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Fit for purpose: undergraduates and employability

Fit for purpose: undergraduates and employability. Maura O’Regan 9 th September 2009 m.oregan@reading.ac.uk. Research strategy 1 - 2006-2007. QUALITATIVE & INTERPRETIVE. PRACTICAL APPROACH Autumn, Spring, Summer. Volunteers = 30 Second year undergraduates 14 History

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Fit for purpose: undergraduates and employability

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  1. Fit for purpose: undergraduates and employability Maura O’Regan 9th September 2009 m.oregan@reading.ac.uk

  2. Research strategy 1 - 2006-2007 QUALITATIVE & INTERPRETIVE PRACTICAL APPROACH Autumn, Spring, Summer Volunteers = 30 Second year undergraduates 14 History (single or combined) 16 Economics (modules) 15 Male 15 Female Interviews & Diary entries Formal Conversations & Email Informal

  3. Career ideas – maps of the world of work Discuss the maps – What do they tell us about the individual person? How could these be used: in a careers education setting? In a careers guidance setting?

  4. Young people in transition I D E N T I T Y S T U D E N T S T U D E N T C A R E E R Who I am Who I want to be Fugate, Kinichi & Ashforth (2004)

  5. Some stories … to discuss

  6. Background: A theory of career pursuit Different student orientations to career • content studying and living the university life • anxious and quite stressed • inclined to procrastinate • pursuing every opportunity

  7. Orientations to career pursuit: 1 Learning Value their education Enjoy their university experience Likely to postpone career decisions Have established an undergraduate student identity Set a high priority on what they are gaining from university I just don’t think it is important enough for me to start worrying about what I want to do. I’d rather focus on other stuff that I think is more important like- em - like studying Billy 1.33

  8. Orientations to career pursuit: 2 ..but I’m so worried about my studies and that’s what concerns me most at the moment… Introspection Did not make a smooth transition to university Found it difficult to make friends and fit in Reflect on their current situation constantly Likely to worry about being successful on their course Find new situations difficult Worry that they are not doing anything about their career Alice 1.08

  9. Orientations to career pursuit: 3 Hesitation Reasonably confident and enjoy university Know what they need to do to realise their career aspirations Take responsibility for their procrastination Can appear motivated but admit they are ‘lazy’ Easily distracted I won’t do anything until there is a deadline I have to reach and I won’t take action until the deadline is closing in… Bob 57

  10. Orientations to career pursuit: 4 Instrumentalism Have adapted well to university Consciously make career related choices Actively seek opportunities to realise their career aspirations Are likely to be persistent and tenacious …a benchmark. It gets you more money… A stepping stone from school to a job. I’ve always been quite driven. If I’m doing something I might as well do it well. I’ve always been like that. Phoebe 46 Johnny 1.01

  11. HIGH CareerRelevance LOW Future focus HIGH LOW orientated to hesitation (10) orientated to instrumentalism (14) orientated to learning (3) orientated to deliberation (3) Reference: O’Regan, M. (2009) Career pursuit: towards an understanding of undergraduate students’ orientation to career Unpublished PhD, University of Reading

  12. Over to you… What are the implications of these findings for universities generally? What are the implications of these findings for career services specifically ? Any other comments?

  13. What were you hoping to gain by coming to university? Hesitation (10) Personal development (8) Education (5) Degree (5) Work after graduation (4) Social experience (3) Instrumentalism (14) Degree (12) Work after graduation (9) Personal development (9) Social experience (6) Education (5) Introspection (3) Education (3) Degree (2) Help with job (2) Personal development (2) Social experience (1) Learning (3) Education (3) Personal development (2)

  14. What are you looking for in the future… Learning (3) Promotion/progression (2) People/social/team work (2) Rewarding and interesting (2) Work-life balance (1) Success and achievement (1) Use skills (1) Variety (1) Instrumentalism (14) Progression and promotion (12) Financial security (12) Work – life balance (12) Training (8) Success and achievement (6) Team work, social opportunities (6) Enjoyment (7) Hesitation (10) Promotion/progression (8) People/social/team work (6) Variety (4) Enjoyment (4) Job satisfaction (3) Introspection (3) To make a difference (2) Enjoyable and challenging (1) Financial security (1) Variety (1)

  15. Orientation to market (ends) ‘play the game’ aware of the need to conform to the rules of the market ‘working their way up’ ‘do all you can’ take an instrumental approach to developing their graduate profiles Career as a life project, vehicle for self development & personal fulfilment Career progression – gaining on the ground experience, Use their knowledge of the LM to negotiate the demands of the LM Traditional middle class backgrounds, parents managerial & professional, Female students entering male dominated professions –accountancy, engineering Ambitions expectations Work as a ritual process, Work is a means to an end, ‘something you have to do’. Place greater value on lifestyle and life projects operating outside the LM. They lower the stakes and ‘scale down’ aspirations, could be seen as managing the risk, progress more easily with more limited material rewards. Less ambitious expectations - ‘do all you need’ ‘settle for’ public sector work, Female students shy away from male dominated professions, go for lower demand, lower entry markets with anticipated smoother, more stable paths. Do take an instrumental approach to study and developing credentials. Careerist largest group almost half Ritualistnext largest group Active Passive (means) Retreatist 2 students Rebel none Abandoning labour market goals and employability Genuine feelings of anxiety and disaffection, developing a career is ‘daunting’ They want to extend their youth and continue to enjoy their loosely regulated lifestyles. Indifferent to the LM. Aware of the limitations of their hard credentials. LM was seen as corrupt and greedy, although rebellion was passive. Responses highlight the difficulties underlying some students transitions into LM and their sense of limited scope for action. Would expect that they would abandon LM goals Reference: Tomlinson, Michael (2007) Graduate employability and student attitudes and orientations to the labour market, Journal of Education and Work, 20(4) pp285-304 Non-market orientation

  16. Over to you……. What are the implications of these findings for universities generally? What are the implications of these findings for career services specifically ? Any other comments?

  17. Conclusions Phase 1 Managing transition Universities need to know more about: how well students cope with change how prepared they are to cope with uncertainty and instability Employability is a contentious concept Can employability be learnt? Can employability be taught? Work and career: too far in the future for some students ‘One size does not fit all…’ Career management skills makes assumptions about student priorities Look for alternative methods of delivery Careers service targeting students who are engaged in a career planning process

  18. Research Phase 2 - 2008-2009 Anticipating life after university – thoughts about the future …but I’m looking forward to just going out and actually living my life. This whole thing has seemed like a necessary step but one where I’ve kind of been stagnating slightly so I suppose I’m quite looking forward to getting a job in a sector where I can work and do better… Doris I’d say the financial independence does but only in a sense that it give you choices…I like the idea of having a structured sort of thing …I don’t really like the idea of just sort of floating around…it’s just not really constructive…Johnny It’s good, it’s like, I wouldn’t say it’s scary but it’s exciting, I could be doing anything next year… but it’s more like the freedom I suppose, it’s just that I can literally do anything now… Eric I do get nervous obviously when I start a new job and - Will the people be friendly? Will I be able to work for them? And will my boss be okay? And yeah -just – I think I’m just scared because I’m obviously leaving Uni and I’m going back home and its going to be all different…Alice

  19. Food for thought based on initial interpretation (phase 2) • -Pre-university career ideas fairly stereotypical, influenced by family background, education • -Current career ideas for most of the 2008 cohort are different from their original career ideas • -Confusion over what it means to be a graduate and have a graduate job • -Those unsuccessful in the ‘graduate’ labour market are quite cynical and view their academic experiences less favourably than they did the previous year.

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