Transcript Dynamic Prospectus

Developing Graduate Skills
& Reflection in Law
Ruby Hammer
Faculty of Business, Education and Law
Introduction – Background
• 2011-12 Law School reviewed delivery of
law curriculum as part of Staffordshire
Graduate Employability Project.
• Number of challenges presented:
- balance between essential
legal skills and generic skills
- responding to challenges faced
by the legal profession and a
changing world
- staff training and engagement
Responding to the Challenges
What does being a Graduate mean?
“Traditionally a 'graduate job' has meant a
job or career path for which a degree is
the required entry level qualification. But
today it might be more appropriate to
define a graduate job as 'a job that a
graduate does‘”.
http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/WoW/students/98073.htm
The Changing Nature of Graduate
Employment and Lifelong Success
The 21st century graduate is more likely to:
•
Need much more than academic qualifications to progress their career
•
To take an ordinary, non-graduate job, prior to securing ‘graduate level’
employment.
•
Likely to work for several employers during their working life and have
‘portfolio’ of different careers drawing upon wide range of transferrable
skills.
•
Will re-enter higher education, most likely on a part-time basis, to engage
with further study not necessarily in same discipline.
The Changing Nature of Graduate
Recruitment
Equally, graduate recruiters increasingly:
•Recruit from work placements, internships, and
internal non-graduate level jobs.
• Greater focus on assessment exercises and
tests as part of recruitment process.
•It is estimated that less than half of jobs are
actually formally advertised, the rest gained by
networking, entrepreneurial activity, etc..
•Globalisation requires change in way many
organisations operate and corporate social
responsibility is increasingly an important issue.
© depositphotos.com
Recognising and Responding to
Student Needs
• No such thing as a standard student – all have individual needs and
requirements.
• However, there are some common problems experienced by students in
widening participation institutions:
- Many lack professional connections with law firms and/or graduate recruiters
- Often lack confidence in networking situations
- Often have weaker A level grades which can be an issue in era of online
applications
The Staffordshire Graduate Project
Opportunity to refresh existing practices.....
•
Greater emphasis placed on reflection –
workshops on reflection built into timetable early.
•
Practical workshops based around contextual
themes – alternative business structures, business
acumen and corporate social responsibility.
•
External speakers used to provide ‘perspectives’
on themes.
•
Range of ‘events’ built into the curriculum both
within Skills modules and across other subjects.
Level 4 and Level 5 Modules
Level 4:
Legal Skills
Operates across all Law awards
Level 5:
Legal Enterprise and Innovation
(2 Year Degree Pilot)
To be rolled out as Law in
Context Module across 3 & 4 Year
Law Awards
Good Practice.....
•
Draw upon skills and experience of central
services such as careers team, information
services and academic skills tutors.
•
Build reflection into programme at the earliest
opportunity
•
Use time during start of course/welcome
week to front-load key information/skills
•
Create events for students both within and
outside the curriculum
•
Provide practical opportunities as opposed to
just guest lectures
Utilise Research Informed
Teaching
•
Draw upon existing research strengths
within department.
•
Create ‘space’ for tutors to talk about
their specialisations and the impact on
law and society and a changing
profession or discipline.
•
Example: ‘The Future of the Profession’
Workshop
Developing Staffordshire
Graduate Events
Launch Event:
Law School Careers Fair
Several exhibitors including external
firms and professional organisations
Over 100 students attended to develop
networking skills and find out more
about career opportunities
Student involvement by employability
champion and organisations
Promoted as Staffordshire Graduate
event
Law School Careers
Fair October, 2012
Careers Workshops
• Becoming a Solicitor
2-3
Speakers
• Becoming a Barrister
• How to get the best
from Work Experience
• What to do with a
Law Degree?
Theme
Workshop
• Careers in HR
Management
•Careers in Research
Networking
Question
Time
Events within the Curriculum
-
Debates
- Mooting (mock trial)
- Client interviewing
- Contextualised employability tutorials
- Poster presentations
-
Online activities
- team working activities
- Formative assessment of personal statements
- guest speakers within timetable
- promotion of work experience and voluntary work
- Negotiation exercises
- Networking Lunches/Breakfast Meetings
Further References
Articles & Texts
Abramson, M. and Jones, P. (2004) ‘Empowering Under-Represented Students to Succeed in Higher Education’ in Saunders, D., Brosnan, K.
and Walker, M. (eds) Learning Transformations: Changing Learners, Organisations and Communities. London: Forum for the
Advancement of Continuing Education.
Brown, P., Hesketh, A. and Williams, S. (2002) Employability in a knowledge-driven economy. In Knight, P. (compiler) Notes from the 13 June
2002 'Skills plus' conference, Innovation in education for employability, held at Manchester Metropolitan University. Available at:
www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/resources/wrkgpaper26.pdf
Graham-Matheson, L. (2002) Recruitment and retention in legal education
Consortium for Access to Legal Education: UK Centre for Legal Education, www.ukcle.ac.uk/resources/wp/matheson.html
Lucas, Cox, Croudance & Milford, ‘Who Writes This Stuff?’ : Students perceptions of their skill development. (2004), Teaching in Higher
Education, 9 (1)
Yorke, M. (reprinted 2006) Employability in Higher Education: what it is – what it is not. York: Higher Education Academy
Yorke, M., and Knight, P. (2004, reprinted 2006) Embedding Employability into the Currculum. York: The Higher Education Academy. Available
from: www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/publications/learningandemployability
Further References
Reports
Higher Education: Report of the Committee
L. Robbins, London, HMSO, Cmnd 1963
The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education
R. Dearing, London, HMSO, Cmnd 1997
Leitch Review of Skills: Final Report (2006)
Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills
The Future of Higher Education Review
J. Denham, 2007
[on-line at http://www.dius.gov.uk/higher_education/shape_and_structure/he_debate]
Future of Higher Education Review: informal responses from members of the National Student Forum, 2008
[on-line at http://www.dius.gov.uk/higher_education/shape_and_structure/he_debate]
The White Paper: Innovation Nation
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
March 2008, Cm 7345