Embedding employability and employer engagement into postgraduate teaching:

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Embedding employability and employer engagement
into postgraduate teaching

• a case study from environmental management
  systems

Simon Kemp 02 July 2008
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Content

• Environmental Management Systems description of
  the module
• Wilding Butler the case study company
• The pedagogical approach
• Student employability outcomes
• Case study company outcomes
• Employer engagement outcomes

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The module Environmental ManagementSystems
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Environmental Management Systems

• Postgraduate module available on the MSc
  (optional) and MEnvSci (compulsory) programmes
• Running in various formats since 1997
• Previous version involved a fictional case-study
  company
• Academic year 2007-2008 used a local company to
  provide the module case study

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The case study companyWilding Butler
Construction Ltd.
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Wilding Butler Construction Ltd.

• Local small enterprise with large subcontractor
  base
• Small head office located in Colden Common,
  Hampshire opposite the regional Environment
  Agency headquarters
• Contacted through regional economic partnership
  body and the sustainable business partnership
• Looking to establish a competitive advantage
  through environmental management and to engage
  with the University
• Wide portfolio of construction projects in the
  South of England commercial, education,
  residential

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Residential projects

• Education projects

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The pedagogical approach
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Pedagogical approach

• Mixed strategy with a focus on active student
  participation
• Total of 30 students of mixed expertise and a
  range of nationalities British, French, Greek,
  Chinese
• No students with previous experience or training
  in the subject area
• Emphasis on embedding employability and employer
  engagement throughout the module via the
  case-study

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Pedagogical approach

• Embedding employability and employer engagement
  was achieved through the following methods
• Lectures
• Formation of five consultancy teams of six
  students
• Company head office construction site visits
• Weekly email correspondence with the company
  (through a filter)
• Weekly progress and feedback sessions
• Team blogs and wiki sites
• ISO14001 certification audit
• EMS manual presentation to the board of directors

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WB Photos here
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Pedagogical approach

• Embedding employability and employer engagement
  was achieved through the following methods
• Lectures
• Formation of five consultancy teams of six
  students
• Company head office construction site visits
• Weekly email correspondence with the company
  (through a filter)
• Weekly progress and feedback sessions
• Team blogs and wiki sites
• ISO14001 certification audit
• EMS manual presentation to the board of directors

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Page title

• First level bullet points may need expanding into
  second level bullet points
• Second level bullet point
• Second level bullet point
• Second level bullet point

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(No Transcript)
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Pedagogical approach

• Embedding employability and employer engagement
  was achieved through the following methods
• Lectures
• Formation of five consultancy teams of six
  students
• Company head office construction site visits
• Weekly email correspondence with the company
  (through a filter)
• Weekly progress and feedback sessions
• Team blogs and wiki sites
• ISO14001 certification audit
• EMS manual presentation to the board of directors

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Student employability outcomes
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Student employability outcomes

• Aims
• Direct professional experience
• Practical application of theory
• Improved commercial understanding
• Practical experience of a growing area of
  employment
• Enhanced presentation skills
• Professional report writing skills
• Improved time management
• Enhanced CV for all students

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Student employability outcomes

• Questionnaire and focus group to identify and
  assess outcomes
• Practical skills
• Producing something very comprehensive for a
  real-life company
• Allows us to develop clear understanding of EMS
  through hands-on experience
• Really helps you to know how to implement an
  EMS
• Working with a real company gave a sense of
  achievement
• Very practical and provided lots of guidance for
  students in their future careers in ISO14001
• Excellent method of learning what could be a
  very difficult to grasp subject

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Student employability outcomes

• Employability skills
• Relevant to business work
• Relevant to real life. Excellent real case
  study
• Gave an insight into how the real world works
  very useful reality check after 3 ½ years of
  environmental study
• Makes you manage your time
• Very practical experience, team work,
  organisation skills
• Real company therefore something valuable to
  talk about in job interviews. Feel I am
  employable as a result
• At last, learning about something useful in the
  workplace making us more employable not enough
  of this

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Student employability outcomes

• Criticisms
• Lots of work, difficult organising team
  meetings
• Large groups, difficult to coordinate
• Too much work
• Heavy workload, although cant suggest how to
  reduce it
• Focus group 5 months after module completion
• Looking back the total workload wasnt that much
  greater than other modules in total
• No exam meant the workload balanced out
• We definitely need more practical and employable
  modules

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Case study company outcomes
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Case study company outcomes

• EMS manual meeting most of the requirements of
  ISO14001
• Compliance with existing environmental
  legislation
• Ensured compliance with emerging environmental
  legislation - Site Waste Management Plans
  training, template and records system
• Regional publicity in newspapers and sector
  publications
• Competitive advantage
• Nominated at local business awards

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(No Transcript)
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Case study company outcomes

• EMS manual meeting most of the requirements of
  ISO14001
• Compliance with existing environmental
  legislation
• Ensured compliance with emerging environmental
  legislation - Site Waste Management Plans
  training, template and records system
• Regional publicity in newspapers and sector
  publications
• Competitive advantage
• Nominated at local business awards

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Employer engagement outcomes
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Employer engagement outcomes

• Curriculum relevance
• Further participation in EMS module
• Continuing professional work to inform teaching
• Ongoing relationship for future student research
  projects
• Participation in EU Framework bid

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Conclusions
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Conclusions

• Module enables graduates to develop a specific
  employability profile and advanced level of
  expertise to pursue a career in EMS
• 10 of students have confirmed consultancy
  positions in this area prior to graduation
• Board presentations helped students prepare for
  interview presentations

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Conclusions

• Production of the manual, certifications audits,
  and board presentations have given the students
  confidence in their EMS expertise
• Employers have stated confidence in the EMS
  ability of the students after inspecting the EMS
  manual and testing practical understanding in
  interviews
• Case study organisation have an EMS almost to
  ISO14001 level for very little temporal and
  financial cost
• Module coordinator retains professional practice
  and relevance in teaching

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Next Year
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Any Questions? Contact detailsSimon
KempSchool of Civil Engineering and the
EnvironmentUniversity of Southampton. SO17
1BJS.Kemp_at_soton.ac.uk02380 595868