Knowing, growing and showing the skills for career success .

1. Text Project review newsletter |19th September 2014 | Humanities Knowing, growing and showing the skills for career success. As the summer project draws to a close following an intense period of review, finalisation and planning for the future of the Mission Employable movement, each member of the team has had a chance to reflect proudly on what has been achieved and consider just how much they have gained from undertaking such a large, multifaceted and challenging project. With a range of fully developed and well-supported initiatives in place and a plan established to continue and further progress the team’s work throughout the coming year, the future looks bright for Mission Employable and for employability within the Faculty as a whole. Mission Employable: Results, review and reflection | page 2 Humanities Employability Module: Outcome and future plans | page 3 Peer Mentoring Scheme: Completion and planned activity | page 4 Group Activity Report and Working Group Plans| page 5

2. Mission Employable: Results, review and reflection Personal Reflection: What I have gained from this internship. In summary, I have thoroughly enjoyed this internship from start to finish and have been lucky enough to have collaborated with an amazing team! I feel as though each of us has worked so hard both individually and collectively to successfully meet and in fact go beyond our remit and create something more substantial than I think we could ever have imagined, in a relatively short space of time. Eleanor has provided us with so much guidance yet also allowed us the freedom to be creative, work in our own way and achieve the project’s goals as we see fit. I will no doubt take so many skills and so much experience forward from this internship as I move into the world of full-time employment next summer. Through working so intimately on a daily basis with the idea of ‘employability’, I believe that I myself, perhaps inevitably, have become far more employable and for this I could not be more grateful to both Eleanor and the University for giving me this opportunity. Please continue to support ‘Mission Employable’ throughout the year and help to spread the word of the importance of employability as it is a focal issue that students need to engage with nowadays more than ever! By James Tribe: J.Tribe@soton.ac.uk Almost 3 months ago when I first diffidently stepped into the LLAS office, keen to get to work but nervous and honestly somewhat daunted by the prospect of designing and rolling out an entire module for fellow students, I never expected that by the end of this 12-week process we would be planning not only the release of a completed Employability Module for first years but also the establishment and development of a multi-faceted, structured and well-supported Faculty-wide employability initiative! As Amber will discuss, the module has received some excellent feedback already and looks ready to greatly benefit incoming students and provide them with guidance that will allow them to truly engage with the issue of employability from day one and be excited and motivated to do so. While this is great news and a sign that we have met our high expectations for this fundamental outcome of our project, I wish to focus here on the results of our creation of the Mission Employable ‘brand’ as well as our expectations going forward, as this aspect of the project is something I believe none of us anticipated becoming such a core, unifying factor in all that we have been producing. I first suggested the creation of an employability ‘movement’ or ‘brand’ as I felt that, since our project was so focused around the creation of ‘products’ (the module, the Peer Mentoring Scheme, the VIP alumni scheme and the External Advisory Board to name a few), it would be beneficial to establish a ‘brand’ to better ‘sell these products’. Corporate analogy aside, the aim was for a wider movement to provide our various initiatives and the Faculty’s employability activity as a whole with a desired degree of uniformity alongside increased structure, visibility, support and credibility. Through this restructuring we also wished to provide students with a clear, Faculty-wide message that employability truly matters and is a key aspect of their degree course. Overall, as I reflect now upon what we have accomplished- proudly I might add-I believe the ‘Mission Employable’ brand has achieved this goal and should continue to serve as an initiative that provides a solid, recognisable image and a foundation for employability activity upon which the Faculty can build in future years. Through these newsletters, the @HumsEmployable Twitter feed and the various contacts we have established both inside and outside of the Faculty, we have been able to raise awareness of the initiatives, gather support, and link together our different strands of activity as desired. I am incredibly pleased how far this has come and am thrilled by how well we have worked as a team to make all of this happen. I am looking into ways to continue work during the academic year focused on further developing the External Advisory Board and Charlotte is also aiming to stay involved as a coordinator so that we can work throughout the year to sustain, further develop and promote ‘Mission Employable’, its various schemes and its overall benefits to students. Mission Employable should continue to grow, supported by the module, the Mission Employable Working Group and each department’s Employability Tutor. As a result, we hope that It will continue to make employability a key point of emphasis for staff and students, serving as a fundamental aspect of our students’ development this year and, ideally, for years to come! By James Tribe Educational Development Officer To stay updated on our progress: Follow the Mission Employable team on twitter: @HumsEmployable Follow our team blog containing regular updates from all members of the team: http://blog.soton.ac.uk/missionemployable

3. Humanities Employability Module: Outcome and Future Plans Excel Southampton Awards 2014: An evening of team success and celebration! Last night, the Mission Employable team attended the Excel Southampton Awards at Central Hall Southampton. Overall, we had a marvellous evening celebrating the achievements of all our fellow student interns employed through the Excel Southampton Programme over the course of the 2013/14 academic year. The Mission Employable team are delighted to announce that Dr Eleanor Quince won the University Host of the Year. The judges commended the quality of our nominations for Eleanor, and were particularly impressed by James’ who stated that Eleanor’s work ethic has been inspiring and has provided him personally with the motivation to work harder than he ever has before. The rest of the Mission Employable team also performed well at the awards ceremony with Charlotte being shortlisted for the Outstanding Achievement Award, Verity for the Community Award, and James for the Creativity Award. I personally believe that James, Verity and Charlotte should be congratulated on this commendation as it is a real testament to their hard work over the past 12 weeks. • By Amber Dudley: A.Dudley@soton.ac.uk • When I first started my internship 12 weeks ago, I would have never imagined we would have achieved so much as a team in such a short amount of time. Now that we are coming to the end of our placement, it’s fantastic to finally see all the different Mission Employable initiatives taking shape to form a final product and I am genuinely so proud of everything that we have achieved as a team. • Initially, James and I were slightly apprehensive at the thought of having to design an entire module which would be attended by our fellow students, especially as it was unlike anything we had ever done before. However, thanks to the overwhelming amount of support we have received from Dr Eleanor Quince, Careers Destinations and the Faculty of Humanities, we have been able to invest a significant amount of time and effort into a module that we truly hope will be of great value and importance to first-year students. • Although we have had the opportunity to offer Career Destinations feedback on the module’s lecture content, James and I have been dedicating the vast majority of our time to adding the finishing touches to the module’s Blackboard site. This has involved regular meetings with Career Destinations who have been monitoring our progress throughout our 12-week placement and providing extremely valuable feedback on the development of the module’s Blackboard. • Over the past couple of days James and I have been preparing for our handover with Charlotte Medland and Career Destinations. This has involved putting together a series of succession planning documents detailing what needs to be done over the course of the next academic year and also what we would have done if we had had more time. • I am genuinely so envious of all the first-year students who will be enrolled on this module, as I only wish there had been such a module in my first year. Not only have we had the opportunity to have a direct impact on the student experience, we have also sown the seeds for future projects, such as the VIP Alumni scheme and External Advisory Board. • Over the past 12 weeks it has been fascinating and greatly enjoyable to learn more about how the Faculty functions ‘behind the scenes’ and to have a chance to truly have an impact working within my own Faculty to implement change and develop such innovative initiatives. • On a final note, I would just like to say that it has been an absolute privilege to work with the rest of the Mission Employable team and Dr Eleanor Quince whose enthusiasm and commitment has inspired us to adopt a similar hardworking mentality. Not only has Eleanor provided us all with an incredible amount of support over the course of our placement, but she has also given us the freedom to take the lead on our respective projects, which is not often something student interns have the opportunity to do. • . By Amber Dudley Educational Development Officer The presentation of the Host Employer of the Year Award (left). Unfortunately Eleanor was unable to attend, so James collected the award on her behalf. This well-deserved award highlights to a university-wide audience the outstanding contribution made to the Faculty by Dr Eleanor Quince. The ceremony also served as a great culminating moment of recognition and celebration for the whole team at the end of its successful 12 week mission.

4. Peer Mentoring Scheme: Completion and Planned Activity Personal Reflection: I would like to thank everyone who has shared best practice and helped towards the creation of this scheme, all your efforts were greatly appreciated. The internship has been a wonderful experience, as I graduated this summer; it is rewarding to be able to give something back to the institution which I have loved being a part of and has helped me grow greatly on an academic, professional, and personal level. Even though I will be moving on and progressing in my career, I will always want to keep close links with the University in one way or another; hopefully through the VIP Alumni scheme! Over these past 12 weeks I have learnt a vast amount and have seen myself grow from a student into a working professional. My internship has been such an enriching experience and in particular through the support, communication, and collaboration of Team Mission Employable, The Southampton Opportunity Project, The LLAS team, and of course Dr Eleanor Quince. • By Verity Smith: V.Smith@soton.ac.uk • The creation of Humanities Peer Mentoring has been completed and the scheme has already got off to a fantastic start. • Not only has the Peer Mentor handbook been created, but a supplement Mentee handbook has also been created to introduce new students to the scheme. If you would like to view these handbooks then please email Charlotte Medland for more details. • Mentors have already been in contact with their mentoring group. Each mentor created a “Welcome Letter” introducing themselves, their role, and when they will be meeting in Fresher’s week. • Mentors and Mentor Officers will receive their training on Monday 22nd September. This is a great opportunity for them to find out more about the scheme, the support networks within the University and SUSU, and to raise any questions or concerns they may have. It is also a chance for all the mentors to meet one another, offering an additional support network for them. • The scheme will undergo a rigorous review process over Semester One. All mentors will produce a small report for the Coordinator after each meeting with mentees, which the Coordinator can then review and spot any trends or patterns emerging across the groups. In week 7, the Coordinator will host an informal mid-point review, which offers mentors the chance to regroup, share thoughts and provide feedback on the scheme, and actively change how the scheme is run for the rest of the Semester. At the end of the scheme there will be a more formal review, where mentors will be required to fill out a feedback form, answering specific questions. This information will be collated and evaluated by the Coordinator and a 2-page report will be produced for the Faculty and the University. • This end-point review is also where mentors will be rewarded and recognised for their efforts through Graduate Passport Points, and a certificate signed by the Dean of the Faculty. This is something they will be able to keep in their records of achievement, and the experience as a whole can be used by our students before and upon graduation to showcase how highly employable and skilled they are to future employers. • It is hoped that the applications process for Peer Mentors in forthcoming years will happen during the academic term, and will then proceed with a similar training to the one we are running this year, and a review process pending the feedback from the scheme’s first successful completion at the end of Semester One. • As my internship comes to an end, Charlotte Medland will be taking over the role of Peer Mentoring Coordinator and over the past couple of weeks we have been working closely together, in order to prepare for our final handover meeting. • Official Social Media contact for Peer Mentoring By Verity Smith Peer Mentoring Scheme Coordinator Mission Employable ‘Knowing, growing and showing the skills for career success’

5. Group Activity Report and Working Group Plans • By Charlotte Medland: C.J.Medland@soton.ac.uk • As we finish our internships, it has been so rewarding to see all our hard work over the last few months come to fruition. The whole team is excited to see how the students embrace all of the Mission Employable initiatives over the coming year, and on a personal level I am looking forward to helping our plans progress and develop through my role as Humanities Employability Coordinator. • As for the end results of my time with the Mission Employable team, the main outcomes of my research will be shared with you shortly in a Group Activity Recommendations Report. The aim of the report is to enhance our understanding of the importance of Group Activity for our students’ skills development, and it will recommend ways in which we can improve both the implementation of Group Activity and post-activity student reflection to enhance their awareness of their transferable skills. This should help us to plan the reflective tool that students will use as part of their activity within Mission Employable. I could not have written the report without the willingness of staff from across the Faculty, the University, and other Higher Education Institutions to share their expertise and accomplishments with me, and through their generosity I have learnt so much about the options available for innovating students’ approach to reflection and professional development. I greatly appreciate all this help, and it will be invaluable for us as we continue to grow the Mission Employable initiatives by giving students the opportunity to be agents of their own change. • To help this process, I have been very busy confirming the final set up for the Mission Employable Working Group. The Group will contribute to and review the Mission Employable initiatives over the coming year. We have now changed the membership of the Working Group following advice and discussion with Sophia D’Angelico, VP Education, and as a result Academic President involvement is now optional rather than compulsory. Instead, the first-year Humanities Course Representatives will sit on the Group, and they will be made aware of this responsibility as soon as they stand for election. I am currently working with Dr Eleanor Quince, Chair of the Working Group and the University’s Career Destinations service, to establish a framework of roles and responsibilities for the Working Group before its first meeting, which is currently scheduled for Week 2. • The biggest reward of this internship has been creating something that we know will make a huge difference to Humanities students’ experience at Southampton. Our students have so much potential and often achieve a huge amount both inside and outside of their degree programmes. If Mission Employable can raise students’ awareness of their own successes and get them to reflect on how to continue developing as individuals and professionals, then we will have succeeded in giving them the tools they need to enter the job market with confidence. I am looking forward to continuing this excellent work with Eleanor over the coming months. Southampton Opportunity Project- Summary and Plans Moving Forward: On Wednesday 17th September all the Opportunity Project profiles thus far completed were sent off by student interns from across the University, including in the Faculty of Humanities. The OPUS design team are now beginning to populate the website with these profiles. The Opportunity Project team plan to launch the website in October as a beta version open to feedback from both students and staff. The website will then be amended, finalised, and eventually released as a finished (but constantly updated with new profiles) version in February 2015. Involvement in such a large-scale project, providing a cohesive database of all student opportunities from across the University, has been fascinating from our perspective thanks to the obvious links with the Faculty’s Mission Employable initiatives! The OPUS website should prove a great tool for students to actively develop their employability by sourcing opportunities most relevant to their skills and interests. It has been a pleasure working with the intern team and the project’s excellent coordinators on an objective that takes the importance of students’ professional development and promotes it on a University level. Certain members of our team are looking to continue their role within the Opportunity Project, working for 3 hours a week throughout the year continuing to promote, develop, and manage the release of the OPUS website to ensure that it continues to help students long after we have left Southampton. By Charlotte Medland Educational Development Officer- Group Activity If you would like to comment on, contribute to or simply find out more about our work, please contact us at the relevant address: Humanities Employability Module: J.Tribe@soton.ac.uk and A.Dudley@soton.ac.uk Group Activity research: C.J.Medland@soton.ac.uk Peer Mentoring Scheme: V.Smith@soton.ac.uk Project director: Dr Eleanor Quince: E.M.Quince@soton.ac.uk