Careers Centre services to faculties: translating graduate attributes into employability
Introduction
The University’s Careers Centre aims to bring it's services directly to interested Faculties with the intention of forming "service level agreements".
These are based on a series of modules aimed at raising student awareness of the generic graduate attributes they have developed during their university experience and translating these into employability outcomes: Lifelong Career Management Skills.
The Careers Centre sees itself in a unique position to assist faculties in meeting their Graduate Attributes Policy obligations. It maintains strong industry links with the major graduate recruiters and employs staff with high level professional expertise in this field.
For further information please contact:
Barbara Mackie
Career Development Officer
T: (02) 8627 8403
Background
As the trend requiring the University sector to focus more closely on graduate attributes and employability outcomes as the number of students increases, the Careers Centre believes that it is in an excellent position to play a key role for Faculties. Careers Centre aims to be in the middle ground between the development of graduate attributes such as 'Lifelong Learning' and the translation of these into employability outcomes, such as the effective use of research and information skills, self reflection and professional understanding, and the full range of communication skills.
Our aim is to develop self awareness around personal and academic skills and to help identify those skills required in the graduate labour force; in short, Career Management Skills.
The success of these may then reflected in measures such as the annual Graduate Destination Survey which is often used as an indicator of a course's marketability.
Modules
- Module 1: Skills assessment, graduate attributes and the job search
- Module 2: Writing job applications and resumes
- Module 3: Job interview skills and professional presentation skills
Please note that these modules form a sequence of learning. In recognition that available time may be an issue, these modules can be condensed on negotiation with the Careers Centre. If you would like further details about these modules, including content templates, contact the Careers Centre on 02 8627 8403.
Where possible the Careers Centre will invite an industry representative to attend the modules. Student feedback indicates that the "real world" experience that these representatives bring is extremely useful.
Other modules available include:
- How to find Work Experience/ Vacation Work
- Effective Job Search and Communication Skills for International Students
- Mock Interview Practice
- Career Exploration
- Employability Skills
- Marketing Yourself to Employers
Descriptions of other modules are available, however these would be tailored to meet the needs of the specific Faculty.
Service Level Agreements
It is hoped that these "service level agreements" can become a formal collaboration whereby the Careers Centre will agree to provide certain services to the Faculty in return for their support. Below is an outline of how the Careers Centre envisages the formal collaboration would work:
| The Careers Centre will | The Faculty will |
|---|---|
| Provide the Faculty with an annual presentation of the Graduate Destination Statistics of their students (those who have graduated in the previous year) and statistics on Careers Centre usage by their students for the previous year. |
Attend an annual meeting with the Careers Centre (presentation of the Graduate Destination Statistics, review of previous year's service usage, forward plans for coming year). |
|
Develop careers web pages specific to the faculty.
|
Provide a direct weblink to the Careers Centre's relevant faculty web pages. Actively publicise the careers services and events to their students. |
|
Run a series of modules in Careers Management Skills (see above). These will primarily be targeted at students approaching their final year. |
Provide administration of the careers modules including their timing, venue booking, recording of attendance. |
| Liaise between interested employers and faculty staff. | Relevant faculty staff to participate in liaison with employers. |
| Provide a named Career Education Officer as central point of contact between the Faculty and the Careers Centre. | Arrange for a contact person (with a decision making capacity) within the Faculty to liaise with the Careers Centre key contact on an ongoing basis. |
| Deliver an ongoing annual evaluation of these services. |