How employers and universities can help students understand skills

Dec 11, 2024 | Attraction & marketing, Home Featured, How-to

It’s vital that job-seeking students understand their skills and how to effectively communicate them. ISE members got together to discuss how employer and university initiatives can support.

Mentoring: A manual but effective approach

Universities have seen a remarkable response to mentoring programmes, with one member stating that over 200 students have been matched with mentors from various fields.

Despite the manual process—where individual staff members handle matching—this approach has proven successful. Virtual mentoring sessions run from January to May, providing students with structured support and the opportunity to gain insight from experienced professionals.

Others are keen to explore mentoring, but recognise the resource-intensive nature of such programmes. There’s potential for technology to ease the burden of mentoring processes, enabling more students to benefit. However, there can be difficulty integrating automated matching platforms into universities due to data protection concerns.

Although technology presents opportunities to expand the number of mentor-mentee pairs, universities face challenges in matching effectively. Exploring solutions like the One Hour Project, which offers lighter-touch mentoring support, could bridge this gap.

The Open University has experienced a high demand for mentoring, especially among scholarships for underrepresented groups. They leverage LinkedIn to connect with employers, offering flexible mentoring opportunities ranging from one hour to four. Additionally, innovative programmes like hackathons and partnerships with organisations help students gain practical skills that can be highlighted in interviews.

However, mentoring programmes are not always easy to execute. If they are not embedded in the curriculum, student participation can drop significantly. Understanding student priorities and integrating mentorship into academic programmes can lead to higher engagement and success.

Experiential learning: building social capital

The importance of experiential learning in helping students build social capital and enhance their ability to articulate their skills was also highlighted.

Employers can play a crucial role by providing opportunities that allow students to gain relevant experience and practice discussing their skills in a recruitment context.

Articulating skills: A framework for success

Helping students recognise and articulate their skills within a clear framework is essential for their employability.

One university had seen strong engagement in industry mentoring when linked to equity, diversity, and inclusion programmes. Light-touch mentoring combined with broader skill-building activities creates a supportive environment for students.

Experiential learning has also evolved significantly, allowing students to practice articulating the skills they’ve developed. By providing practical briefs, employers can help scaffold authentic assessments, improving students’ abilities to convey their skills effectively.

Alumni connections and innovative approaches

Connecting with alumni can help remove barriers for current students. Initiatives like alumni fellowships provide invaluable networking opportunities and insights into skill application in various sectors.

Digital boot camps, such as Code for Girls, have emerged as popular avenues for skill development, empowering students with relevant competencies in a supportive setting.

A project with one university demonstrated the value of employer insights through video interviews, clarifying specific skills needed in various sectors. Such resources can demystify the skill requirements that often seem obvious but are not readily understood by students.

Meaningful feedback

Employers often seek candidates with an extensive skill set, but a personal approach is vital, especially for smaller companies.

Students frequently experience a lack of meaningful feedback in the application process, highlighting the need for employers to engage in two-way communication. Careers services at universities are actively working to improve this dialogue, but further traction is necessary.

Interactive learning: Reinforcing skills development

Finally, interactive mini-skill sessions involving employers and career advisors can effectively reinforce the skills students have gained. These sessions can serve as practical touchpoints where students learn to articulate their experiences confidently.