Student Employer Spring 2019

Magazine of the Institute of Student Employers

Issue 7 Spring 2019 Do apprenticeships sound the death knell for graduate recruitment? 14 Have you considered vocational trainee schemes? 20 Skills minister Anne Milton on apprenticeships 24 Beyond Brexit: Prospects for student recruitment 34 Becoming a future-proof HR leader 43

Social mobility Who is getting in and getting on?

IS YOUR STUDENT RECRUITMENT APPROACH ALIGNED WITH WHAT CANDIDATES WANT?

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V IE W F R O M T HE T O P

Welcome

Stephen Isherwood Chief executive, ISE

It’s the time of year when most targets have been hit and recruiters start to think about next season’s strategy. That, or blind panic is setting in as an unloved vacancy sits empty with a non-existent pipeline and the business unit adds another twenty positions to their already un-met target.

If you have the luxury of being in the former camp, you will be starting to strategise for the coming recruitment season – don’t forget that September is only six months away.

Whatever part of your organisation’s strategy needs an overhaul, you’ll find plenty in this issue of The Student Employer to inform your thinking.

Apprenticeships continue to significantly alter the shape of our industry and will do for years to come. Minister of State for Skills and Apprenticeships, Anne Milton, explains the significance of apprenticeships and the initiatives in place to support employers to factor them into their long-term plans. The ISE apprenticeship steering group also provides an update as they continue to work hard on your behalf.

You tell us that you like to hear how members are reacting to the challenges in our market, so we have some great case studies in this issue. Virgin Media, Pearson Business School and Mace give fascinating insights into how they are making the most of the apprentice levy to drive meaningful change.

Employer demand for students has always been driven by the health of the UK economy.

If it’s the impact of Brexit you need to factor into your plans, economist Vicky Pryce provides an economic update whilst our researcher Tristram Hooley assesses how Brexit may affect our industry.

Tristram also explores the findings of this year’s development survey, particularly insights around the different skills graduates and apprentices can bring into your organisation to help inform early talent strategy planning. On average, employers spend £2million developing their graduates and apprentices and our survey can help you understand how best to invest in your talent’s growth. And if you were at our first apprenticeship event or March development conference you might find yourself in our picture gallery.

With the new membership year just started, we have added a new ‘Inside ISE’ section to the magazine with news and tips on how to get the most out of your ISE account.

As ever, please tell us what you like and don’t like in the magazine and, most importantly, what you would like to hear more of.

Tell us what you think Response, ovation, objection or fresh ideas for The Student Employer – we want to hear from you!

The Summer issue of The Student Employer will be published in August 2019.

We are looking for content ideas now.

If you have an idea, piece of research or case study to share get in touch. We are also on the look out for content for our regular slots, so if you’d like to tell us about your hobby, review a book, share views or expert tips from your sector or abroad we want to hear from you.

Tell us what you think or pitch an idea: clare@ise.org.uk @IoSEorg

Stephen Isherwood Chief Executive, ISE

Magazine of the Institute of Student Employers Editor Clare Tregaskis clare@ise.org.uk Advertising enquiries Email Vivienne Wootten at Vivienne@ise.org.uk for more information on advertising.

Institute of Student Employers 6 Bath Place, Rivington Street London EC2A 3JE Telephone 020 7033 2460 info@ise.org.uk @IoSEorg ise.org.uk

The Student Employer The Student Employer is the official magazine of the Institute of Student Employers. Published four times a year, Student Employer is distributed to ISE members and subscribers. For more information about ISE membership, please visit www.ise.org.uk. Contributions: Contributions are invited and accepted by email only. No responsibility can be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during transmission or in the editor’s hands. In the absence of an agreement the copyright of all contributions, literary, photographic or artistic, belongs to ISE. We accept no responsibility in respect of advertisements appearing in the magazine and the opinions expressed in editorial material or otherwise do not necessarily represent the views of the institute. ISE cannot accept liability for any loss arising from the late appearance or non publication of any advertisement. © ISE 2019. Institute of Student Employers is the trading name of the Institute of Student Employers, limited company no. 1042932. Registered offices: 6 Bath Place, Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3JE. Registered in England & Wales.

The Student Employer is edited by Clare Tregaskis, email: clare@ise.org.uk.

Designed / produced by Randle Design Consultancy. neil@randledesign.co.uk, randledesign.co.uk.

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postgraduate qualifications this doesn’t mean that they are progressing faster than those with other qualifications. Only 12% of respondents report that postgraduate qualified hires progress more quickly in terms of salary than other hires.

I N SI D E TH IS IS SU E

on average they are typically substantially more expensive than apprentices.

Proportion of employers who say entry-level hires lack particular skills

6 Social mobility who is getting in and getting on?

Resilience Managing up Leadership Commercial awareness Dealing with conflict Self-awareness Career management Job-specific technical skills Negotiation/influencing skills Emotional intelligence Business appropriate communication Time management Taking responsibility Listening Presentation skills Data handling/data analysis Problem-solving Excel skills Interpersonal skills Staying positive Writing Teamwork Dressing appropriately IT/digital skills Numeracy

Graduates

Apprentices

School leavers

67%

67%

55%

65%

69%

70%

64%

68%

70%

61%

79%

80%

59%

67%

70%

59%

55%

60%

55%

62%

60%

54%

75%

85%

49%

62%

65%

47%

55%

50%

46%

76%

80%

32%

52%

45%

31%

43%

35%

26%

37%

20%

24%

61%

65%

21%

52%

50%

21%

39%

35%

18%

29%

40%

17%

38%

30%

16%

23%

20%

14%

30%

25%

11%

20%

15%

9%

36%

20%

8%

20%

12

The different skills of apprentices and graduates

6%

16

A European perspective

20% 10%

15%

15

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19 14 Lead article 6

Social mobility - who is getting in and getting on?

How can we create better career outcomes to enable social mobility?

Research 12 The different skills of apprentices and graduates ISE Development Survey 2019.

14 Do apprenticeships sound the death knell for graduate recruitment?

Research explores impact of apprenticeship levy.

16 A European perspective Preparing the next generation for the future of work.

18 Career progression opportunities could be your best attraction tool What attracts talent to a particular employer?

Do apprenticeships sound the death knell for graduate recruitment?

Features 20 Have you considered vocational trainee schemes?

Benefits of recruiting through vocational trainee schemes.

24 Skills minister Anne Milton on apprenticeships A government perspective.

26 Secrets of success Learnings from Teach First’s success story.

30 A student perspective How employers can support students from diverse backgrounds.

32 Building apprenticeship excellence through ISE Update from the ISE apprenticeship steering group.

View from the boardroom

Spotlight

19 When hidden opportunity knocks

34 Beyond Brexit

Paul Siaens of FirstGroup.

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When hidden opportunity knocks

Analysis of the impact of Brexit on student recruitment.

32 26

20

Have you considered vocational trainee schemes?

Building apprenticeship excellence through ISE

Secrets of success

34

Beyond Brexit

24

Skills minister Anne Milton on apprenticeships

Best practice

46

A letter from…

Cape Town

37 Meeting business challenges with apprenticeships Mace case study.

38 Breaking new ground in degree apprenticeships Pearson Business School case study.

40 Apprenticeships as a build strategy Virgin Media case study.

Easy expert 42 Economic update Economist Vicky Pryce on Q1.

43 Becoming a future-proof HR leader Future-proof your career.

Inside ISE 44 News Find out what’s new at ISE.

45 Get involved!

ISE is working with AGCAS to develop a social mobility toolkit

By the watercooler 46 A letter from…

Cape Town.

47 60 seconds with…

Deborah McCormack, ISE Chair and Head of Early Talent at Pinsent Masons.

48 In pictures Pictures from our apprenticeship and development events.

50 When I’m not working…

I’m cycling.

51 Life as we know it Musings of Dr Paul Redmond.

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T HE B R E X IT SP E C IA L

F EATURE

Social mobility Who is getting in and getting on?

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Stephen Isherwood Chief executive, ISE

33%

Only of people believe that progress is determined by talent rather than social background. Another report, another briefing event, another headline telling us how social mobility must improve. This finding came from the newly rebooted Social Mobility Commission – the previous panel all quit, frustrated at a lack of government action.

But a statistic in a recent Bridge Group report highlights that across eight leading law firms, lawyers who went to a state school are out-performing their peers at work. Fourteen per cent of state schooled lawyers got the best performance rating at work compared to 8% of those independently schooled.

Social mobility has been high on the policy agenda since Tony Blair promised to make mobility between the classes the cornerstone of his third term. David Cameron said more needs to be done. Theresa May …is a young person from said she was going tackle burning injustices. a poor background any more likely to get on in 2019 than Politicians haven’t just been they were ten years ago? making speeches. In the last five years the proportion of graduate recruiters focused on the issue has tripled to more than 70%.

Universities now spend over £700 million on widening access. But is a young person from a poor background any more likely to get on in 2019 than they were ten years ago? And what are employers doing to improve the diversity of their intakes?

Schools matter Nearly a decade ago the Sutton Trust published its access to the professions analysis showing how poorly represented the state-school educated are in society’s top jobs. A decade later the numbers still don’t tell a positive tale. The privately educated still dominate top jobs in law, politics, the media and to a lesser extent business. Only 57% of the average ISE member’s graduate intake went to a state school.

There are pockets of success. A nonselective school, Brampton Manor, in a deprived area of London achieved 41 Oxbridge places this year. Whilst the achievements of the school should not be dismissed, why can one school achieve what whole regions cannot?

The phrase ‘state school’ covers a plethora of school types. Some are selective, some service affluent neighbourhoods, some in special measures. “State school is not a good way to measure social background”, says Raphael Mokades of Rare Recruitment, a diversity recruitment specialist. Its report, Measures that Matter, shows that just 10% of Britain’s 3,400 state comprehensives (including grammar schools) produce over half (53%) of the applicants to “prestigious” graduate schemes in law, banking and FTSE 100 companies.

Although relatively new to employers, the idea of contextualised data has been around for more than a decade. Research has shown that pupils out-performing their peers is a good measure of potential. So a candidate from a poor background and who gets three Bs from a school where the average is two Cs and a D should get just as much attention as someone with three As from an elite private school.

With some law firms hiring as much as 25% of an intake using contextualised data, intakes are changing. Many organisations have ditched minimum requirements as technology has enabled recruitment tools, i.e. testing, to be used much earlier in the process. The old shortcut of ABB minimum is a) no longer needed and b) seen as a barrier to talent. Only 25% of ISE members now use UCAS points to screen applicants.

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T HE B R E X IT SP E C IA L

F EATURE

Getting in and getting on A centuries old system doesn’t get changed overnight. We may understand the talent pool better but are employers retaining the diverse talent they are now hiring? And do these more diverse intakes outperform their predecessors? It is still too early to prove, says Nik Miller of the Bridge Group, but the evidence suggests this could be the case. As well as a higher proportion of state schooled legal trainees getting the best ratings, those whose parents didn’t go to university are also more likely to receive top performance ratings, compared to those whose parents did.

But the Bridge Group also found that the privately educated are more likely to be promoted at the end of their training contracts. “The ideal of a successful lawyer has been hundreds of centuries in the making”, says Miller, “ambiguous definitions of talent such as gravitas, confidence and extroversion are traits that can be overemphasised at promotion time.”

Individual stories can be just as enlightening as the data. A case study in the Bridge Group report highlights a student in a top-tier law firm who felt trapped between the community he grew up in and the middle-class environment he now works in.

“Our brains function like the Hogwarts’ sorting hat, they signal to us where we belong”, says Alice Scott of DBL. This effect can deter applicants from applying in the first place and is also a call to employers to ensure they create a sense of belonging.

Alice goes on to say that, “research shows we perform better where we feel we belong”.

If organisations are going to recruit and retain more diverse candidates, significant attention must be paid to recognition systems and an organisation’s culture.

...Our brains function like the Hogwarts’ sorting hat, they signal to us where we belong”, says Alice Scott of DBL.

An incentive to collaborate Employers and universities can collaborate better. A fantastic opportunity exists for university widening participation teams to connect through careers and employability teams to employers, so students can be identified and meaningful interventions created to drive better employment outcomes.

Changing university regulation could force a change in behaviour. Money is not really the problem, outcomes are. Last year UK universities spent £750m on widening access and supporting disadvantaged students. But the regulatory framework has changed and the new Office for Students (OfS) is becoming more focused on outcomes. The OfS (the university regulator) has announced plans to ensure universities help students from disadvantaged backgrounds progress into ‘successful and rewarding careers’.

This is a step change as previously universities were monitored on their activities and funding.

Chris Millward, the OfS Director for Fair Access and Participation, is keen that the sector becomes more outcomes focused. This policy development is likely to drive universities to improve the careers advice and guidance they give to disadvantaged students and seek greater employer engagement in the issue.

Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data is one of the tools the OfS will use to measure a university’s performance. Extracted HMRC data on student earnings five years after graduation compares graduate job levels and earnings by institutions and subject.

The incentives are in place for widening participation teams and universities and employers to connect and create better outcomes for students.

Bridge Group study of eight leading law firms

46%

of early careers solicitors attended an independent school

8%

of the independent school intake get the highest rating compared

14%

to of a state schooled intake

14%

of firstgeneration trainees get the best rating compared

10%

to for those whose parents went to university On promotion to associate the percentage of firstgeneration lawyers drops to from

30% 27%

Stateschooled are more likely to leave a law firm on completion of their training contract

...research shows we perform better where we feel we belong

T HE B R E X IT SP E C IA L

F EATURE

Structural change will take decades There is a difference between individual mobility, where a person progresses up the ladder, and structural mobility, where societal shifts occur. Economic shifts in the postwar years led to an increase in white-collar jobs across the UK economy, which lifted a significant proportion of the population into higher socio-economic groups.

Now the opposite could be true. Technology is hollowing out middle management jobs and creating what some commentators call the hourglass career model: lots of low skilled and high skills jobs with AI systems replacing many middle tier jobs.

In the Myth of Meritocracy, James Bloodworth articulates succinctly how the UK’s social structures reinforce a society that has one of the lowest social mobility rates in the world. He argues convincingly that we must think radically to effect meaningful change.

Understanding the deeper issues that cause social immobility will help us tackle the problem better, but blind screening and data analysis alone will not fix the problem.

Only long-term effort and investment by educators and employers will ensure that it’s an individual’s talent alone that defines their success.

Employer action list

Further reading • Measures that Matter, Rare Recruitment • The Myth of Meritocracy, James Bloodworth • Social Economic Background and Early Career Progression in the Law, The Bridge Group

• Close the loop: use your diverse hires as ambassadors back on campus to share their tips for success and act as role models.

• Increase the range of universities you target. If you interrogate your previous hiring data you’ll probably be surprised by the range of institutions that you have hired from.

• Add social mobility questions into the diversity section of your application process. Students are used to answering these questions.

• Stop using A-level grades to reduce your applicant pool.

More robust testing methods exist.

• If A-level grades are a predictor of success in your organisation, consider using a contextualised data system.

• Remove school and university names from the information that recruiters, interviewers and assessors see. It’s proven to remove bias.

• If you are using contextual data, using school percentile (a measure of school quality) can help you put assessment centre performance into context.

• Track what happens to your diverse candidates as they progress through the selection process to make sure your approach isn’t unfairly rejecting candidates.

• Making an offer isn’t enough. Give your new hires a buddy or a mentor. Keep in touch with candidates until their start date.

• Keep track of how all your candidates progress. Who is or isn’t doing well, who is getting promoted, are your diverse candidates leaving?

• Make a long-term commitment to creating a diverse workforce. Change will take years to work into your organisation’s culture.

...Keep track of how all your candidates progress.

Who is or isn’t doing well, who is getting promoted, are your diverse candidates leaving?

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ISE Annual ISE Annual Student Recruitment Student Recruitment Conference & Conference Awards 2019& Awards 2019 8-9 July Hilton Manchester Deansgate 8-9 July Hilton Manchester Deansgate

Featuring compelling keynote sessions and a wide range of breakout sessions, this and is a Featuring compelling keynote sessions must-attend event for the whole team. a wide range of breakout sessions, this is a must-attend the whole The event is aevent great for opportunity forteam. the industry toiscome together to discuss, The event a great opportunity for theexplore, and better understand the challenges and industry to come together to discuss, explore, opportunities facing student recruitment both and better understand the challenges and at apprentice and graduate level. opportunities facing student recruitment both at apprentice and graduate level.

ISE Awards host ISE Awards host Shappi Khorsandi Comedian & Author Shappi Khorsandi Comedian & Author

Some of our speakers Some of our speakers Tom Ravenscroft

Conference themes Conference Employabilitythemes skills for the next generation of work: ISE the in partnership Employability skills for next with Changeboard’s Future Talent Live generation of work: ISE in partnership with Changeboard’s Future Talent Live Diversity and inclusion – the social mobility Diversitychallenge and inclusion – the social mobility challengein education and Digital disruption the workplace Digital disruption in education and the workplace

Founder & CEO, The Skills Builder Partnership Tom Ravenscroft Founder & CEO, The Skills Builder Partnership Hashi Mohamed Barrister and BBC broadcaster Hashi Mohamed Barrister and BBC broadcaster Paul Gurney CEO of BecomingX, a social enterprise he Paul Gurney co-owns with Bear Grylls CEO of BecomingX, a social enterprise he co-owns with Bear Grylls Mark Beaumont World Record holding adventurer and Mark Beaumont TV broadcaster World Record holding adventurer and TV broadcaster

Media Partner Media Partner

Early Bird tickets available Early Bird tickets available Book your place today at Book your place today at ise.org.uk/event/ISEConferenceandAwards

ise.org.uk/event/ISEConferenceandAwards

Residential and day package options available Residential and day package options available

RES E ARC H : IS E I NSI G HT S

The different skills of apprentices and graduates We delve into the ISE Student Development Survey 2019 to explain the different skills graduates and apprentices can bring into an organisation to help inform early talent planning strategies.

In recent research we have noticed a growing engagement with apprenticeships amongst ISE members. In our Student Development Survey 2019 employers report that on average they have scaled up their recruitment of apprentices by 56% since 2016, while the number of graduates has only increased by 9%.

Only time will tell if this heralds a new era in student recruitment, but the fact that 58% of respondents say that they are developing apprentices to do work that would have previously been done by graduates suggests that times are changing. However, as the apprenticeship route develops it is important for employers to think carefully about when they should recruit graduates and when they should recruit apprentices.

Skills lacked In the Student Development Survey 2019 we asked employers what skills they felt that different kinds of hires lacked.

Concern about resilience was the most commonly cited area for graduates and was also an important factor for other types of hire. One respondent made the point that, “their level of resilience can lead to difficulties in their placements and increased levels of support being required”.

In general respondents reported that graduates were likely to out-perform apprentices and school and college leavers at the point of entry. As one respondent commented: “Apprentices are a lot more work in terms of developing their professionalism and attitude - we have a lot more issues with things like time keeping, correctly reporting absences with apprentices and these take up the time of our Employee Relations team.”

Significant differences It is particularly interesting to look at the areas where there were substantial differences between graduates and apprentices.

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…it is important for employers to think carefully about when they should recruit graduates and when they should recruit apprentices.

Respondents were almost four times as likely to raise concerns with how apprentices dress when they enter the workplace. They were twice as likely to report that apprentices lack presentation skills, data analysis skills, IT skills, interpersonal skills, writing skills and problem-solving skills.

This points to some of the key attributes that might lead employers to target graduates over apprentices.

On the other hand, employers’ responses suggested that there were few differences between graduates and apprentices in relation to resilience, managing up, leadership, dealing with conflict, self-awareness, career management and emotional intelligence.

The contrast between the areas where there are perceived differences between apprentices and graduates and those where there are not is interesting.

In general, employers recognise that graduates arrive more polished with a better array of both technical and interpersonal skills and some cultural capital. But they are less convinced that graduates out-perform apprentices in terms of more fundamental personal attributes. Some of this suggests that as apprentices acquire more skills and experience, they may well catch up with those who have been through the graduate route.

Tristram Hooley Chief research officer, ISE

Benefits of experience The importance of experience is also highlighted by the fact that 87% of respondents agreed that students who had completed an internship had better skills than those who did not have this experience.

However, there was much less impact from additional qualifications with only 19% of respondents agreeing that students who came with a postgraduate degree had better skills than those who had not. Even where employers do value postgraduate qualifications this doesn’t mean that they are progressing faster than those with other qualifications. Only 12% of respondents report that postgraduate qualified hires progress more quickly in terms of salary than other hires.

These findings suggest that there are some real differences in the skills and attributes of different kinds of hires that employers should be aware of as they design their recruitment strategies.

However, how far the enhanced attributes of graduates are accounted for by the qualifications that they study is not clear. Perhaps even more critically it is not clear how much of a premium employers place on graduates given the fact that on average they are typically substantially more expensive than apprentices.

Proportion of employers who say entry-level hires lack particular skills

Resilience Managing up Leadership Commercial awareness Dealing with conflict Self-awareness Career management Job-specific technical skills Negotiation/influencing skills Emotional intelligence Business appropriate communication Time management Taking responsibility Listening Presentation skills Data handling/data analysis Problem-solving Excel skills Interpersonal skills Staying positive Writing Teamwork Dressing appropriately IT/digital skills Numeracy

Graduates

Apprentices

School leavers

67%

67%

55%

65%

69%

70%

64%

68%

70%

61%

79%

80%

59%

67%

70%

59%

55%

60%

55%

62%

60%

54%

75%

85%

49%

62%

65%

47%

55%

50%

46%

76%

80%

32%

52%

45%

31%

43%

35%

26%

37%

20%

24%

61%

65%

21%

52%

50%

21%

39%

35%

18%

29%

40%

17%

38%

30%

16%

23%

20%

14%

30%

25%

11%

20%

15%

9%

36%

20%

8%

20%

6%

20% 10%

15%

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T HE B R E X IT SP E C IA L

RES E ARC H

The apprenticeship levy has caused many organisations to reframe their future talent planning. We take a look at new research that explores what this could mean for the future of graduate recruitment.

Do apprenticeships sound the death knell for graduate recruitment?

Since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy more organisations have been experimenting with this often overlooked entry point. In particular, I’m becoming increasingly aware of the shift away from traditional graduate programmes towards degree apprenticeships.

Regularly the conversation turns to the future of securing a more skilled and loyal workforce, and the best way to achieve this. My view is that degree apprenticeships can offer a sound solution and 14

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many industry-leading businesses share this opinion. To find out more about the changing landscape we commissioned a piece of research.

The aim was to determine whether traditional graduate recruitment is on the wane. The results confirmed that degree apprenticeships are a key element in building a pipeline of talent for futurethinking organisations.

Rowena Bach Entry level talent director, TMP/ PeopleScout

Thriving apprenticeships

Apprenticeship degrees are generating quite a buzz amongst those who have dipped their toes in the water. The majority (93%) of respondents continue to reap the benefits of apprenticeships within their organisations with 44% significantly increasing their apprenticeship intake in the last two years.

More than half (59%) of respondents to our research said they are either already running or intending to run degree apprenticeships with 7% simultaneously decreasing their graduate intake. Furthermore, with many apprenticeship schemes ‘maturing’ in 2021 (or thereabouts) it is entirely possible that those figures will increase once organisations have confirmed the value of apprenticeship schemes.

The growth in apprenticeships programmes leads to the inevitable question of what will happen to graduate recruitment if degree apprenticeships continue to develop at this pace?

Based on our survey, it appears that degree apprenticeships could replace …Based on our graduate programmes that presurvey, it appears that degree apprenticeships exist. When companies don’t have could replace graduate degree apprenticeships, there’s less programmes that indication that they will eventually pre-exist. replace graduate programmes.

It’s results like these that act as a great reminder that while the market remains buoyant, the business world needs to be ready to move with current trends and demands. Degree-quality students who are considering their options may well be tempted by the prospect of high-quality opportunities to secure onthe-job experience while obtaining their qualifications.

This is something that I have witnessed within my work. Degree apprenticeships are steadily gaining popularity with many organisations. Indeed, 31% of respondents said they were planning new schemes for the coming 12 months, 12% said they would like to consider their options and a further 39% said they would be continuing with the schemes they already have in place. Graduate programmes meanwhile are stalling in popularity, with 71% of organisations saying they wouldn’t be introducing new graduate programmes in the coming year. So while there will almost certainly be fewer graduate programmes, there will also be more degree apprentices.

Value of degree apprentices

The appeal of bringing fresh talent into an organisation is something that we see on a daily basis. From first-hand experience, we appreciate the energy and innovation that entry level talent can bring to an organisation. We work with everyone from government departments to notfor-profit healthcare providers, and the move away from ‘traditional’ graduate career paths towards a more flexible and agile way of working is gaining momentum.

The research presented us with the interesting fact that of those who have a degree apprenticeship scheme, 54% have had internal conversations about the benefits of bringing this type of talent into the business. But while they shared the opinion that the apprentices were adding value to the business, they held a wide range of views as to what specifically that value was.

Some organisations valued apprenticeships as they could ensure existing and new staff were more highly-qualified. Other businesses valued the fact that apprentices could be trained in the company’s specific ways of working and to meet their business needs.

The cost-effectiveness of apprentices versus graduates was also a key consideration when linked to decreased spend on training and onboarding. Some respondents also indicated that their apprentices were more likely to remain loyal to the business. Fulfilling corporate social responsibility objectives was also important to respondents, acknowledging that apprentices were adding diversity to their business.

Of course, graduates will always have their place in the workforce. Some employers commented on the need for a mix of near work-ready graduates alongside apprentices who will be prepared for whatever the future holds. But as apprenticeship schemes that started following the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017 reach maturity around 2021, will we see a tipping point?

And as apprentices prove their value in the workplace, will there be less need to recruit graduates? I strongly suspect we will see that happen.

The only question that remains is whether the business world is ready to respond to such a transition. And I for one am excited to see how our clients will respond to this fascinating challenge.

…businesses valued the fact that apprentices could be trained in the company’s specific ways of working and to meet their business needs

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RES E ARC H

A

New research compares the UK, France, Belgium, Germany and Spain on preparing the next generation for the future of work

European perspective

The prospect of making the transition from university to work is already daunting for students, yet the world of work is growing increasingly complex. How do students view the technological and managerial changes that will affect the workplace of tomorrow, and how prepared do they feel to enter the future labour market?

In January we surveyed 3,000 young people, employers and education stakeholders across the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Belgium, in partnership with WISE (the World Innovation Summit for Education) and Ipsos. Our aim was to better understand the fears and aspirations of the next generation as they face the future of work and to draw lessons on how an ecosystem of universities, employers and students can work better together.

Economy worries

We asked young people how they felt about the ways people would work in ten years in terms of management styles, tools and technology available at the workplace, interpersonal relationships and the way the workplace might be organised. The majority (78%) claimed to be optimistic. In the UK, they were most optimistic about technological progress, education and training, flexible ways of working and changes in the ways people will be managed. However, across the surveyed countries, they were the least optimistic about the economic outlook.

Despite their lack of confidence in their country’s economy, however, 18-25 year-olds in the UK were far less willing to move than young people in Spain or France for instance. While more than one in two Spanish and French young people were willing to move to another, nonEuropean country for work, only 43% of UK respondents would be open to moving to another country - whether European or non-European.

One of the big challenges for the UK is likely to be preparing students for an economic context at home that they are relatively pessimistic about, and considering how to nudge students towards an international jobs market, or at least acquiring international work experience.

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Overwhelming need for support

In spite of their general optimism about the workplace of the future, fewer than one in two young people felt that education is preparing them well for work, and nine out of 10 said they would like to be better supported as they make career decisions.

According to young people (66%), employers (71%) and education stakeholders (66%), work experience was the top way to support young people for the world of work. In the UK, ‘understanding job market trends’ was in the top three ways young people could be supported, according to employers and the young people themselves, but this wasn’t as important for education stakeholders. We should consider how training on job market trends could be better integrated in university curriculums, or within career guidance.

Conversely ‘quality and training of teachers’ was much more important for education stakeholders, but much less so for employers and young people. It is interesting to consider whether employers may be underestimating the importance of teacher training and quality in preparing the next generation. As Simon Bartley, president of World Skills International, says, “In the future, teachers will help individuals in their career path…

They will have to be able to teach technologically, and the subjects that they will teach will not only be subjects like maths and French history... They will have to teach people to be able to learn, to learn their whole life, to learn using technology, and to learn skills and new skills.”

Sara Chatterjee Content marketing manager, JobTeaser

Better communication on skills

There seems to be a mismatch between the perceived importance of soft skills versus the importance these skills have in the jobs market. The three surveyed populations agreed that developing soft skills was the main way to be prepared for the world of work, and UK youth were more closely aligned with ‌Young people gave employers in this respect. At the same far more importance to time, however, 83% of employers, 75% of computer skills in the future education stakeholders and 58% of young of work than employers and people in the UK felt that soft skills aren’t education stakeholders given enough importance.

Young people gave far more importance to computer skills in the future of work than employers and education stakeholders - 44% of young Europeans said computer skills would be the most important for work in the next ten years, compared to 26% of employers and 27% of education stakeholders.

And while 64% of employers and 52% of educators emphasised the importance of flexibility and adaptability, only 37% of European youth saw eye-to-eye with them.

It seems there needs to be better communication on skills among the three parties in the university-to-employment ecosystem. This is further illustrated by the finding that nine out of 10 companies would like to be more involved in preparing students for the future of work, but only five out of 10 are involved today.

While the UK is ahead of the curve in Europe in terms of employer-university collaboration, thinking about how we can innovate to close the gap between universities, employers and students remains a concern and will be at the heart of our research and development over the coming months.

The full survey is available on the JobTeaser website

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RES E ARC H

Career progression opportunities could be your best attraction tool

Simon Lewis MD, TheJobCrowd

New research highlights what attracts apprentices and graduates to work for a particular employer.

A combination of increasing recruitment volumes (ISE Annual Student Recruitment Survey 2018) and a shortage of candidates means employers face a unique challenge - potential employees can afford to be picky. It has never been more important for recruiters to highlight their strengths as an employer to attract top talent.

The JobCrowd’s annual survey of thousands of employees in graduate and apprentice positions has generated unique insight to their mindset. By tapping into this insight, employers will be better equipped to find candidates ideally matched to their roles.

No longer is it enough to offer attractive remuneration and a short commute – a wider range of factors influence employer choice: do you reflect their personal values, what’s the company culture like, what’s the work/life balance like?

Key findings

Today’s graduates and apprentices are an ambitious bunch. Career progression was the most popular answer to the question (17%), ‘what attracted you to apply to this company?’

Enjoyable work (10.6%) and working for a prestigious brand that would look good on a CV (9.7%) completed the … top three responses, just ahead of available Just 3.2% of responses training (9.3%), reflecting a desire to think said the benefits longer-term about where their career is going package on offer to take them. attracted them to their Conversely, a fat pay packet and an attractive current job package ranked low. Just 3.2% of responses said the benefits package on offer attracted them to their current job, while high pay barely got a look-in, polling just 5.5% of responses.

Elsewhere in our survey, an easy commute or trendy city centre office held little sway with reviewers, who placed location seventh among the 15 categories ranked in the survey.

In practice

If you tick the first two boxes of career progression and enjoyable work, the third of these is a little less tangible. Just how do you build prestige? It’s important to raise awareness of your brand, for 18

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example taking part in rankings such as TheJobCrowd, which gives endorsement from those on the front line.

For wider awareness, consider the USPs of your graduate or apprentice scheme, which messages you want to convey and which media would be the most effective to communicate. The performance of online video and social media can be over-rated by many advertisers and agencies, with a similar under-valuing of print and radio advertising, so you may want to re-appraise your media mix.

To establish a messaging strategy it’s important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your programme. Do your research and seek feedback from your own recruits. Insight like that found in reports available to those taking part in our ‘Top Companies’ rankings enable a comprehensive understanding of a scheme from the employees’ perspective.

Once you have a grasp of the key selling points of your scheme, this should inform every stage of the applicant journey as you continue to emphasise the factors that make your scheme great - from the initial call to action, to interviews and making an offer of employment and beyond. These messages should permeate the entire recruitment process and potential employees will be looking out for them. Remember, the modern graduate and apprentice are assessing you as an employer as much as you are assessing them.

VI EW FROM THE B O A R DRO OM

When hidden opportunity knocks Gaining recognition for what you do may not be at the top of your KPIs. ISE Board Director Paul Siaens explains how it may help you to achieve them to a much higher standard.

Indulge me as I wander through some thoughts. Recently, whilst sitting in a Manchester hotel in the midst of our assessment centres, unusually I found myself with a spare moment and my thoughts turned into questions about what we were doing here. What do the candidates truly think of the assessment experience? Do the assessors see value in what we are asking them to do? Will senior management be pleased with how they are being delivered? How does what we do compare to our competitors? Then I thought, do these questions even matter, so long as the assessments produce the results I was tasked to achieve?

Well yes, they did matter, but not only for the obvious reasons. They mattered because I wanted my team and myself to be recognised for the success we were about to deliver. I wanted us to be acknowledged as the subject matter experts we profess to be. I wanted this to give us credibility and to justify the past years’ worth of hard work we had put into reaching this point. But would the recruitment of more than 25 graduates be enough to fulfil these needs? In truth, no. I wanted more.

Apart from concluding the two weeks of back-to-back assessments, what should I be doing to gain this desired respect and recognition?

How can I put the team and the business ‘on the map’? It then occurred to me. There is a strong link between targets and the value provided by industry awards and events to achieve these things.

Every year we, as professionals engaging in early talent recruitment and development, get inundated with requests to participate in and engage with awards and events related to what we do. Not that we don’t have enough on our plates, but I firmly believe that responding to these requests adds value. Value to individuals and the companies we work so tirelessly for.

Firstly, they provide a platform for us to share and learn from each other. Hearing from our peers about new things, learning about new technologies, and building new networks can only happen if we are willing to participate. From these events, we share best practice, learn what not to do and build networks that will come to the fore in times to come.

Going back to the questions I was asking myself, about gaining recognition and credibility. I can only achieve this if I engage. For me, it is not rewarding enough just delivering what is asked of me by my manager. To achieve acclaim internally and externally, I realise we must engage. We must enter the awards that count, attend the events that we may initially deem to have no value, and we must share. By sharing we can only grow. We must recognise and be recognised. Only then will we truly have the authority needed to achieve. And only then will we progress, taking what we do for the lives of the people we recruit and develop to the next level.

So, next time you get an invitation to an event, are asked to enter an award, or to take some time out from ‘business as usual’ to respond to something beyond your remit, think before you brush the request away. Take a moment to really understand the value of the request first. Until you do that, you may well be passing up an opportunity that is actually too good to miss.

Paul Siaens Graduate resourcing partner, FirstGroup

…

We must enter the awards that count, attend the events that we may initially deem to have no value, and we must share.

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F EATURE

Apprenticeships and internships are now commonplace in many early talent recruitment strategies, but have you considered vocational trainee programmes for school leavers?

We look at the business benefits.

Have you considered

vocational trainee schemes?

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Bridget Gardiner Executive director, The Brokerage

According to the Confederation of British Industry (2017) placements for a week or two remain the most widespread, offered by more than nine in ten firms providing work experience.

While a couple of weeks with a company can provide young people with basic insight, more needs to be done to provide meaningful opportunities to allow young talent to become work-ready. A survey by CIMA (2016) found that eight out of ten British schoolleavers lack essential business skills and require significant training before being put to work.

No one knows the importance of …Trainee programmes experience and skills more than help young people, typically an employer, but for young people aged 16-24, who don’t who have left education and are yet have the skills and starting out in the business world experience they need for it can be difficult to develop these the workplace. necessary attributes.

While apprenticeships and internships might spring to mind as a way of developing young people, it’s also worth employers considering trainee offerings. Trainee programmes help young people, typically aged 16-24, who don’t yet have the skills and experience they need for the workplace. The benefits are twofold. The young trainees are equipped with the necessary skills and exposure, while employers gain access to fresh talent that they’re able to nurture for their future talent pipelines.

Trainee programmes in practice

The Brokerage has been working with Newton Investment Management since 2012 to recruit bright, motivated young Londoners for their Vocational Trainee Programme (VTP) that runs for three and a half years.

It provides candidates with the opportunity to work at Newton while studying towards a HND in Business (accounting and finance) for the first two years, followed by further studies towards a BA hons degree in Business Studies – all fully funded by Newton.

Young people accessing careers with The Brokerage.

Young people have been recruited into a variety of departments, including the middle office functions that support the investment process and the relationship management of Newton clients, positions within the investment operations team administering the investment transactions and desktop support roles within the technology team.

In 2018 Newton introduced a technology-focused programme, which offers an alternative HND in computing. The opportunity to work and learn is very appealing to many young people The Brokerage works with, who are keen to kick-start their careers after leaving school while still progressing academically. The Brokerage supports Newton with the recruitment process by advertising, shortlisting, coordinating interviews and providing feedback to all candidates.

The retention rate at Newton is high for the programme. To date, there have been six BA graduates of the programme, and all but one remain with the firm.

There are a further eleven trainees at various stages of the programme, and work is in progress on the recruitment of three new trainees for the 2019 intake.

Chief Operating Officer at Newton, Andrew Downs, explains: “The vocational trainee programme enables us to recruit smart, competent young people into starter positions here at Newton. Not only are they extremely well-motivated and hardworking, their age and educational backgrounds bring great diversity of thought into the firm. The high retention rate means that these individuals continue to benefit our business, both in their day-to-day work and in supporting other trainees through the programme.

“If you have never recruited school leavers before, it requires careful preparation. You will need to devise a recruitment process that looks for core skills and personality traits that will fit into your culture.

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F EATURE

Young people accessing careers with The Brokerage.

“You will also need complete buy-in from the hiring managers, as the trainees will need support and mentoring as they adjust to the programme, and to working life in general. You need to view the programme as a long-term investment and think carefully about where you will place the trainees so that each is well-supported in their role, and in the delivery of their college work.”

5 benefits of recruiting school leavers

1. Diversity of thought Recruiting young people can support diversity of thought within a business.

School leavers bring a fresh perspective, helping organisations to avoid “groupthink” and drive innovation.

2. Strong candidates Those looking to go straight into fulltime employment after education have a lot to offer in terms of hunger to learn and passion, and those supported with employability skills training can also bring knowledge and skills. They’re able to produce a high standard of work, in some cases at the same level as their graduate counterparts, which will add value to a business.

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3. Retention and loyalty A young person who has been recruited and supported through opportunities of growth and development is highly likely to see their future as being part of that business.

4. Positive impact As a school-leaver enters the world of work they’re ready and eager to put what they’ve learnt into practice and develop their skills further. Recruiting an individual fresh out of education provides an opportunity for an employer to have a positive impact and pave the way for their success within the organisation.

5. Supporting local communities School leavers seeking employment at your company will most likely be from your area. Recruiting local talent demonstrates a real commitment to supporting your community. Providing support through vocational trainee schemes can enable young people without family connections enter the professional world to gain access to exciting careers on their doorstep.

...You need to view the programme as a long-term investment and think carefully about where you will place the trainees so that each is well-supported in their role, and in the delivery of their college work.”

We reach millions of graduates and apprentices.

And so can you.

If you’re looking to advertise a graduate or apprentice role, theguardian.com is a great place to start. Over 4 million 15-24 year-olds visit us each month, as well as 72% of recent UK graduates. Get your message seen today, and find your ideal candidate with The Guardian Jobs.

Source: NRS PADD October 16 - September 17 (cross platform reach: web/mobile/print monthly reach)

Contact recruitment.advertising@theguardian.com today

T HE B R E X IT SP E C IA L

F EATURE

…Wherever I went, there was one common theme: how apprenticeships can transform people’s lives; the impact they make on people’s futures; and the positive energy they bring to employers.

Skills minister Anne Milton on

apprenticeships One of the very best parts about my job is meeting apprentices and employers and hearing their amazing stories.

Apprentices make a huge contribution to businesses and bring enthusiasm, passion and new ideas into the workplace. Employers have reported enormous benefits to their business such as improved productivity, and critically the fresh ideas apprentices bring to their organisation.

National Apprenticeship Week

National Apprenticeships Week ran in March, which is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the amazing opportunities apprenticeships offer. It was a recordbreaking year, with over 1000 events taking place across 24

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the country! During the week I travelled to Bolton, Bristol, Devon, Cornwall, Bradford and East London, meeting apprentices of all ages and backgrounds as well as their employers and training providers to hear about their extraordinary journeys.

Wherever I went, there was one common theme: how apprenticeships can transform people’s lives; the impact they make on people’s futures; and the positive energy they bring to employers.

No one should be denied the opportunity to learn new skills and go on to get a great job and career. Whether it’s a young

person looking at their next steps, someone who is looking to get back into work after a break or someone who fancies a career change, an apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity. Apprenticeships offer people the chance to earn while they learn with the option to train right up to degree level in a huge range of professions and careers.

Apprenticeship reforms

We reformed the apprenticeships system almost two years ago - working with employers to design the new system because it is employers and not government who are best placed to decide what skills apprentices need for their businesses.

We also introduced the Levy …No one should be to create long term sustainable denied the opportunity funding for apprenticeships. to learn new skills and Apprenticeships are now longer, go on to get a great job higher-quality, with more offand career. the-job training and a proper assessment at the end.

There are now more than 400 of our new high-quality apprenticeship opportunities - known as ‘standards’ - available in every profession, such as civil engineering, cyber security, architecture, law, nursing and teaching, with the number of different standards having increased over the last year. The number of people starting on our new style apprenticeship standards has risen by over 86% in the first quarter of 2018/19 compared to the same point last year - a sure sign that things are improving!

Royal Mail, Channel 4, Barclays, and BAE are just some of the leading employers offering people of all ages and backgrounds a chance to learn new skills and get a great job.

We know there is more to do. Our reforms were designed and driven by employers and we want to be sure standards remain high.

The Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education has built a network of over 100 industry leaders across 15 sectors to make sure apprentices are job-ready.

We also recently announced that we will introduce a new leader board and quality mark. The new leader board will recognise and promote outstanding apprentice employers, encourage employers to improve the quality of their apprentice offer, and help potential apprentices and parents to easily identify opportunities with high performing employers.

Challenging outdated attitudes

To help change perception, we have launched our brilliant new apprenticeships campaign to challenge the outdated view of apprenticeships and to raise awareness of the huge variety of options available for people of all ages and backgrounds across the country. Our real live apprentice stars are of all ages and backgrounds. There’s Sarah, who is retraining as a nursing assistant in her 50s and then there is 20-year-old Megan who is training to be a building design engineer at construction firm Troup, Bywaters & Anders. Their stories and journeys are truly inspirational.

I am hugely proud of the progress we have made, and we make sure everyone knows about how great apprenticeships are. Please check out our new website www.apprenticeships.gov.uk to find out more about how you can help kick start someone’s career today and benefit your business by taking on an apprentice.

Let’s continue to work together to spread the word and help change more lives for the better!

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F EATURE

success Secrets of

Transform Society alliance members recruit more than 2,800 graduates annually into front-facing public sector jobs in some of our toughest communities. Learn how Teach First led the way, changing the perceptions of top graduates so they would regard teaching in challenging schools as one of the best career choices.

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James Darley CEO, Transform Society

I love graduate recruitment. It has been my life now for more than 21 years and is the reason I joined a relatively unknown charity called Teach First in 2004. I wanted to have the freedom to run graduate recruitment the way I always believed it should be delivered. Over my 15 years of working to eradicate educational inequity I have recruited over 10,000 graduates, got to ‘number two’ in the coveted Times Top 100 Graduate Employers and …we needed to ‘sell the helped four other inspirational problem, not the profession’, the idea being that we could graduate propositions hit the ride the storm of interest marketplace (Frontline, Police in teaching if we built a Now, Think Ahead & Unlocked). powerful enough brand I still proudly sit on their Boards around the cause. today.

The success of these programmes can’t be ignored; they collectively recruit over 2,800 graduates a year and herald a new era of workers who want to make a difference in front-facing public sector jobs in the most challenging communities in the country. Emergence of this group is also evident in recent research

by The Student Room and YouthSight who polled over 1,000 students across a wide range of universities and found a trend towards young people looking for careers in public sector frontline roles.

Success with Teach First has led me to set up Transform Society, an umbrella charity that includes Teach First, Police Now, Frontline, Think Ahead and Unlocked Graduates. We support inspirational programmes to increase the number of graduates entering front-line public-service programmes, magnify the benefits they receive from such programmes and amplify their ability to impact the communities they serve.

I am often asked how we changed graduate perceptions to deliver incredible results for Teach First. I hope that whatever your interest or responsibility level in student recruitment, the insight below stimulates your thinking and offers principles that you can contextualise to help you hit your goals and keep the passion going for a subsection of HR that never seems to quite get the levels of attention it should from our businesses.

Strategy

Firstly, we needed to ‘sell the problem, not the profession’, the idea being that we could ride the storm of interest in teaching if we built a powerful enough brand around the cause. This approach has proved hugely successful as we have risen in profile and appeal despite teaching taking a battering in wider society.

Secondly, we initially focused on a small number of universities and tactically worked out how to gain profile and appeal among their graduate populations.

While I didn’t like this approach morally or ethically, as I believe anyone from any university with the right skills, knowledge and experience can become an inspirational teacher and leader, we knew that we couldn’t visit every campus. We had to prioritise.

Thirdly, we designed a graduate recruitment process that not only met our needs but critically met the needs of applicants, our customers. We thought of them at every stage to ensure an effective and efficient process.

Finally, we invested in building relationships with key stakeholders, whether on or off campus (universities, corporates, suppliers, agencies and students).

Research

One of the best pieces of advice I can offer is to know your market better than anyone else – customers, competitors, suppliers, agencies, recruitment models etc. Get to know the aspirations and motivations of top graduates, so you can make sure what you are offering is what your target market wants. This should be constantly reviewed. You’ll need to be prepared - whatever they want may not be what your organisation wants you to say.

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Branding

Your brand is everything and having a strong one is as important today as it has always been, arguably more as top graduates have a lot of choice and have grown up bombarded with marketing messages. An offer from Teach First had to always be equal or greater than all the other aspirational employment brands. Brand awareness means applications that result in hires. It really does.

How you visualise and articulate the proposition needs to be as good, if not better than your top competition.

It needs to be cool, current, relevant and of the highest quality. Remember to push what you learned from your research.

Customer service

I believe that our industry is trending towards graduate rejection through impersonal customer service. We bucked this trend to stand out. A personalised approach throughout the attraction and selection process has been a key part of our success.

Our operating model has always been based on human recruitment, investing in people not technology or gimmicks. A brilliant team allowed us to build strong relationships with universities, students and other key industry stakeholders.

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...I believe that our industry is trending towards graduate rejection through impersonal customer service.

7 lessons learned

#1

Consider splitting your recruitment team into pockets of experts (attraction, marketing, selection, headhunting) as the skills required to assess are different from those used for attracting or cultivating.

#2

Everything hinges on the quality of your staff. Spend time recruiting those who share your principles and beliefs.

#3

Analyse data, reflect on practice and course correct.

Work out your key metrics and listen to them, spotting any early warning signs.

#4

When power has moved to the candidate cultivation is key. Do this year round and think creatively about how to engage offerees - the more a candidate feels part of your team, the more likely they are to turn up on the first day.

#5

Invest on campus - attend more often than the scheduled milkround as the relationships established with university staff and students will be vital for identifying top talent.

#6

Graduates expect to be informed at each stage of the process and not kept waiting. The more you can do to deliver an efficient recruitment process the better.

#7

Diversify with lots of different projects, interventions and initiatives going as something that was successful last year may not deliver again.

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A student perspective Rafael is a second year accounting and finance student and also a member of the ACCA Talent Advisory Group. He shares his passion for breaking down barriers to employment and inspiring the next generation of talent with some advice for employers.

Our advisory group is passionate about working with ACCA to help students reach their full potential and to help employers gain a better understanding of students.

The group is extremely diverse, meaning we represent students from all backgrounds, cultures and nationalities.

Students often find the professional workplace intimidating. In most industries and job roles we are led to believe that the top positions are for middle aged Caucasian males. But in fact, the UK has one of the most diverse working economies in the world; the problem with this is that employers and recruiters don’t always make this blatant enough.

I believe that many recruiters and employers pay too much attention to where a student’s degree is obtained, rather than the actual individual. This creates a certain level of paranoia - your success in the selection process will depend on what university you go to. Students from less prestigious universities do not apply for certain roles because they are convinced that many 30

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students from a higher-ranking institution will apply f or the same role, and therefore do not see the point.

I believe this can make it difficult for any individual to feel extremely confident in themselves and in the application process. No employer can be one hundred percent certain there aren’t more suitable candidates in a lower ranking university. This approach also doesn’t give all students an equal opportunity for success within many industries.

Challenges faced

When applying for jobs, placements and internships, students from an ethnic minority or challenging background can have their chances of being successful limited in certain applications and interviews. There can be a lack of information in job descriptions when it comes to the ideal candidate and salary.

Some students are put off from applying to jobs with ‘competitive salaries’ or ‘N/A’ in the salary section. This is not because they lack the ambitious drive or eagerness to work, but because some students have challenging financial situations, such as children to provide for, and therefore without salary information they cannot understand what the successful candidate’s financial situation would be like.

…the UK has one of the most diverse working economies in the world; the problem with this is that employers and recruiters don’t always make this blatant enough.

Raphael Nwenwu Emerging Talent Advisory Group member, ACCA

Many students get stressed out and overwhelmed by how long some of the selection processes can be. The barrier this creates is time management - any student aiming for a first-class degree knows that they have to put in the work inside as well as outside the classroom. Going through the selection process can use up a lot of time that could be spent studying. This process can be particular stressful when you’re unsuccessful and you’ve missed other positions to apply for because you spent your time and energy in trying to secure the first one.

Some students are so put off by the process and how long it takes that they only apply for one at a time or do not go through with the application at all. When you need to combine job-hunting with attending lectures, workshops and undertaking a minimum of 36 hours private study each week, this can be stressful for a lot of students. This can create a mental barrier because some students think that if they cannot do all of the above and find a job, they are not good enough to work or be part of that industry.

Employers and recruiters can help

There is a range of things employers can do to make it easier for students and graduates to engage, and apply for jobs in their respective industry.

Becoming known in their local universities physically and online is helpful as more and more students resort to using the virtual learning space and online platforms.

This has a dual benefit – employers get to know what the local university has to offer and students get to know firsthand which local companies they can get involved with.

There are many websites that post vacancies, but knowing the company beforehand can give students the information they need to make sure they accomplish the right level of grades and develop the relevant skills.

Another way employers can help is by introducing and running more voluntary work. This can be beneficial as it can attract motivated students with very good potential and room for growth, but who may not have applied for a paid placement or job role due to lack of self-esteem or relevant skills. Also, voluntary placements are a great way of introducing more students into industries and giving them the opportunity to develop relevant skills and knowledge.

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Building apprenticeship excellence through ISE ISE apprenticeship steering group champions, Simon Reichwald of MyKindaFuture and Helen Alkin of British Airways, explain how apprenticeships have become a priority for ISE and how members are getting involved.

The change of name from the Association of Graduate Recruiters to the Institute of Student Employers in 2018 not only represented the significant shift that was occurring across the early careers industry, but also presented a massive opportunity for the ISE to evolve its offer to members.

The Board identified apprenticeships as a strategic priority and when we asked our wider membership for support to form a steering group to develop and drive our future direction, we were not short of volunteers. This demonstrates just how important an agenda item this has become across our industry and the appetite of members to be involved.

Peer-to-peer learning

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group has been instrumental in delivering.

This is the first event of its kind and the response has been fantastic, as one delegate commented, “A* - excellently executed inaugural event. It set a really high benchmark and please can we have more very soon.

I look forward to the summer ISE conference and the date of the next apprentice event too U.” With the sessions being heavily focused on employers sharing their experiences (good and painful!), the level of debate and discussion on the day only further reinforced the mix of experience across our industry and the level of complexity that the world of apprenticeships brings. The overriding ‘feel’ was that there is a lot of experience,

Results of our member poll

Simon Reichwald MyKindaFuture

Helen Alkin British Airways

knowledge and insight within our membership to tap into.

The focus for the steering group moving forward is about evolving the offer further, including the creation of a toolkit that will equip members with a one-stop-shop of insight, best practice, research and advice.

The key focus for all activities will sit within one of the six key areas below, which represent the end-to-end journey in establishing, evolving and evaluating an apprenticeship model.

• Building the business case • Working with training providers • How to attract apprentices • Working with schools and colleges • Eligibility requirements and standardised practices • Data and insight, which will also feed into policy and our voice to government

You may have taken part in our live poll at this year’s

Next steps

brought value to their business, but they were far more likely

The steering group has already begun work on developing the elements that sit underneath each of our six focus areas. As members, you will start to see the website evolve as this work is realised, whether through case studies, videos, guides, research, or simply signposting to existing information, we will work collaboratively across the wider ISE team. We will ensure content is continually developed and shared through a variety of channels.

We are always keen to hear from more of our members to ensure that the outcomes we are developing align to your needs. Whether through one of our board members, a discussion forum on the website or a steering group member, please get in touch.

to be increasing the number of apprentices that they are

Apprenticeship Conference, which has provided some really useful insights on how members are managing apprenticeships.

In general, there was some concern about the current direction of government policy. Only 2% of those polled felt that the government was on track to hit its three million apprentices target by 2020.

There was general agreement that apprenticeship numbers should be increased, along with the focus on young people.

There was also some enthusiasm for reforming the way that the apprentices levy works, but little support for scrapping it altogether.

When asked what issues members wanted the ISE to raise with government, the main concerns related to improving career guidance in schools and colleges, increasing the flexibility of the levy and exploring ways to make the systems in England and the devolved nations more compatible for businesses that are operating across the UK. Despite these concerns 96% of respondents were recruiting apprentices. The poll showed that some employer members were recruiting all levels of apprentices. Level 4 (77%) and level 3 apprentices (69%) were where the largest proportions of members were recruiting.

Members agreed that both graduates and apprentices

currently recruiting. Only 34% of those polled said that they were increasing their graduate recruitment while 80% said that they were increasing their apprenticeship recruitment.

Perhaps most interestingly, 31% said that they were replacing some graduates with apprentices.

This polling reinforces some of the messages that we are gathering through our wider research. Employers have some serious concerns about how the apprenticeship system is working. However, ISE employers also see real value in apprentices and believe that they offer an important route through which businesses can meet their talent needs.

Our members are increasing their apprenticeship numbers far more quickly than they are growing graduate recruitment.

While most are not viewing apprentices as a replacement for graduate recruitment, a growing minority are starting to investigate this as a possible way to meet their needs.

Apprenticeships are going to continue to be an important part of the student employment market for many years to come.

ISE Apprenticeship Steering Group Simon Reichwald - MKF Helen Alkin - British Airways Debs McCormack - Pinsent Masons Karen Murray - Pinsent Masons Jason O’Malley - University of Law Michael Nathan - MACE Steph Bishop - Capgemini Helen Eleftheriou - Rolls-Royce James Hammill - BPP Gary Anderson - Jacobs

Hollie Valler - AWE Tristan Luton - UCAS Charlotte Winderam - Deloitte Tracie Sullivan - Morgan Sindall Danny Matthews - Co-Op Emily Groves - EDF Energy Karen Handley - Virgin Media Louisa Pointon - Openreach Sepha Brook - Ladbrokes Coral Nicole Laming - Blake Morgan

Joanne Leniewski - Sage Mari Elder - Scottish Power Paul Roberts - RWE

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SP O TLIG HT O N . . . B R E X I T

Brexit Beyond

We challenge you to put aside Brexit fatigue and consider what this means for our sector.

The original Brexit timetable has fallen by the wayside. Given how the process to exit the EU has gone so far, this seems unlikely to be the final twist in the story.

We are at the end of the beginning of Brexit rather than the beginning of the end. Negotiations about Britain’s future relationship with Europe will go on for years, possibly decades. And that is saying nothing of the way in which Britain’s own politics, policy and law might develop once it is untethered by EU regulation.

Impact on student recruitment The question for members of the ISE will be how this may make a difference to the way in which student recruitment and development works. We polled our employer members in January this year and 70% of them told us that they didn’t think that Brexit would have an impact on the numbers that they were planning to hire next year. There was more concern within the built environment and retail sectors that Brexit would lead to a decline in recruitment, but, in general, employers were optimistic about next year’s recruitment levels. For the moment the working assumption seems to be that the economy will carry on much as it already has this year.

We also asked whether they had any concerns about finding the skills and talent that they needed following Brexit. Around half expressed concern but this was most likely to focus on finding more specialised roles. People were generally not concerned that Brexit would make a difference to their ability to recruit the bulk of their entry level staff.

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The modest amounts of concern about the impact of Brexit should be understood in the context of employers’ recruitment of EU residents to work in their UK offices. In our Student Recruitment Survey 2018 34% of employers said that they recruit Europeans for roles in the UK. Employers also reported that on average 13% of their UK based staff were born in the EU. On this basis Brexit looks like a low to middling level issue for student recruiters. In general, people aren’t anticipating big changes to their recruitment strategy nor are they expecting that the loss of European candidates will make recruitment much more difficult.

But, are they right?

Brexit or bust?

There is a clear logic to the position that employers have taken in our polling. In general, student recruitment is not heavily dependent on international candidates and so if these candidates dry up, it should be possible to replace them with other candidates from the UK. However, all of this assumes that the wider economy stays stable.

Another survey, conducted in February by the Confederation of British Industry, asked some different, but complementary questions of 273 firms. They reported that the uncertainty around Brexit had negatively affected sales and driven up costs. Such reports from the business frontline feed into the consensus that the post-Brexit economy will be challenging. As Iain Begg and Fabian Mushövel of the London School of Economics argue, there will be a “short term negative shock to the UK economy from Brexit” and while longer term prospects are more difficult to predict, there is also some cause for concern.

I conducted a brief poll of university staff in March, the day after Brexit had been extended. I asked them to say whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement - Brexit will make it easier for the students that I work with to find decent work when they graduate. Based on 110 responses, university staff were not looking as positive about Brexit as the recruiters. The overwhelming majority (76%) fear that Brexit will lead to worsening job prospects for their students.

Tristram Hooley Chief research officer, ISE

‌Based on 110 responses, university staff were not looking as positive about Brexit as the recruiters.

The overwhelming majority (76%) fear that Brexit will lead to worsening job prospects for their students.

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SP O TLIG HT O N . . . R E G I O NA L R E CRUI T ME N T

…if there is a general contraction in the size of the economy it is reasonable to expect that firms will reduce their recruitment levels fairly quickly and that that this is unlikely to be a one-year phenomenon.

What if there is a recession?

The most reliable answers given in all four of the surveys that I have cited are undoubtedly the ‘don’t knows’. Despite strong opinions on all sides, no one really knows what is going to happen.

The economy and the labour market are complex systems and even small shifts in policy can play out in unexpected ways. But there is clearly good reason to be concerned about the possibility of a recession following Brexit. Looking back at the last recession can help us to guess what might happen to student recruitment if this does happen.

Figure 1 depicts the proportionate change in the number of graduates entering the formal graduate labour market as reported in the ISE recruitment surveys for the last 18 years. What it shows is that after a steady period of growth, the graduate labour market contracted following the recession of 2008. It then didn’t really start to grow again until 2013-2014 and it still hasn’t reached the high point of 2008.

If a recession does follow Brexit, it will not necessarily follow the same pattern as the last recession. However, if there is a general contraction in the size of the economy it is reasonable to expect that firms will reduce their recruitment levels fairly quickly and that that this is unlikely to be a one-year phenomenon.

What is to be done?

So, where does this leave you if you are finalising this year’s recruitment and starting to think about next year? For the moment it is difficult to respond because what you are responding to is so unclear. As one of the respondents to our Pulse Survey 2019 complained, “clarity is needed as soon as possible to enable us to plan”.

But clarity remains in short supply.

Remain nimble and responsive. Recognise that there may be substantive economic changes during the recruitment season 20192020 and be prepared to adjust your recruitment accordingly. But there is also a need for recruiters to be willing to stand their ground and argue that a cut to recruitment in any one year has implications for the business’s growth for a decade or more.

Stopping recruitment or radically scaling it back may offer shortterm savings, but it stores up long-term issues in capacity that may make it more difficult for your business to emerge successfully from any recession.

We will continue to provide Brexit analysis and comment in ISE research and blogs at ise.org.uk

200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 2000

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Figure 1: Changes in the graduate labour market

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B EST P R A C TIC E : A PPR E N T I CE S H I PS

Michael Nathan Emerging talent lead, Mace

Meeting business challenges with apprenticeships Widening its emerging talent programmes by engaging with apprenticeships and school leaver programmes has helped Mace with a number of key business challenges. gender diversity of our graduate intake, we wanted to improve diversity further such as attracting BAME students. However, we were conscious of the limitations of the construction graduate talent pool.

Solution

Challenge …

The entire intake was 35% from a BAME background, compared to 19% for the 2016 graduate intake at Mace.

Mace’s Graduate Development Programme has been well-established for most of the company’s 28-year history. However, there were a number of issues for which we needed to consider alternative emerging talent solutions: our clients’ expectations, unfilled graduate roles and the desire to increase the diversity of our emerging talent pool.

Since I joined Mace in 2014 our business teams have been coming to us with increasing questions from current and potential clients on how we engage apprentices. Clearly apprenticeships are becoming more important for clients looking to deliver construction projects that would create added social value. The critical importance of being able to win work successfully was a major driver in Mace considering apprenticeships.

Also, for a couple of intakes we struggled to fill roles for graduates with construction related degrees as the number of full time students choosing to study these subjects at university remained at a relatively small number (indicated by data such as the Higher Education Statistics Agency).

In addition, while we had achieved positive results with our efforts to increase the

Towards the end of 2015, the Mace Group Board responded positively to a proposal to widen our emerging talent programmes with Higher and Degree Level Apprenticeships and School Leaver Programmes.

A number of new apprenticeship standards had been approved for professional and technical construction roles. Mace also had previously recruited school leavers into an internally designed programme focused on developing construction managers and building services engineers.

Opening for applications in March 2016 led to 29 recruits starting on a degree level apprenticeship in quantity surveying, a higher level apprenticeship in building services engineering and our inhouse programme in construction management, which included part time study towards a Level 4 qualification.

Success Our experience of 2016’s intake was very positive. All apprenticeship and school leaver roles were filled – in some disciplines we recruited more than the original target due to the calibre of the applications we received. The entire intake was 35% from a BAME background, compared to 19% for the 2016 graduate intake at Mace.

Mace has recruited more intakes of apprentices and school leavers to join higher and degree level programmes each year since 2016. By September 2019 we anticipate that we will have had 90 recruits join these programmes from September 2016. Over 97% of them are still working in Mace, well on track to take on roles as construction professionals.

As well as this measure of success, our approach has been recognised externally, which is a great source of pride to the business. In 2017 Mace was ranked the ‘Top Apprenticeship Employer in Central London’ and third overall

by RateMyApprenticeship.co.uk. In 2017 and 2018 Mace was recognised with accolades at the School Leaver Awards.

Apprentices at Mace are embedded within our emerging talent strategy!

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BEST P R A C TIC E : A PPR E N T I CE S H I PS

Pearson Business School explains what’s behind its groundbreaking Rotational Degree Apprenticeship.

Breaking new ground in degree apprenticeships Challenge Pearson Business School differentiates itself in degree apprenticeships by providing a comprehensive support service for the delivery of industryfocused programmes, including assistance with recruitment, flexible delivery, administrative support and guidance on meeting the regulatory requirements of a degree apprenticeship programme.

The institution was first-to-market with a groundbreaking Rotational Degree Apprenticeship. The programme launched 38

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in 2016 in collaboration with IBM and other employers including Unilever, Tesco, Direct Line Group and WPP’s Ogilvy. It was based on the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) Standard.

We worked closely with the companies to design a tailored programme that would meet two key objectives: 1. To recruit a diverse and highly able set of apprentices who were passionate about working for their employer, to work in business related roles for the organisation.

2. To develop broader and more varied career paths as a long term solution, to ensure a strong field of commercial/business talent in-house.

Solution

Katie Fiddaman Communications, Pearson College London

Our academics worked diligently to design a programme that would meet our objectives.

We engaged our employer partners at every stage of programme development and delivery, ensuring a highly specific training and development programme that develops critical business knowledge, skills and behaviours.

Our rotational CMDA model allowed degree apprentices to study a BA (Hons) Business Management degree while working for three organisations over a three-year period. This is a highly attractive proposition for the apprentices.

The employers involved also saw value in training apprentices across a range of different organisations, so that they could gain a wider set of skills and experiences before returning to their host employer at the end of the scheme.

Each apprentice on the scheme spends an initial 12 months working four days per week at their host employer, followed by two secondments each lasting eight months at a different company involved in the scheme, before returning to their host employer for the final eight months.

For example, an apprentice would initially join IBM (host employer) for the first 12 months of the placement. After a year, the apprentice would move to a second company for eight months and then on to a third eight-month placement. They would then return to IBM for the final eight months of the degree apprenticeship scheme.

We managed the initial stages of the recruitment process on behalf of the employers involved, providing each with a bespoke shortlist of suitable candidates from which they could select the right individuals for their organisation.

The institution acts as the conduit between the different organisations in terms of administration, communication and delivery of training. This involved the facilitation of a number of meetings between the companies to align HR policies, including salaries, recruitment, secondments, and annual leave entitlement for the apprentices.

Throughout the scheme, the degree apprentices attend face-to-face degree training at our state of the art premises in Holborn, central London.

…The employers involved also saw value in training apprentices across a range of different organisations, so that they could gain a wider set of skills and experiences

Success The three-year programme completes this year, with 10 apprentices due to graduate in the summer of 2019. One of the apprentices from IBM was nominated for the “Apprentice of the Year” category at the Target Graduate Recruitment Job Awards and achieved a win in the regional category of the 2017 CIM awards. Research projects carried out by the apprentices to date include a market research project and a business plan for a new market segment.

The programme has been highly successful to date, both within IBM and externally. A number of degree apprentice projects have been adopted by the apprentices’ departments. It is expected that participants will move on to more senior roles at IBM in the near future.

“The Pearson College London Rotational Degree Apprenticeship is a unique opportunity for students to gain employment experience with three different top companies whilst also studying for a degree. From an IBM perspective, we were delighted to collaborate with fellow employers to recruit high quality candidates for this innovative programme.”

Jenny Taylor - UK Graduate, Apprenticeship and Student Programme Leader, IBM “The degree apprenticeship has provided me with opportunities to explore different corporate cultures, work in different departments within business and learn about new roles and processes I didn’t even know existed! By attending university simultaneously, I have been able to put the theories I was taught into practice, which has both helped develop my understanding and my progress and contribution at work.”

Sophia Kyriacou - Degree Apprentice, IBM “Having the opportunity to be a degree apprentice has been amazing! It has given me the perfect combination of on the job experience at top FTSE 100 companies and has enhanced my theoretical and technical knowledge and understanding. The apprenticeship has helped to instil a relentless, hardworking, determined mentality which I feel has set me up for a bright future. Not to mention, the fantastic atmosphere and culture around Pearson College London – it has a nice family feel!”

Chris Achiampong - Degree Apprentice, IBM TheStudentEmployer ise.org.uk

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BEST P R A C TIC E : A PPR E N T I CE S H I PS

Apprenticeships as a build strategy Virgin Media’s award winning apprenticeships are helping talented people learn on the job and take their career to the next level.

Challenge At Virgin Media, we want to create an inclusive workforce with the right people, in the right place, at the right time, with the right set of skills – now and in the future.

Apprenticeships help us achieve that goal by allowing us to attract the broadest possible range of talented people and supporting them as they develop the specialist skills our business needs.

Virgin Media couldn’t exist without the skilled engineers who care for the ultrafast network at the heart of our business, but with an ageing population of engineers, it’s vital that we nurture the pipeline of talent we need to power our business in the future.

Solution In 2008, we launched a range of field-based apprenticeships for field technicians, network planning and engineering based roles which we’ve been recruiting for every year since. We still offer these apprenticeships today, and with the UK economy set to need an extra 186,000 skilled engineers every year until 2024 according to research from the Engineering Society, those apprentices are vital to the future of the UK economy.

But as we’ve grown over the past decade, our apprenticeship programme has grown too. We’ve expanded the range of levels and roles we offer apprenticeships in to improve diversity and attract talent, and we now offer apprenticeships in a range of non40

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conventional business areas including HR, legal, finance and data analytics as well as the more traditional disciplines. We pushed new boundaries last year when we became the first private company in the UK to launch a structured part-time apprenticeship scheme to make our programme more inclusive and diverse than ever before.

Key to our success has been working closely with our training providers to ensure that our apprentices receive the best training aligned to business needs. We’re committed to meeting our apprentices’ development needs and creating flexible on-the-job learning programmes that give them the skills and experience they’ll need to thrive.

We’ve aligned our internal development roadmaps to the knowledge, skills and behaviours apprenticeships require, and this clarity has empowered our operational managers to fine-tune the apprentices’ experience, ensuring they get the necessary development opportunities. We also make sure assessment is closely aligned to the apprenticeship structure and learning content, giving our apprentices the best shot of successful completion. We understand that not every apprentice finds it easy to learn in the same environment. For example, apprentices who have literacy and numeracy challenges receive tailored, individual support to ensure they reach their full potential. We don’t want anyone left behind.

Our next step in making our apprenticeships as flexible and inclusive as possible will be to develop a programme to support career returners and career changers to upskill or reskill. We believe that this will support our agenda to hire more female and disabled talent.

…We pushed new boundaries last year when we became the first private company in the UK to launch a structured part-time apprenticeship scheme to make our programme more inclusive and diverse than ever before.

Karen Handley Head of future careers, Virgin Media

Success We believe the metrics speak for themselves.

We’re serious about apprenticeships: • 10 years of the programme • We’ve enrolled over 1,350 apprentices since 2008 • 100% increase in apprentice numbers within nine months of the levy’s introduction vs a national decline • Up to 141% increase in apprenticeship numbers projected for 2019 from 2018 • We’ve given 837 apprentices qualifications to date Our apprentices love their programmes: • Employee engagement surveys show apprentices are consistently amongst our most engaged employees • Over half (55%) of the class of 2008 are still with us today • 72% of all apprentices stay at least three years post programme • We’re consistently rated as a top 100 apprentice employer externally

…Our next step in making our apprenticeships as flexible and inclusive as possible will be to develop a programme to support career returners and career changers to upskill or reskill.

Our apprenticeships improve our bottom line: • Estimated £1m saved by converting legal and finance training into apprenticeships We’re serious about improving female representation in STEM: • Apprentices form the bedrock of our inclusion plan • 66% increase in female apprentices between 2016 and 2017 • Virgin Media was the first telecoms company to sign a pledge with the Young Women’s Trust in 2016 We’re in it for the long-haul: • We’re on target to create an additional 1,000 apprenticeships from 2015-2020 as part of our Project Lightning expansion programme • Six Virgin Media apprentices have “given back” by becoming trainers • 27 of our apprentices are now managers • 13% of our apprentices have undertaken more than one apprenticeship with us TheStudentEmployer ise.org.uk

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EASY E X P E RT

Economic update: First quarter 2019 During the last three months business sentiment remained very much dependent on Brexit politics. The CBI’s confidence survey for Q1 2019 showed business optimism at the lowest negative point that it last reached in the summer of 2016, shortly after the referendum vote to leave the EU. And although the GDP figures for January showed a welcome uptick, some of this is thought to represent stockpiling at a time when fears of a no-deal Brexit had intensified.

In fact, growth in the three months from November was just 0.2%, no different than was the case in the previous three-month period. And the latest Purchasing Managers’ Indices (PMIs) indicate stagnation ahead with an actual contraction in construction.

And the productivity figures remain disappointing.

Impacts outside Brexit

There were of course other reasons for the slowdown such as renewed weakness in the EU, which still accounts for the bulk of our exports.

German industrial production has been declining for a number of months reflecting a general slowdown in world trade and a collapse for the moment in car production and exports. But even in the UK, car output in February was some 15% below a year earlier and investment has fallen sharply, with Brexit uncertainty mentioned as a main reason.

Future expectations

Trade disputes, mainly between the US and China, led the IMF to downgrade its expectations for world growth for this year.

For the UK, the Bank of England and the

…unemployment continues to fall, now to a new record low of 3.9%. But it is always worth remembering that unemployment is a lagging indicator and continues to improve for a while after a slowdown starts.

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Vicky Pryce Chief economic adviser, CEBR

Office for Budget Responsibility have both reduced expectations for 2019 to just 1.2% even assuming an orderly Brexit with a deal while the OECD expects growth of just 0.8%.

On the positive side, wages are finally rising by a respectable 3.1% and by 1.2% in real terms. And unemployment continues to fall, now to a new record low of 3.9%.

But it is always worth remembering that unemployment is a lagging indicator and continues to improve for a while after a slowdown starts. And despite the improvement in retail sales in a record warm February, we have seen sharp falls recently in consumer confidence while mortgage lending and house prices are weakening. For employers too the continued fall in net EU migration will remain a problem ahead in a number of sectors and regions in the UK.

Becoming a future-proof HR leader

We look at some of the skills you may need to further and future-proof your career in HR. Historically, climbing the ladder, one step at a time, and being in the right place at the right time, has been the favoured approach for aspiring HR directors. This may no longer be the case, according to our new study with HR magazine and a panel of senior HR directors from the private, public and third sectors.

The world is changing and the pace of change is increasing. And it’s not just artificial intelligence, automation and the ‘B’ word that will fundamentally change the world of work. The impact of further regulation such as GDPR, the gig economy, generational differences, Trump, and many more that we don’t yet know about, is impossible to predict.

Along with that change comes a significant shift in the skills that organisations will need from senior (perhaps all) managers in the future. In HR, basic HR knowledge and skills become hygiene factors when you approach the level of HR director. Everyone assumes you

have the right skill/knowledge/experience or you wouldn’t even be in the frame.

A panel of HR directors debated the skills needed to future-proof the HRD role.

The following defines the nine skills that were agreed as important to having HR leadership potential now, and in the future: VUCA approach: Developing and communicating a clear, motivating vision, based on an understanding of the constantly changing economic environment.

Objectivity: The degree to which someone makes decisions using logic or intuition.

Teamwork: Positively contributes to team efforts and supports others in their approaches to reaching organisational goals.

Curiosity and self-awareness: The level of a person’s interest in information, discovery and the understanding of themselves and the outside world.

Strategy: Correctly anticipates future consequences and trends, recognises strategic opportunities for change and creates competitive and innovative strategies.

Stress and resilience: The level of ability to effectively and constructively manage, and recover from, negative experiences.

Martin Goodwill CEO, Great People Inside

Respect: How frequently someone demonstrates appreciation and consideration towards those around them.

Engagement: How much someone can exert maximum effort on a daily basis, be dedicated to the goals and values of the organisation.

Initiative: The level to which a person anticipates the progress desired by the organisation.

The study concluded that if managers, business partners and organisations want to be able to respond effectively to an uncertain future, the time to start developing and recruiting the requisite skills is now.

Few organisations measure these skills as part of their recruitment process (or even in their existing people), focusing solely on today’s roles. By measuring candidates for the skills required today and the skills required to handle an uncertain future, organisations can significantly improve the odds in their favour when dealing with whatever that future entails.

You can view the study in full including in-depth definitions of the nine skills in HR magazine.

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I N SI DE IS E

ISE NEWS

Katrina Harvey (Rostrup) We are very sad indeed to share the news of the passing of Katrina Harvey (Rostrup) one of Amberjack’s (Gradweb) Founding Directors. Katrina died at home on 8 March in the company of her loving husband, following a short illness. In addition to her role at Amberjack, Katrina had also been a committed supporter of ISE and a key member of the Training and Development Working Group. She is remembered by all who knew her as an inspiration - someone who was able to be human, authentic and fun as well as highly capable and credible. Should anyone wish to make a donation in her name, Katrina was a Trustee and huge supporter of Time to Talk (t2twb.org). Sophie Meaney, Amberjack.

Can’t get enough data?

• Our research section of the website will include more historical data and reports as well as our brand spanking new student development survey.

If you haven’t already visited be sure to take a look.

• Our interactive data dashboards have relaunched.

Salary, retention and European data are all waiting to be manipulated at ise.org.uk/page/DataResources.

• For tailored insight contact our researcher tristram@ise.org.uk

Free money Not quite. But remember if you refer a friend or colleague to join the ISE you can choose between a £200 ISE voucher or £100 Red Letter Day voucher.

For T&Cs visit ise.org.uk/page/ReferralProgrammeise.org.uk.

Hot tip It’s not just the main contact that can benefit from ISE. Invite team members to register and they’ll also get access to our reports, data and online community as well as updates on news and events. Visit ise.org.uk/page/AddingNewUsers.

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A new chair and a raft of new directors

Deborah McCormack, head of early talent at Pinsent Masons, has taken over from Alison Heron to take the helm on our Board.

She is joined by several new board directors including Jane Campbell, head of student careers at the University of Leeds, Kath Ennis, regional head of graduate recruitment at Deutsche Bank, Karen Handley, early careers lead at Virgin Media, Karen Luckly-Tang, deputy head of student recruitment at Deloitte and Paul Siaens, graduate resourcing and development partner at First Group.

A word from Deborah…“Continuous innovation, horizon-scanning and greater professional collaboration are required in every organisation to achieve business goals. For me, this is part of the role organisations like the ISE have to play to keep their membership up to speed, if not ahead of the curve, when facing new challenges and constant change. I feel well placed to contribute to that discussion by sharing my experience and helping to influence positive change.”

You can find out a bit more about Deborah on p.47 and Paul Siaens talks us through his ‘view from the boardroom’ on p.19

I N SI D E IS E

Helen Smith AGCAS Director for Social Mobility and Head of Careers and Employability at Loughborough University

Get involved!

Social mobility toolkit ISE is working with AGCAS to develop a social mobility toolkit and we’re inviting members to get involved.

Following the formation of the AGCAS Social Mobility Party last year, and in response to the requests of colleagues, we are working with Stephen Isherwood and ISE members to create a Social Mobility Toolkit for HE careers and employability services and for student and graduate recruiters. The content will include advice and information, and a wide range of case studies to reveal existing and emerging good practice, with insights into what seems to be working, and what isn’t. And we need your help.

ISE members can make a difference

Most of you will be doing something. Some of what you are doing will be inspirational, some won’t be particularly exciting or ground-breaking but might be working just fine, some of what you’ve tried won’t have been brilliant at all! Whatever is working or seems to …let’s commit to sharing be working, please tell us about it and whatever we are doing to let us add it to the toolkit. help students develop selfWe will be particularly interested in awareness and skills, to examples of partnership activity gain the career awareness between employers and universities. and confidence to make There will be some great examples of good decisions and to innovative joint working to enhance successfully manage skills, career awareness, and access to the non-level career work experience and graduate roles playing fields they’ll which others would be keen to learn from. find themselves on.

We also want providers and employers to be willing to provide insights into what hasn’t been so successful. Let’s help others avoid the pitfalls and we can work together to level the playing field of opportunity for every student and graduate.

Contributing to the case study library and the launch of the toolkit, and to ongoing updates of the content, will be one way that you can make a difference.

Why get involved

Every one of us working in HE careers or in student and graduate recruitment is keen to encourage diversity and improve equality of opportunity and access. It’s just an obviously sensible thing to do.

It may be wishful thinking to imagine that the labour market or career playing field will ever be totally level.

However, what is apparent to most of us is that equality of opportunity and social mobility are such important societal and economic issues that we are prepared to set aside our competitive instincts and work together to level things as best we can. It’s an issue that should lead to collaboration at its best, at its most socially conscious, leading to real improvements.

So, let’s commit to sharing whatever we are doing to help students develop self-awareness and skills, to gain the career awareness and confidence to make good decisions and to successfully manage the non-level career playing fields they’ll find themselves on.

Wider initiative

You may have read that the Office for Students is developing an Evidence and Impact Exchange (EIX) that will gather evidence on activities that deliver measurable impacts on access and outcomes for under-represented groups of students. The EIX project group will be seeking well-researched and evidenced examples that should in time be extremely valuable; however, such evidence might take years to gather.

While the EIX is being developed, the AGCAS/ISE Social Mobility Toolkit will launch in September this year. This will be a practical and pragmatic guide – a great starting point and reference resource for new and experienced employer and HE careers practitioners - and in time many of the toolkit case studies will contribute to the EIX. Next steps

Expect an email or two from ISE or AGCAS in the coming weeks to request your case study examples and then please get them to us as soon as you can. We will make the process as simple as possible and your organisation can be named or remain anonymous.

We won’t require hugely detailed explanations of exactly what the impact has been – sometimes you just know it’s working without having much evidential data in the right format to prove it. This is not about award winning activities or in-depth research papers; it’s about letting everyone learn from your activity and initiatives.

Equality of opportunity and social mobility should be dependent on skills and ability rather than background or other characteristics. It may be an idealistic vision, but we know that together we can and do make a difference. That’s why many of us do the jobs we do. It’s a bit of a mission.

As it becomes increasingly clear that the most successful organisations thrive because they encourage and recognise the strength in diversity, we need to collectively encourage every student, every educator and every employer to explore, recognise and develop individual potential. So, await your invitation, contribute whatever you can and be ready to work together collectively and consciously to make a real impact.

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BY T H E WATE R C O O L ER

Bob Athwal Senior talent manager, Skyscanner

A LETTER FROM… Cape Town January was my fourth visit to South Africa. The last three saw me presenting at the South African Graduate Employers Association (SAGEA) conference and I was there in November sharing my thoughts on fostering graduate entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

This time I joined the careers service at the University of Cape Town to share my thoughts on developing a future-fit service known simply as Career Services 4.0. If you’re wondering what ‘future-fit’ means our discussion was framed by research published by the World Economic Forum identifying the ‘21st century skills every student needs’: • Foundational Literacies including literacy, numeracy, scientific literacy, ICT literacy, financial literacy, and cultural and civic literacy.

• Competencies including critical thinking and problem solving, creativity, communication and collaboration.

• Character qualities including curiosity, initiative, grit, adaptability, leadership and social and cultural awareness.

There were interesting perspectives on how these might be addressed. And the role careers services need to play. However, it’s difficult to prepare for the future when you’ve got to get through the demands of today. And the challenges for the careers services and employers in South Africa are ones many of us will recognise here in the UK. For example: • Skills gaps. Their Department of Labour’s employment report released in November 2018 highlighted clear demand for graduates in the workplace. Despite the numbers, this doesn’t necessarily translate into the successful hires employers need.

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• Competing for talent. Employers have to compete fiercely for the Millennial and Gen Z talent whilst balancing business need, budgets and resource constraints.

• Social mobility. A more diverse student population is raising questions about the graduates typically recruited by employers and the platform universities (sometimes fail to) provide.

• Work ready graduates. Despite an increasing share of highly skilled jobs in the economy, graduate underemployment is still a challenge, raising questions about the content delivered by universities.

The difference arguably is the mind-set both parties are adopting to tackle these. And the passion both groups have (not just for their work, but to contribute to their country’s future) that has undoubtedly shaped how employers, universities and their association are working with each other.

…Despite an increasing share of highly skilled jobs in the economy, graduate underemployment is still a challenge, raising questions about the content delivered by universities.

Whilst this might sound like a lofty benchmark, the key word here is ‘partnerships’. And what I observed in South Africa is these partnerships work because they develop fast. They have purpose.

And – more importantly - they deliver, paving the way for more ambitious work.

Reflecting on my own experience developing partnerships, organisational structures (that’s a nice way of saying bureaucracies!) inevitably slow these down. And the desire to collaborate can sometimes mean making the wrong compromises. The result?

When it comes to delivery, nobody quite gets what they want.

Looking at the success of partnerships in South Africa, organisations involved have a very clear-shared purpose.

Alongside partnerships, ‘entrepreneurship’ features strongly in the approach employers and universities are taking to tackle these challenges.

The side-hustle (owning and running a business alongside studies or work) is strong. And given there is no state benefit system, this way of life is second nature for most. The perspective and creativity it fosters, however, is brought to the workplace, meaning challenges are viewed much more like opportunities.

The learning point is that we often don’t think about creativity as a competency in the workplace. And we can forget about the space we need to create for it. And this doesn’t have to be big either. One of my favourite takeaways from the trip was the name of a new programme (BLAST - Building Leaders and Shaping Talent) developed by a graduate from a SAGEA employer member.

Underpinning all this though is an optimism that was palpable. It’s easy to forget sometimes, but South Africa is a relatively new country. And despite a political landscape that is increasingly uncertain, there’s a real sense that challenges – however big – can be overcome.

Reflecting on this approach and the challenges I was asked to look at with the University of Cape Town, a new work readiness model was born. One I call the ‘Athwal 4 Ps’. However, I’ll come back to this in a future issue.

If you would like to know more about the South Africa Graduate Employer market visit www.sagea.org.za.

60 SECONDS WITH… DEBORAH MCCORMACK Deborah is the new ISE Chair and Head of Early Talent at Pinsent Masons LLP Describe your role in one sentence: To attract, recruit, develop and retain tomorrow’s lawyers.

Why did you want to work in student recruitment/ development?

As a trainee lawyer I was acutely aware of the lack of infrastructure and support available to junior solicitors. I knew I could establish a function that would better enable junior talent to succeed, thrive and make a more valuable contribution to the business at an earlier stage.

Why do you continue to do what you do now?

I like to set people up for future success and to see them blossom in their careers.

What one thing would you like to see change?

The ‘what’s in it for me’ culture to a ‘what’s in it for us’. I won’t mention Trump or Brexit…

What was your proudest achievement at work?

The legal profession is fiercely competitive, so coming from a very ordinary, working class background, I was proud to qualify as a Corporate Solicitor and to work with some remarkable colleagues and clients.

What motivates you?

Doing a really good job of whatever I am working on - pure and simple. Positive feedback is always really motivating and puts a spring in your step when you are having a wobble. We should all be better at doing that for each other.

How do you relax?

This is an area I struggle with! As a full-time working mum, relaxing isn’t a verb I am too familiar with. When I do get some downtime, I love music (I make a mean playlist) and getting lost in a good book.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Absolutely my team. My colleagues are loyal, capable and funny, so they keep me sane! They also like gin (occasionally!) and a good boogie.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Enthusiasm and hard work can get you a long way. Be kind to others, be authentic and play your own game. Being too focused on what others are doing can be a waste of emotional energy.

What’s the worst thing about your job?

Intellectual snobbery without substance.

If you’d like to be featured in ’60 seconds with…’ email clare@ise.org.uk TheStudentEmployer ise.org.uk

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T HE B R E X IT SP E C IA L

In pictures: Apprenticeship and development events

BY T H E WATE R CO O L ER

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1: Engaged crowd at the Development Conference. 2: Accenture got hands on with virtual reality at our Development Conference. 3: DBL Europe on behavioural science in career development. 4: A full turnout for our first apprenticeship event. 5: Inspiring content at our Apprenticeship Conference.

6: Keynote Development Conference speaker Dr Mick Jackson with Stephen Isherwood . 7: Panel debate at the Development Conference. 8: ISE team at the Development Conference. 9: ISE researcher Tristram Hooley on apprenticeships.

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10: Saj Jetha, The Smarty Train presents work hacks at the Decelopment Conference.

11: Development Conference exhibition.

12: Training Consultant Dan Symonds.

13: Simon Reichwald champions the ISE apprenticeship steering group.

14: Development Conference keynote, Zena Everett. 15: Practical advice at the Development Conference from Gradconsult’s Rebecca Fielding.

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BY T HE WATE R C O O L ER

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING…

I’m cycling

For the last 22 years my day job has been running GRB - a company with 65 staff across two offices that supply first class graduate to mid-level talent all year round.

Needless to say, it takes it out of you! I am incredibly proud of GRB’s achievements but also in balancing this success with encouraging my staff’s wellbeing through activities outside work.

The dilemma for most of us working long hours is trying to balance work, family, fitness, friends and sleep and I’ve realised you can only really do three successfully.

Personally, I focus on work, family and fitness. With three children and family nearby hoovering up a huge amount of time, careful time management is needed if I am to squeeze in any fitness. I try to visit the gym three times a week plus one hot yoga session during the winter months. In summer, the bike comes out. My love of cycling began at an early age with my first bike when I was 10. Now my garage contains the following inventory (don’t ask)!

Titanium Road Bike – my regular steed for my daily commute. The 11-mile trip only takes me 35 minutes, so in a week I can reach a total of over 100 miles. At the weekend I occasionally go on club runs with Brighton Excelsior CC covering 50-80 miles.

As for longer distances, I have done several end-to-end cycles within European countries. To date I have cycled the length of 50

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Dan Hawes Marketing director, GRB

… I have cycled the length of Italy, Spain, Slovenia and France and also ticked off several famous Cols such as Mount Ventoux

Italy, Spain, Slovenia and France and also ticked off several famous Cols such as Mount Ventoux and others that feature in professional races. My recent challenges have been cycling coast-to-coast from Seascale to Whitby and riding 100 miles solo for the charity IntoUniversity from Oxford to Cambridge.

This year I’m off to Majorca with my cycling club and then to Cyprus with family where I’ll sneak in one day to do a ride and then the big one this year is the London Revolution - a 300km loop around London. I can’t wait.

Carbon Road Bike – I keep this in the stock room at work and use it to take me around Preston Park velodrome on my lunch break, weather permitting!

Mountain Bike – Not used as much nowadays but I’ve had plenty of fun on the Downs, Wales and the Alps over the years. I have a baby seat fitted to the cross bar so I mainly take my son on it for jaunts round town, usually ending up at a café.

Scooter – I have three ride alongs! A vintage red Triang from the 1960s, a modern one from Decathlon and now a new electric scooter from China. The family share all of these when we promenade on the seafront.

Although not classed as a dangerous sport, cycling does carry risks. I have been lucky to have had only a few injuries. My worst was in 2017 when only five minutes from leaving my house a car suddenly came out of a junction, forcing me to hit the side and sending me flying over the bonnet and onto the tarmac. Concussed, bruised and with a fractured wrist I lived to tell the tale. I now take the cycle paths wherever possible and have front and rear lights on during the day, so hopefully I will be less likely to come a cropper on my commute. My long-term aim is to enjoy a safe family cycling holiday where we can all enjoy the fresh air together!

BY TH E WATE R CO O L ER

Dr Paul Redmond Director of student experience and enhancement, University of Liverpool

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

Learning to tell the bleeding time Despite being released in the 1950s the film Doctor in the House still comes in handy when helping students think about how to communicate with different generations. There’s a scene where senior consultant, ‘Sir Lancelot Spratt’ is conducting his daily tour of the ward. He’s like a whirlwind, going from bed to bed, pursued by a bunch of nervous medical students – hapless targets for his increasingly irate question-and-answer routine.

Best of all is the scene where Sir Lancelot is trying to explain the concept of the ‘bleeding time’ – the time it takes in an operation for a patient to bleed. Jabbing an angry finger at one of the students, Sir Lancelot suddenly yells, “You! What’s the bleeding time?”

“Ten past ten, sir.”

Learning to communicate with different generations is challenging, even for the most confident junior doctor. It’s even more difficult when the age difference runs beyond years and into decades. How can you be taken seriously when your patient isn’t just older than you, but is older than your parents?

Not even a white coat and a shiny new stethoscope can make up for a lifetime’s worth of lived …Learning to experience.

And then there’s the issue communicate well of first names. Our students with all generations are used to calling everyone is a technique by their first name: lecturers, students need to professors, vice-chancellors, chief acquire – regardless executives. Should His Grace of their career path. ever pop in to the SU bar, the Archbishop of Canterbury would soon find himself on first name terms with the bar staff.

But what’s fine in the bar is definitely not fine at the Bar, if you take my point. The professions generally take a less relaxed view of first names; and more so when it comes to senior people. Even now, medicine remains a stickler for titles. While on the ward, Baby Boomer and Generation X consultants can insist on being addressed by their formal titles. As do many older patients.

For graduates, these codes and conventions can be a minefield of cringe-inducing faux pas and mortifyingly embarrassing slapdowns. Learning to communicate well with all generations is a technique students need to acquire – regardless of their career path. It doesn’t help that there are so many generations at work.

They share the same offices, attend the same meetings, they may even dance at the same office parties (though not at the same time, and definitely not to the same music). But any similarities generally end there. This is because every generation has its own cohort-specific aspirations and motivations, its own lifestyle preferences and priorities. People from different generations speak differently, dress differently, and use technology

differently. Boomers and Generation Xers are addicted to email; Generation Y and Millennials communicate exclusively via social media.

The problem is much of this inter-generational learning has to be conducted in real-time, with live-action consequences.

That’s because few people at work, managers included, have the confidence to tell younger colleagues when their behaviour is alienating other generations.

Ex-Google boss Kim Scott published ‘Radical Candour’ in which she stresses the importance of having difficult and candid conversations with her team. For her, taking time-out to care about the development of younger colleagues while being ready to challenge them openly and directly are key characteristics of a leader.

The NHS has developed a similar approach to helping new medics communicate more effectively. A 4-point framework has been developed: SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendations). Evidence suggests that it helps younger staff convey complicated or even difficult information – particularly with older colleagues.

A hospital consultant once told me about the first time he’d had to tell a family that their elderly relative had passed away.

Trying to cushion the blow, he informed them that their relative had “gone to a better place.” To his surprise, they looked relieved.

Only later, to his horror, did it dawn on him that they’d assumed he’d meant the aged relative had been transferred to a private hospital.

Somehow, I can’t imagine Sir Lancelot making the same mistake.

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