adele browne head of graduate success
TRANSCRIPT
Adele BrowneHead of Graduate Success
Improving outcomes: Leicester’s Future Leaders
• Centre of Leicester
• 29,000 students (2019/20)
• 49% BAME, 41.2% White
• 37% first in family
• 17% disability
• c. 7,000 completers a year (5,624 first degree)
Introducing De Montfort University (DMU)
• Institution wide project to ensure there is no racial disparity in our institution, in the makeup of our staff, in the way we teach, in the experience our students receive or the choices we make as educators
Progression gap: 7% gap in progression rate to high-skilled employment (Black and mixed ethnicity graduates compared with White graduates)
Approach:
• Increase direct experiences with employers
• Partnerships with regional stakeholders• Practice articulating degree skills • Job application techniques
Supporting our students into graduate employment
Challenges:
• Barriers and bias in society, employment market, recruitment processes
• Social and cultural capital• Confidence
• Low visibility of graduate employers in Leicestershire
• High proportion of micro-businesses in city centre
Leicester’s Future Leaders 2019-22
• Objective: Increase progression of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students to high skilled roles in Leicester
• Aim: Over time to create more BAME role models among business leaders in Leicester, driving a cycle of inclusion and growth
• Three strands:1. Inclusive recruitment toolkit2. Internships accelerator programme3. Graduate in-work mentoring
Engaging students with the project
• Aim: To build a group of 30
• Identified a student lead, employed to:
➢ Create and maintain rolling group of 30 peers
➢ Advise us what would and wouldn’t work with students
➢ Maintain independent channels of communication with the student group
➢ Be a trusted partner of staff and students
Students’ motivations
Students asked for:
• Community elements similar to NCS (National Citizen Service programme)
• Sense of exclusivity
• Project management experience
Make Diversity Your Business conference
• Aims: ➢ Produce framework for inclusive recruitment toolkit➢ Build strong student community➢ Benefit students’ learning➢ Engage local businesses
• Four-day conference for 60 student and business delegates• First two days training and workshops with students
• Learned side by side in sessions such as unconscious bias, strengths-based interviews and candidate attraction
• Roundtables to tackle and explore solutions for increased BAME graduate recruitment
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPjVL_kpqvY
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I've felt more confident about myself and myabilities
I've felt more determined to get the career I want I've felt more knowledgeable about buildingnetworks and reaching my goals
I've felt more optimistic about my future success
Impact on students - one year on
A lot Quite a lot A little No
More confident about self and abilities
More determined to get the career I want
More knowledgeable about building networks
More optimistic about future success
Impact on students – one year on
• BrightER Futures programme – 20 final years matched with 20 local business leaders for mentoring and introductions into Leicester’s business community
“I had the huge pleasure of meeting a group of highly talented students at DMU’s Leicester’s Future Leaders conference in February last year and believe that many businesses can benefit from the energy and vision of our graduates.”
Eileen Richards, President of East Midlands Chamber of Commerce
Make Diversity Your Business Inclusive recruitment toolkit: -https://bit.ly/2T6EPBL
Impact on businesses
• Creation of 3 new internship schemes by participating businesses
• Creation of student consultancy group working with Leicestershire Police on their graduate attraction strategy
• Bring students and employers together, face to face
• Take a role as facilitator
• Empower students as professionals
• Support the opportunities that emerge
Learning for the future
