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CBI and UUK - Future Fit Report - Tough Jobs Market Means Graduates Need Work Experience More Than Ever
ASET welcomes the new CBI and UUK report 'Future Fit - Preparing Graduates for the World of Work'. The report reemphasises the importance of employability skills and experience of the workplace while at university in equipping students to compete in the increasingly tough jobs market after graduation.
Some of the key recommendations of the report are:
• More universities should provide a dedicated resource focusing on the development of employability skills as part of degree courses, and use it to build long-term relationships with employers.
• More employers should offer work experience opportunities to students.
• Students should address employability issues from day one of their course, taking up the opportunities that are offered and regarding the acquisition of employability skills as a key part of their university experience, not an optional extra.
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New ASET Code of Practice Published
ASET launched its new Code of Practice in March 2009. This is entitled ‘A Good Practice Guide for Placement and Other Work-Based Learning Opportunities in Higher Education’. This is a revised second edition of the original ASET Code of Practice, which was first published in 2001. The ASET Code complements QAA Section 9, being specifically an operational handbook which offers good practice guidance to those involved on all three sides of the placement process.
This publication is available freely electronically via our good practice advice page. Professionally published hard copies are also available on request and can be ordered from our publications page.
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ASET Annual Conference 2010 - Call for Papers
ASET is pleased to announce the details of this year’s annual Placement and Employability Professionals’ Conference. The conference will be held between 7-9 September at Leicester University (Gilbert Murray Stamford Hall, Oadby Campus).
A call for papers, with details of the conference themes can be found here .
Some preliminary information can be found on our conference page which will continue to be updated throughout the year.
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CANUKE – UK-Canada student mobility scheme relaunched
ASET and its Canadian equivalent CAFCE have relaunched the CANUKE scheme, which supports the mobility of students between the two countries. Through the two national associations partnerships can been established between respective members (individuals) with an interest in exchanging students on work placements.
The main benefit of this scheme to UK HEI staff is assistance with the entry procedures for your students going to Canada. Canadian university prepared support letters regarding the exchange programme can be obtained which help the students circumnavigate difficulties they may encounter with security screening and obtaining work permits. The scheme has both UK Home Office and Canadian Immigration Department support.
More information can be found on the new CANUKE page of this site.
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ASET Honour Ex-Chairman and President
ASET honoured its former Chairman and President Dr Edwin Kerr at an event held at the University of Ulster in February 2009.
Edwin became Chairman of ASET in the late 1980s and served in that post for over a decade before becoming President. With a wealth of knowledge in the HE sector including a period as Chief Officer for CNAA, Edwin’s acute sensitivity to both educational and political implications served ASET well on many occasions.
Current Chairman John Wilson presented Edwin with a specially commissioned present featuring the ASET logo.
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Essay Competition Winner Announced
The winner of the 2008 ASET Essay Competition has been announced. For the result please go to our student competitions page.
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Are E-Portfolios an Asset to Learning and Placement? – Free Glossy Report Summary
As the final piece of dissemination for the ASET funded research project on innovative methods in the assessment of work-based learning, a professionally printed glossy Report Summary has been produced for us by the research team at De Montfort University.
These can be ordered free by emailing the ASET office (aset@asetonline.org) with your details and required quantity, or from the publications page of our website.
The full report itself can still be found here.
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Research Paper on Placements and Academic Performance
A new research paper on ‘The Correlation between Industrial Placements and Final Degree Results’ has been completed. This paper can be found here.
Our full compilation of sector research papers can be found on our research page and we welcome new submissions at any time.
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Graduate Jobs Crunch Magnifies Placement Students’ Advantage (Sunday Times article)
The following recent article from the Sunday Times about how placement students are far better equipped to cope with the current economic climate might be of interest and worth highlighting to prospective placement students.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/article5535766.ece
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Blog Competition Winners Announced
The 2008/9 Student Blog Competition winners have now been announced and can be found here.
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Annual Placement Student Competition
Now in its second year, we have received more than 60 entries to the student essay competition, and would like to thank all entrants for their enthusiasm and interest. All entries are now with the judges and the results will be announced in February.
The essay competition aims to help ASET promote the benefits of work-based learning by highlighting the value of such opportunities. Flyers and more information can be found here: www.asetonline.org/comps
We appreciate the assistance of all placement staff in helping to promote this so please feel free to copy, forward, and put on intranets information to help publicise the competitions.
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'Are E-Portfolios An Asset To Learning and Placement?' - Report
Following the dissemination event, this ASET funded research project is now available to read and download. Both an executive summary and the full report can permanently be found here. This report surveys and makes recommendations on innovative methods of placement assessment and has been described as “excellent review of an important and emerging method of assessment of placement learning” and “a seminal piece of work” by the peer reviewers. ASET hopes it will be of value to those contemplating these issues within their own institutions.
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The Importance of Good Placement Support and Information
ASET welcomes news from DIUS that student juries have highlighted the importance of good information and support regarding career development and work placements: www.dius.gov.uk/press/09-04-08.html
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Change of Address Notification
ASET has relocated to larger premises. Our address is:
ASET
The Work-Based and Placement Learning Association
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)
W11, 1 Moorfoot
Sheffield
S1 4PQ
Our phone and fax numbers remain the same (0114 221 2902/3) but our email address will now be: aset@asetonline.org
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Relationship with DIUS
Although ASET will now be based in DIUS, we remain a completely independent organisation, solely accountable to you our membership. However, we do feel this new arrangement will enable us to better fulfil our role of providing strategic leadership to the work-based and placement learning sector and advising the relevant policy makers.
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Health and Safety Guidance
New guidance on health and safety for placement students is currently being prepared by ASET (representing placement staff), USHA (university health and safety managers) and UCEA (responsible for all Universities UK’s health and safety matters). The Medical Schools Council will also be representing professional placements.
As you may be aware, a previous revision had been prepared and was submitted to the above organisations for approval in October 2008. However, after detailed scrutiny this was ultimately not supported and the organisations have subsequently moved to collaborate on a fresh revision.
The new working party is determined to produce and publish the new guidance as soon as possible and it is the strong intention to do so by spring 2009. This will supersede the current ‘Health and Safety Guidance for the Placement of HE Students’ which has been in place since 1997. The new guidance will be supported by legal opinion.
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QAA Code of Practice - Amendment
Following feedback and discussions with the higher and further education sectors, QAA has reworded the text in paragraphs 17 and 18 of this revised version to clarify the advice given on collaborative provision. Printed versions of this revised section will be distributed to institutions in the next few weeks.. More details and a pdf copy of the document itself can be found here: www.asetonline.org/advice.htm#qaa
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Need A Degree Boost? - Try A Sandwich (Guardian Article)
www.guardian.co.uk/graduate/story/0,,2184525,00.html
Whilst it is well known that placements enhance students' personal and professional development, this new ASET study shows that there are also very persuasive tangible benefits of integrating work and learning. Anecdotally it is always said that placement experiences improve students, both in their final year back at university and beyond, but this research will provide further hard evidence of this.
The source of this Guardian article, an interim report picking out the headline figures from the research, can be found here. The full research report will follow, also incorporating the most recent year's HESA statistics, and with detailed academic analysis.
The reason placement students achieve higher final grades is primarily because many students come back from their period of work experience with 'value added'. As a result of personal development in their time in industry they will have acquired new levels of maturity, self-confidence, self-discipline and responsibility, which all transfer back into their academic work and subsequent performance at level 3. In addition, it can also be seen that it is the more conscientious students who elect to undertake placements in the first place because they more readily recognise the long term benefits of them.
With regard to the employability figures, the year's work experience, the development of work-related skills for the graduate marketplace and contacts in industry (with 69% of students being offered permanent jobs at their placement employer after graduation), all make placement students much more attractive to graduate employers. Of course it is also not just the work in itself, but also the fact that it is undertaken in a supported environment that benefits students so much.
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Membership Renewals
ASET’s membership renewals went out to our designated membership contacts on 8th January 2010. As ASET is a charity, these subs, plus the hard work of the volunteers on our various committees, allow ASET to provide the services it does. The rate is just £160 for the year, and this one payment covers all relevant staff, in all departments, across the institution. If you are not sure whether your institution is currently a member, or would ever like to find out who your membership contact is, please contact the ASET office.
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