Stop And Measure The Roses: An Investigation Into The Assessment

Stop and Measure the Roses: An Investigation into the Assessment of Career Services in British Universities Executive Summary If university careers services do not clearly demonstrate how they directly contribute to enhancing students’ employability and the institution’s reputation and achievements, they will be marginalized and eventually demise. A new assessment model is necessary, one that links institutional objectives for graduate success to proven career programs, services and strategies. Background The rising recognition of the importance of student employability and the growing emphasis on greater accountability within higher education has brought into question the role and relevance of careers services. A research grant from the Higher Education Career Services Unit funded investigation into current UK careers service practices and measurement. The resulting report provides insight into the assessment challenges and opportunities faced by career service leaders. The research was conducted with twenty careers service directors throughout the UK; three senior managers to whom the careers service reports to; two UK-based graduate recruitment and training organizations; and as a means of comparison, one director of an American university careers service. Care was taken to include a wide variety of university types. Research Aims 1. Collect information about the key performance indicators currently used by British university careers services; 2. Gain an insight into the expectations of senior managers responsible for these careers services; 3. Identify current career services assessment measures, and determine their effectiveness and limitations; 4. Determine how university careers services currently assess their effectiveness and success. 5 Key Findings 1. Performance measurement and management is clearly of high importance and is attracting considerable attention within British universities. 2. Most current measures are ineffective; they are focused on inputs and outputs, namely levels of activity and satisfaction, rather than the impact of career services on students and graduates. 3. The Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education report (DLHE – a statutory annual survey of what graduates are doing 6 months after graduating), is the most widely cited measure used by senior managers, since it affects an institution’s position in league tables/rankings. 4. Using the DLHE as a measure of the careers service’s effectiveness is controversial, especially if not combined with other measurements. 5. Careers service directors and their managers struggle with identifying the nature and value of the services provided by their careers service. 5 Key Recommendations for Careers Service Directors 1. Engage in dialogue with senior leadership about their expectations for their career

service and what it will take to effectively measure success (e.g. what technology, people or financial resources are necessary). 2. Identify stakeholders and potential collaborators who can partner in producing expected results (e.g. faculty, alumni, parents, academic advisers). 3. Engage stakeholders, collaborators and careers staff to identify what results will be achieved through the careers service and how to achieve these results most effectively and efficiently. 4. Implement systems that will measure the career service’s effectiveness. Aminder K Nijjar August 2009 [email protected]

5. Educate the university community (students, faculty, administrators) about the role

and responsibilities of the career service, and how students and the university can and should, together, promote career success. Aminder K Nijjar is a Fellow of the National Institute Careers Education and Counselling; an independent researcher, consultant and trainer; project manager at the Centre for Recording Achievement; a trustee of Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs, and was a university careers adviser for 8 years.

Aminder K Nijjar August 2009 [email protected]