AGCAS all-member survey results - May 2020

HOW ARE AGCAS MEMBERS ADAPTING TO COVID-19?

Results from the AGCAS allmember survey

May 2020

Over

100

members

across

60

institutions

completed

AGCAS’s all-member survey.

This

report

is

intended

to

provide

a

snapshot

of

how

members are feeling during these times and outline some of the ways that AGCAS can support you.

AGCAS

Whilst the nature of members’ day-to-day

How have members' roles

work has been significantly affected by COVID-19, most respondents reported that

changed as a result of COVID-19?

they have access to the technology, resources and knowledge they need and feel connected to their colleagues in their careers service.

Page 01

AGCAS

Our

How is COVID-19 impacting student and graduate support?

members

are

concerned

about

student

engagement, supporting different student groups (e.g.

disabled

students,

international

students,

part-time students) and how best to communicate messaging around the graduate labour market to students.

Page 02

AGCAS

Compared to this time last year, to what extent are students and graduates engaging with/asking for advice about the following?

Page 03

AGCAS

The experiences of AGCAS members are mixed, making it difficult say unequivocally whether student and graduate concerns and behaviours have changed as a result of the virus for all of categories on the previous page. However, we can make the following

general

conclusions

about

where

demand

for

support

has

increased/decreased:

Demand has decreased

Demand has increased

Assessment centres

General questions about the

Interviews

graduate labour market

Career exploring/planning

What to expect from remote

Entrepreneurship/ starting a

working*

business*

Reneging/ removal of job offers*

Finding and securing internships

Changing their plans/ dealing

and work experience

with uncertainty

Completing co-curricular skills

Specific support for digital/virtual

awards*

recruitment processes

Searching for jobs *n = >50

How is AGCAS supporting its members? CPD and webinars The AGCAS alternative conference

AGCAS webinars

2020

Responding to the challenges of

The AGCAS Alternative Conference will

Covid-19 (3 April 2020)

focus on a different theme each day,

Graduate outcomes (17 April

offering free webinars featuring expert

2020)

members and external speakers. The

Effective guidance for turbulent

conference themes will be:

times and adverse markets (21

• The graduate labour market

April 2020)

• Data

The graduate labour market under

• Research and research-driven

lockdown (1 May 2020)

practice

Online careers and employability

• Social mobility and widening

services webinar series: reflections

participation

from a regional Australian

• Supporting international students

university

As well as new content and webinars, AGCAS has converted the full range of its learning and events programme into an online format. Learn more here.

Page 04

AGCAS

How is AGCAS supporting its members? Knowledge and

NextStepSupport A new website, NextStepSupport.org, has launched to provide careers and

resources

The AGCAS Research and Knowledge

employability information to students in light, and as a result, of the Covid-19 crisis. NextStepSupport is a

Hub The AGCAS Research and Knowledge Committee has created the Research and

partnership between AGCAS, ASET, ISE, GTI and The Student Room.

Knowledge Hub to act as a repository for articles, research and resources in the field of careers and employability.

The website has been designed as a free, open resource to support the activities of students, employers and

The Hub showcases research and articles on a broad range of topics, including:

universities by: Providing employability content

Managing career disruption

and tools

Developing student resilience

Directing students back to their

The effects of previous economic

university careers service

downturns on the graduate labour

Offering employers the opportunity

market

to provide hiring updates and to

Using digital technology for learning

run virtual and digital events and

Virtual delivery of services, e.g.

skills sessions through the site,

internships and careers fairs

alongside usual engagement with careers services.

EMPLOYERS AND THE GRADUATE LABOUR MARKET AGCAS members are concerned about the effect of the crisis on the graduate labour market, both in their local areas and nationally/internationally.

Only 6% of respondents feel that employers are engaging with their institution in the same way as they would previously and 78% feel that the extent to which employers are engaging with their institution had changed; 99% expect that the crisis will change the global graduate labour market and 95% expect to see a change in their regional graduate labour market; 96% feel that the crisis will have an impact on the number of graduate vacancies available this summer and 89% expect that there will be an impact on the employer-led internships and work experience programmes.

Page 05

AGCAS

What impact is COVID-19 having on employers and the graduate labour market?

Page 06

AGCAS

How is AGCAS supporting its members? Employers and the labour market

AGCAS is working in partnership with the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) on the second in a series of surveys to employers about the impact that Covid-19 is having on their student and graduate recruitment. By broadening the scope of the survey to nonISE members and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we hope to better understand the impact of the crisis on local and national labour markets. The data will be jointly analysed by AGCAS and the ISE and

One day of AGCAS’s

will result in a collaborative report.

Alternative Conference will be dedicated to the graduate labour market and supporting employers through the crisis.

The AGCAS Regionalisation Working Party is sourcing COVID-19 specific Labour Market Information for AGCAS nations and regions across England. The colleaction of resources will be shared with the community over the coming weeks.

What are AGCAS members priorities over the coming months?

1. Accessing accurate/up-to-date labour market information 2. Maintaining/improving student engagement 3. Creating new opportunities and resources in line with the current experience 4. Supporting students/graduates who have been negatively impacted by the crisis 5. Understanding the long-term impact on the graduate labour market

Page 07

AGCAS

Priorities continued

6. Supporting students about to graduate into graduate-level employment 7. Working with institutional colleagues to develop clear and consistent messaging to students/graduates 8. Planning for the autumn term 9. Understanding the impact of the crisis on different student groups (e.g. WP students, disabled students) and providing relevant support 10. Understanding how employers are immediately affected

How will AGCAS support its members?

AGCAS will be using what we have learnt from the members’ survey to influence how we support you through the crisis. In particular, we will: Facilitate the sharing on labour market information across the membership Host more member-led webinars and CPD Be more vocal about how we support careers services at a strategic sector level Provide communication channels and opportunities to network

How is AGCAS supporting its members? External positioning Over the past few weeks, our views and expertise have been sought by a number of sector bodies to support planning for the broader impact of Covid-19, which helps the political positioning of our profession and members.

Who have we been working with so far?

Chartered Management Institute; Universities UK (UUK); Office for Students (OfS) UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA); Universities UK International (UUKi).

You can learn more about our work with sector bodies here.

Page 08

THANKS FROM AGCAS

KEEP

IN

TOUCH

There are a range of ways that you can hear from us and keep in contact with other members across the sector.

ARENA AGCAS website Twitter LinkedIn AGCAS jisc mail and discussion groups

THANKS

Thank you to all members who took part in this survey. We will continue to engage with and support you over the coming months.

If you have any comments, please send them to communications@agcas.org.uk

Best wishes from the AGCAS team