Working in the Graveyard of Ambition

1. Working in the Graveyard of Ambition Developing regional policy to improve graduate employment in the SW Sean Mackney HERDA-SW Secretariat

2. Overview • Why are graduates important? • What policy responses can be made? • What can the report tell us? • Five possible areas for action • Making it happen – developing and agenda for action

3. Why Graduates? • The Knowledge Economy needs knowledge workers and entrepreneurs • Projected demand • +ve impact on productivity, innovation, growth • Who wants them? – the case for graduate push • Non-economic benefits: active citizens, better health, lower domestic violence, less racism • Value of graduates reflected in premium employers pay Graduates are generally good news for economy and society

4. Why is regional graduate utilisation an issue for HEIs? • Students and Graduates are part of an institution’s knowledge transfer portfolio • Graduate employees and entrepreneurs do more business with HE • Graduates a magnet for attracting knowledge-intensive firms to the region (and supporting HE growth) • Increased market for CPD/Postgraduate provision • HERDA-SW commitment to extending contribution to the region

5. Typical Policy Responses • All regions in UK taking action with graduates • Five policy lines to pursue • Increase supply of graduates to meet current and projected demand • Market the region to graduates • Assist in matching supply and demand • Stimulate employer demand for graduates in priority sectors • Maximise the value graduates add • Highlight messages in the study that inform our understanding of each policy line

6. What can the ‘Choices & Transitions’ report tell us? • Starting point: We want more graduates – (SW graduate strategy, RES, FRESA) • Strong team and methodology: • Institute of Employment Studies • Survey of 4000 leavers, 300 graduates, 100 interviews • Detailed look at secondary data: UCAS, HESA, LFS, New Earnings Survey, Employers Skill Survey, CSU graduate salaries and vacancies • Outputs: Full report; Exec. Summary; sector and sub-regional briefings; institutional reports; raw data • Everything available via www.herda-sw.ac.uk

7. What can the report tell us (cont.) Many different stories: • Patterns of application for HE applicants FROM the South West • Student demand for SW HEIs; SW HEI primary competitors; subjects demanded and places taken up, by institution • Student satisfaction with SW HE experience, by institution, subject, age, ethnic group, and family experience of HE - a range of institutional services are rated, with in depth questions asked relating to employability-related activities • Graduating students (2002) career plans, anticipated salaries, intended region for work, attitudes to businesses by size and by sector and to self employment - responses from over 4000 students graduating from SW HEIs. • Detailed information about graduating students perceptions and attitudes towards the SW region as a place to work and live, comparison with factual information on living costs by region, reasons for favouring or not favouring SW as region to work • Information on graduating students' views on what support they would welcome on graduation in relation to professional development and employment

8. What can the report tell us (cont. 2) • Graduates in employment (3 years in) perceptions of SW region, career plans, attitudes to professional development, sectoral base, employment by type • Analysis of SW graduate labour market in terms of proportion of graduates, earnings comparisons against other regions, proportions employed, economically active, self-employed, sectoral densities of graduates in employment, earnings levels over lifetimes • Recommendations for how to increase the numbers of graduates in the SW. • Messages for LEAs, LSCs, LLPs, SRPs, REF FSO groups, HEIs, Employers, Sector groups, RDA, SW Marketing Team • Access is available to the original datasets to conduct more targeted analyses • The Full Report and datasets warrant detailed study for many organisations • Wide dissemination by HERDA-SW with support of SWRDA

9. Increase regional supply of graduates • Widen and increase participation in the SW – an economic, not just a social agenda • Expand higher education provision in the SW – below av. places/head of pop. • Increase SW applications to SW HEIs • Offer what graduate leavers demand in a job • Interesting/challenging; dev. and training; small firm; progression • The right HE output? • 65% SW HE output directly relevant to priority sectors • 48% work experience built in; 84% work while studying; 1% self-employed.

10. “Want to work in a graveyard?” -Market the region to graduates (!) • What is the SW to UK graduates? • The playground & retirement home for UK professionals • Graduate views of the region: • Great for study; Poor job opportunities; low salary; high cost of living; poor place to work • …pretty accurate in many ways • Career oriented high fliers leave, most don’t even look in SW • BUT some positive messages to stress • Segment market and change perceptions • SW not seen as ‘the place’ for jobs in priority sectors even though prospects good in some sectors • Not just graduate leavers – young, experienced professionals too

11. Assist in matching supply and demand • Increase the visibility of SW jobs • Priority sectors • Especially SMEs with training & development opportunities (favoured grad. option) • Graduatesouthwest.com is key strategic tool; esp. for returners and small firms • Getting a ‘graduate job’ is hard work • Work placements schemes facilitate quality employment, add value and aid retention • expand student and graduate schemes with priority sectors: 0-3yrs after graduation is key

12. Stimulate employer demand • Comparatively low levels of demand • 15% workforce in SW, below nat. average BUT…20% in priority sectors =Scotland, after SEast (28%) and London (56%) – good in ICT, Creative Industries and Engineering & Marine. • 40% employ new grads from eng., technology, computing, biological and physical sciences ; 10% creative arts; 13% business & admin • 31% skills gaps in management and professional occupations • Black and Minority Ethnic graduates not fully utilised in SW • Increasing inward investment increases demand for graduates • Market the value of graduates to business bottom line, particularly with smaller firms

13. Maximise the value graduates add • Under-employment and Graduate Expectations • Management Development – utilising high level skills in business + increasing salaries! • Graduates are ready for work, but prepare late • A SW Graduate Development Programme • Facilitate professional networking • Encourage and support graduate entrepreneurship • Drive up continuing professional development • Graduate CPD

14. Smashing the Stereotype: From Graveyard to Hotbed Next steps: • Region revises Graduates Strategy and develops Business Plan for implementation – incorporated into SW FRESA • A regional champion and strategic agent for this agenda Questions for Group: • What areas of activity will have greatest impact? • What should be the balance of priorities? • Who should be involved?