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Discover the ever-evolving landscape of the workforce through employers’ perspectives on new-age careers and recruitment challenges. Learn about essential skills and expectations for graduates in the dynamic world of work.
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EMPLOYABILITY FOR THE FUTURE – THE EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVES Carl GilleardChief Executive, AGR
Background to AGR Mission: To set the agenda for change in graduate recruitment and development • Not-for-profit membership organisation • 800 plus members - blue-chip companies - public sector - charities - universities - supply firms • Recruit 30,000 graduates into graduate level jobs annually • Services include: - research - training - conferences - information and advice - networking - representation • www.agr.org.uk
Membership includes Sheffield Hallam University
In the world of work – Change is the only constant and the only certainty is uncertainty
The changing world of work • Globalisation • Technology • Demography • Environment • Business and people expectations
The changing business world • Increasingly diverse business sectors • - global - local - public, private, not-for-profit - large, medium, small, sole traders • Customer driven • Switch from manufacturing to service • Increasingly competitive
“India wants your lunch and China wants your dinner” Professor Richard Scase
Changes at work will impact on: • What we do • How we do it • When we do it • Where we do it • The speed at which change occurs and how we cope with it • The demand for skills, knowledge and understanding • The knowledge economy demands a better educated, more highly skilled and flexible workforce
The working environment in the future • The war for top talent will continue unabated • Work performance will be judged on results, not time spent • Roles will be defined by behaviours and outcomes rather than tasks • Greater emphasis on project working and networking • Many workers will have more than one boss • Some will have more than one employer • More of us will work remotely
Careers in the future • The end of a ‘job for life’ • Start later, end later • Most will have several careers • Many graduates will go into ‘non-graduate’ jobs • Flatter structures, fewer promotions • More flexibility and less certainty
“No such thing as a career path. It’s crazy paving and you have to lay it yourself!” If Only I’d Known
“A degree is merely a license to hunt” If Only I’d Known
Recruitment in the future • Much of it online – marketing, applications, selection • Borderless • Competition is the name of the game • Employer expectations will continue to rise • Qualifications will open the door to opportunities • Skills will let you in
What will employers look for in graduates? • Some jobs will demand specific degrees, many won’t • A good degree plus • Skills (technical/generic) • Personal attributes • Work experience • Impressive applications
“Hire for attitude first, and specific skills second” Jonathan Winter and Tony DiRonualdoManifesto for the New Age Workforce
Which generic skills? • Team working • Oral communication • Computer literacy • Flexibility • Problem solving • Risk taking/enterprise • Numeracy • Commercial awareness • Analysis and decision making skills • Planning and organisation • Leadership • Cultural sensitivity • Managed own learning • Project management • Written communication skills • Second language • Customer Focus
The key challenges ahead • Managing expectations • Mismatch between what is on offer and what is sought • Comparability of qualifications • Mobility • Work/life balance • The desire to succeed • Global competition
“The labour market has changed beyond recognition in the last decade; in a word it has gone global. If businesses can’t find the skills or work attitudes that they need in a national workplace, they can perfectly well recruit elsewhere. They don’t have to hire people from the UK education system. And they don’t have to locate their activities in the UK.” Richard Lambert Director General of the CBI
The current graduate employment scene – first the good news Graduate Vacancies – trends (2000-2008) 14.7% 2000 2001 14.6% -6.5% 2002 2003 -3.4% 2004 15.5% 5.1% 2005 2006 5.2% 12.7% 2007 16.4% 2008 5% -10% -5% 0% 10% 15% 20%
Applications per graduate vacancy received byAGR employers in 2007 More than 150 applications per graduate vacancy 4% Mean: 29.2 applications 6% 101-150 applications per graduate vacancy 51-100 applications per graduate vacancy 20% 25% 26-50 applications per graduate vacancy 11-25 applications per graduate vacancy 29% 17% 1-10 applications per graduate vacancy 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Yes 43.5% 60% Average - 14.2 vacancies per company that experienced a recruitment shortfall were left unfilled 51.1% No 50% 56.5% 40% 30% 24.4% 20% 8.8% 7.7% 10% 3.3% 2.2% 2.2% 0% 1-5 6-10 11-15 21-30 31-50 51-100 More than vacancies vacancies vacancies vacancies vacancies vacancies 100 vacancies Then the not so good news Recruitment shortfall in 2007
Graduates' perceptions 55.9% of the industry sector Not enough applicants 55.9% with the right skills Challenges in specific 52.4% geographical regions Not enough applicants 43.4% with the right qualifications Yes Limited resources to market 67.1% 33.8% graduate vacancies properly Late change in the 25.5% business's requirements Graduate starting salaries 16.5% not competitive enough Candidate drop-out because 13.8% No selection and assessment 32.9% Graduate training and 0.7% development programme 21.4% Other 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% And even worse news Potential shortfalls in 2008 55.9% Yes 29.4% 70.6% No 75.1%
Some final thoughts What do you do with a BA in English?What is my life going to be?Four years at collegeAnd plenty of knowledgeHave earned me this useless degree.I can’t pay the bills yetCause I have no skills yetThe world is a big scary place.But somehow I can’t shakeThe feeling I might makeA difference to the human race. Avenue Q
“To be employed is to be at risk To be employable is to be secure”
A practical definition of employability • The ability to get a job • Requiring a set of skills specific to applying for and succeeding in securing a job/career (research, making choices, self-marketing, communicating, convincing) • To do it well • The skills to succeed in a job (self-efficacy, technical skills, soft skills, flexibility, willingness to learn and take control) • Then to get another job • Moving on when the time is right or managing change when the time is wrong (career management, decision making, positioning, networking, coping with change, self-efficacy) • And another • Understanding that change is the only constant and seeing change as an opportunity rather than a threat (career management, positive attitude, including I CAN)