Using graduate skills
Keywords: Training, Apprenticeship, Undergraduates, Personal development plans
A report by the University of Luton for the Department for Education and Employment focuses on the theme of using graduate skills. Graduate Apprenticeship Scheme: Bridging the Gap Between Higher Education and Employmentdescribes how the scheme aims to provide progression for final-year under graduates and unemployed recent graduates to undertake work-based training over a one- to two-year period. The scheme, based in Bedfordshire and bordering counties, provides work-based placements through negotiations between employers,graduates and tutors. Employers are offered:
a brokerage service to match their needs against a selection of graduates;
an audit, linking the skills required to the graduate's development plan;and
mentoring and review support for graduates by tutors, who will visit employers at least twice a year during the apprenticeship period.
The scheme encourages graduates to set objectives for lifelong personal and professional development.
The report suggests that many graduates do not consider smaller companies for career-related employment, but the initiative has helped many to take up apprenticeships with small firms. The support provided by universities -including introductions to small firms - has been particularly useful in this respect.
But it was also found that many small employers did not maintain a long-term commitment to training and development, mainly because of the pressures of day-to-day work.
A report by the University of Liverpool Graduate-into-Employment Unit records the main lessons learned from four years of experience linking graduates and small firms. Beyond Work Experience suggests that a facilitation process is needed to match graduates to small firms, where academic staff are responsive to the needs of both parties. A move should be made away from supply-driven graduate-training models to demand-driven business-support programmes. Work experience must provide skills such as self-reliance and business acumen. Case studies show that graduates can help to provide small firms with better information systems, production processes, marketing, new-product development and administrative systems.
