience to gain
entry level jobs
1. Strongly Agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree

Q5. Sports Graduates possess
enough work-experience to gain
entry level jobs
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Strongly
Disagree
Agree

Q6. Sports graduates have the right
‘soft’ skills (e.g. communication) to
make them employable
1. Strongly Agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree

Q6. Sports graduates have the right
‘soft’ skills (e.g. communication) to
make them employable
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Strongly
Disagree
Agree

Q7. Universities should provide
students with other skills (e.g.
customer service)
1. Strongly Agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree

Q7. Universities should provide
students with other skills (e.g.
customer service)
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Strongly
Disagree
Agree

Q8. Students possess enough
subject knowledge to be
employable in my organisation
1. Strongly Agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree

Q8. Students possess enough
subject knowledge to be
employable in my organisation
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Strongly
Disagree
Agree

Q9. The purpose of a placement is to
provide students with industry-
specific knowledge
1. Strongly Agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree

Q9. The purpose of a placement is
to provide students with industry-
specific knowledge
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Strongly
Disagree
Agree

Q10. Students who have undertaken
a placement as part of their degree
are more employable
1. Strongly Agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree

Q10. Students who have
undertaken a placement as part of
their degree are more employable
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Strongly
Disagree
Agree

Employer Forum focus
groups
Discussion groups were held with employers at last
year’s forum to gain views and perspectives on a
number of WBL related areas.

What training/support
could USW provide you
as employers to get the
most from WBL?
Coaching/mentoring
qualification
An understanding of
course modules that
link to student
assignments
Knowledge and
understanding of the
course and module
being completed by the
students
What do the
students need to
achieve?
Peer mentoring
skills and
qualifications
Training in support
mechanisms i.e.
mentoring etc.
Training for students
on WBL e.g. coaching
qualifications, work
basics (telephone skills
etc.)
Regular reviews
with placements -
feedback
Opportunity to
discuss academic
content
Awareness of
students curriculum
of studies
Course
information and
expectations
(module)

Are there key times
(dates) where you need
WBL students the most?
End of school term
in order to support
the input of data for
submission to Sport
Wales
October – March
term-time – helps
with programme
delivery
Flexible and
negotiable!
Flexible – Sports
Development is not
9 – 5!
During school term
– Time to develop
and deliver 5x60
programme
Flexible – school
terms & holidays
Summer placement
Tennis season –
peak interest from
public
Fixed timetable or
day where students
will be available so
that a programme
can be organised
with current staff

What core skills are most
important for WBL
students?
Communication –
Internal & external
Reliable and
passionate
Interest and
ambition
Commitment
Motivation and self
drive
Effective
communication
Communication
Communications
through a variety of
sources
Motivation
Communication and
motivation
Adaptability and
communication
Marketing skill &
experience Initiative
Interest in the area
Good
communication
skills
Work basic skills ie.
Telephone manner
Time management
Financial / big
picture awareness

What is the value of
this conference to
you as employers?
Ideas from other
employers in
terms of
placement
projects
Great opportunity
to find a new
valued employee
Networking with
other employers
Opportunity to
promote our
organisation
Access to students
with a view to it
being an informal
interview
To identify
potential
workforce /
employees
Learn about how
a student values a
placement
To find out how
we can improve
placements for
future students

Considerations moving forward….
- Whose role is it help students develop certain employability
skills?
- Are there some skills that neither HE or employer can teach?
- Maintaining and enhancing quality assurance as employability
programme grows
- Continuing to bridge the gap between academic degree and
gaining employment in an increasingly competitive market –
common understanding of ‘student employability’
- University’s role in clarifying expectations of working in the
industry
- Selective about which employers – maintaining high standards
- Supporting those students who want to develop
- Further research to be undertaken

Any questions / comments?

Collaborative approaches to enhancing graduate employability in Sport: event introduction - Rob Griffiths

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Collaborative approaches to enhancing graduate employability in Sport: event introduction - Rob Griffiths