EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY Meeting the changing needs of the global labour market

Transcription

1 EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY Meeting the changing needs of the global labour market

2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 Introduction 5 Vision 6 Grow 9 Maximise 10 Co-create 13 Commit 14 Key Performance Targets/Key Performance Indicators/ Employer Engagement Metrics The needs of the business world and higher education are inextricably linked and enhancing employer engagement at DMU is vital in order to support both the student experience, graduate employability and the graduate recruitment needs of employers. Employers struggle to fill all of their graduate vacancies and this strategy aims to provide an effective framework so that DMU, as an institution, identifies and supports those businesses with recruitment, innovation or growth needs. In order to ensure our graduates are as employable as possible it is critical that DMU applies a strategic approach to employer targeting and agency style recruitment services clients. Approximately 70 per cent of graduate jobs are open to graduates from any discipline, therefore, as well as a strategic approach to our engagement with employers, it is vital that we broaden students horizons and expose them to a wide variety of career options beyond the narrow confines of their area of study. DMU already has a strong reputation with a number of local and national employers and we are proud of the excellent examples of industry liaison practice across the institution. This strategy will provide a focused approach for all staff so that the university can sustainably support high quality experiences for employers and to maximise the outcomes of key relationships. 3

3 VISION 5 DMU will create agile partnerships with employers to act as a catalyst for social mobility and an engine for local economic growth. Graduates from DMU will be work-ready and resilient to the changing needs of the global labour market having been empowered to gain professional experience throughout their transformative student journey.

4 Key strategic themes EARLY YEARS EMPLOYABILITY INVESTMENT In order to develop students preparedness for graduate employment and competitiveness in the market, employer-led employability activities need to be further embedded into and alongside the academic curriculum from the first year onwards with a gradual increase in intensity. This will be undertaken in line with the DMU Employability and Enterprise Strategy. An exponential increase in students completing sandwich placements will be key to the overall employability outcomes of DMU graduates. This increase in students completing sandwich placements will significantly improve the graduate outcomes of our widening participation students and further position DMU as a catalyst for social mobility. 6 GROW

5 Key strategic themes TARGETED APPROACH TO EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT Employer targeting will be based on an extensive range of criteria linked to key institutional objectives. We will identify a range of employers to work with intensively whose graduate recruitment needs and agendas are suited to DMU in order to maximise the benefits for employers, students and the university. Targeting criteria: Previous consistent or repeated graduate-level recruitment of DMU students Providing graduate opportunities that our current students want Recruiting placement or graduate-level roles in significant numbers Roles based in Leicestershire Wanting to have a strong brand presence on campus and engage with on-campus activities e.g. insight events, fairs, advisory boards, lectures, curriculum (i.e multi-level partnerships) Diversity or social mobility is a key driver for their business To achieve successful targeting, the following strategies will also be applied: Sharing of industry contacts by colleagues and departments across the institution. Collaborative work between all business-facing directorates of the university with the Advancement Office to identify and leverage relationships with Alumni working in industry. Creation of an employability focused Employer Advisory Board, which will include bringing together business-facing colleagues from around the university and representation from target employers. Effective liaison between business-facing colleagues including RBI, SIP, Careers and Employability, Faculties and Leicester Castle Business School. 9 MAXIMISE

6 Key strategic themes UNIVERSITY-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS We will aim to ensure that both employers and students gain maximum benefit from all on and off-campus employer engagement activity by utilising our IT systems effectively. We will provide a targeted approach to students when marketing employer activities and, when appropriate, encourage student engagement by using selection methods and criteria to allow students to self-select themselves for valuable experiences. 10 In line with the DMU Employability and Enterprise Strategy, our extensive range of employer contacts will be better utilised to deliver industry focussed sessions within the curriculum to develop students commercial awareness, resilience and emotional intelligence. Outside of the curriculum, Industry Insight sessions will be delivered. Well-known employers that attract large audiences will be partnered with a range of employers that lack brand recognition in a range of high-profile sector events, exposing our students to a wider variety of potential employers. A range of multi-disciplinary events will be created to reflect the realities of the working world and to broaden students horizons beyond the narrow confines of their area of study. University-Business partnerships will be further enhanced with partners across DMU: Establishing the university s employability-focused Employer Advisory Panel to advise on service provision enhancements, curriculum development and development of strategic partnerships with panel members. Establishing partnerships with DMU s key suppliers and contractors, providing access to student and graduate recruitment opportunities. Collaborating with Directorates such as Strategic and International Partnerships, and Research Business and Innovation to offer a joined up approach to employer engagement. Delivering themed on-campus activities to employers working in partnership with local business organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses and the LLEP. CO-CREATE

7 Key strategic themes MARKETING AND BRANDING DMU will adopt a needs-based approach to employer engagement embodied throughout our marketing and branding of employer and business services. We will promote a consultancy style approach through which we aim to define which of our products are best suited to our employer clients needs. This will create a point of difference in the market enabling us to position the extensive range of excellent DMU schemes, employer services and business development support as targeted solutions. Our approach will be commercially focussed outlining the benefits and return on investment which can be accrued from engaging with our services. The language used will reflect the language used in business and graduate recruitment circles and will be purged of Higher Education jargon. Enhanced internal reporting mechanisms will be created to increase visibility of key employability services and related activity in order to increase collaboration between academic departments and support functions. This will be vital in order to provide a joined-up approach to employers and to allow for wider partnerships to be developed. A key element of this will be to ensure all staff are trained on the DMU offer to employers during induction processes and provided with marketing materials to refer to in their engagement activities with industrial partners. Key student data and detailed course information will also be made available to employers on request; the ability to provide this information quickly and accurately is an important factor in winning employers business. 13 COMMIT

8 KEY PERFORMANCE TARGETS Percentage of graduates in graduate level work through DLHE 1 14 Percentage of DMU graduates employed within Leicestershire Percentage of BAME 2 students in graduate roles Shortlisted for a nationally recognised Employer Engagement award KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Student satisfaction feedback Employer satisfaction feedback EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT METRICS Number of opportunities advertised via DMUWorks Airbus Group has been supported by placement students from De Montfort University in the areas of cyber security and forensics research for the past 4 years. The students have proven very successful in supporting European leading innovation projects and delivered numerous technologies and research projects directly benefiting the Airbus Group. Dr Kevin Jones Head of Product & Cyber Security Research, Airbus Group Innovations The project has clearly demonstrated that commitment, coupled with the right knowledge, can give you a distinct advantage. The project has been a resounding success, and since finishing the KTP, Flexpress has continued to grow quadrupling our turnover, and tripling our staff. Steve Wenlock Managing Director, Flexpress Ltd Taking on a graduate through the funded internship scheme helped us to identify the fresh talent we needed with minimal risk. Gabrielle s impact on the business was such that we offered her a permanent job at the end of her internship. Gabrielle is now an integral part of the management team and her contribution has been invaluable to our company. Kunal Dattani Managing Director, KD Trading Ltd All of the DMU graduates we have hired have been very grounded and have fitted in very well here. It s clear that the skills and approach they have learned at DMU have equipped them well not only for their roles but the nature of working for a firm like IBM. Bernard Szczech Director and Chief Executive, IBM Client Innovation Centre Number of new employers offering opportunities via DMUWorks Number of existing employers offering increased opportunities via DMUWorks 1 DLHE Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey 2 BAME Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic

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