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It's tough being a graduate in today's economic climate. Universities are no longer simply a place to gain knowledge for knowledge's sake, but a foot up on the career ladder. Whether you agree or not, there's no denying that students have a strong vested interest in their future – so how are universities attempting to meet these demands?
Research shows graduates without work experience stand little chance of securing a job. With fierce competition for placements, and a recent figures showing UK unemployment rates almost doubled among students in higher education between 2000 - 2011, graduates need to find new ways to stand out. In this week's live chat we want to look at what universities are doing to help students gain the experience they need to get ahead of the game and enhance their employability opportunities.
Many universities are taking it upon themselves to offer work experience and industry placements to improve graduate's prospects. At the University of Surrey – one of the leading institutions pushing this forward – more than half of students undertake a professional training year between their second and final year of study in the form of an industry placement. The university says this "provides an opportunity for employers to attract excellent students to work for them for a year, many of whom return to their placement employers following completion of their degree".
But this is a two-way process, and universities need to look at ways to better support students and invest time into securing important links with industry. And with findings from a recent report by PA Consulting Group showing that 40% of students struggle to secure the right placements, how can academics, careers advisors and leaders of higher education and employability work together to support the specific needs and ambitions of individual students?
Curriculum design is an important factor, but how can universities make this work for them? We want to look at different models of work experience within teaching and learning, the impact of university location on opportunities, and best practice in building relationships with local and international business.
Join our live web chat on Friday 28 June from 12-2pm BST in the comments below to discuss curriculum design, student career support and whether universities should invest more time into building work experience opportunities for their students.
You can also follow the live chat on Twitter using the hashtag #HElivechat.
Panel
John Watkins is the director of careers service at the University of Surrey. @careerssurrey
Jane Artess is director of research at the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) and leads the research team which runs the National Council for Work Experience. @hecsu
Paul Woodgates leads PA Consulting Group's services to the education and learning sector internationally.
Oliver Sidwell is co-founder of Rate My Placement, an undergraduate careers company specialising in student placements and internships. @ratemyplacement
Simon Reichwald is director of Bright Futures and has 20 years experience in graduate recruitment. @brightfuturesNT
Beatriz Gonzalez is head of career services at IE University and an expert in recruitment and placement.
David Hollis is operations manager for De Montfort University's Square Mile Project, which shows how a university can support the development of a local community through targeted projects.
@dmusquaremile @davemilesquared
Jo Fair is the career zone manager at Birmingham City University.
Andrew Falconer is director of careers & employability at GSM London. @agfcareers
Matt Edwards is placements team leader for the college of social sciences at the University of Birmingham.
Steve Rook is the author of The Graduate Career Guidebook which helps students and graduates find experience and make the most of it.
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