Destinations ® : Internal & External Collaboration

1. Destinations ® : Internal & External Collaboration The Irish Journey Mary Sweeney University of Limerick March 2009

2. Overview • Context – Profile of UL • UL Project Details • Customising Destinations® • Collaboration: Internal & External • Outcomes & Reflections • ??? March 2009

3. UL’s Living Bridge March 2009 March 2009

4. Profile of UL • Young, dynamic, different • Diverse range of programmes • 10,000 undergraduates; 2,000 postgraduates • Role in social & economic development • Strong employer links • Cooperative Education programme • Focus on graduate employment • Integrated Cooperative Education & Careers Division • Careers Staff = 5 people • Irish higher education • No PDP requirement • Network of HE Careers Services - GCI March 2009

5. The Beginning • Once upon a time in 2001….. • Experience with Reading CMS • Reading Conference 2007 • Appeal of Destinations ® • Options • Commit and compete • Wait and buy • Pass it by • ‘Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there’ March 2009

6. UL Project Plan • Customise website for Irish students • Identify Irish links and resources • Pilot Destinations® with career module • Business, Public Admin, Language, Music, HPSS • Develop as resource for work placements • Promote through careers website • Provide student feedback • Disseminate outcomes to GCI colleagues March 2009

7. Project Strategy • Minimalist approach to text changes • Amend, correct, or add value • Units requiring significant amendments • Careers & Employers • Postgraduate Courses & Directions • Work Experience • Enterprise • Links and resources throughout • Video Clips: Editing and transcripts • Seamless integration March 2009

8. The Greening of Destinations® • Linked to website • Added, deleted, amended text • 750 files out of 2006 files • 110 new links created • Created new video clips • 7 employers, 38 video clips • 16 students, 40 video clips • Amended teaching resources • Customised graphics • Designed posters & flyers • Shared outcome with GCI March 2009

9. Collaboration • Internal – Cross functional project team • 3 Careers Advisors, Coop Ed Manager, Placement Officer, IT Coordinator, 2 Academics, Teaching & Learning, UL Web Editor, Student,Multimedia expert, • Monthly meetings, shared workload • External • Employers & students • Partner institution • Irish Careers Services (GCI) • Reading Pilot Partners March 2009

10. Outcomes • Collaboration as catalyst for change • high energy level in project team • Sharing of expertise and perspectives • Fostered sense of joint responsibility and ownership • Supported professional development of members • Prompted involvement in VLE • Influenced integration of CMS into academic courses • Demonstrated expertise & role of Careers Service • Contributed to wider HE careers community • Assessment of Destinations ® • Great careers resource, developed by experts • Flexible, versatile, accessible, relevant • Excellent teaching resources • Low cost – high benefit: win-win solution • ‘Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out’ March 2009

11. Destinations Posters March 2009

12. March 2009 March 2009