Background

 

The current economic recession has had an impact on graduate employment opportunities at a time when the largest ever cohort of students prepares to graduate. These concerns are borne from a growing range of research and surveys by both public and private sector organisations. This is a Europe-wide problem and this transnational project aims to facilitate and share current practices and experiences of other regions around graduate employability and retention and aid the review of trends and responses to the development of skills requirements and delivery structures.

 

European Social Funding has been awarded to 8 North West Universities to deliver a pilot project for a range of activities in support of graduates in the North West region who require support including up-skilling or re-skilling to access or retain employment in the current economic downturn.  University of Cumbria is the lead partner in the project.

 

Innovation Transnational and Mainstreaming (ITM)

The focus of this project is the testing of innovative methods of providing graduate employability skills. Projects will be developed with European partners, and the overall aim is for the development of best practice that can be introduced on a wider scale (ie mainstreaming). The emphasis will be on the evaluation of the methods tested rather than the actual target outcomes.

 

Activities

The project is focussed on “Extending employment opportunities by tackling barriers to work faced graduates who are unemployed or disadvantaged in the labour market.”

 

The target beneficiaries of this project are NW-based graduates that are either unemployed/economically inactive (2009/10 leavers and earlier years) or are final year students (graduating in 2011) but who are at risk of unemployment

 

This project seeks to deliver a portfolio of activities enabling bespoke solutions to be tailored to the needs of individual graduates:

 

Enhanced Level of Information, Advice and Guidance to current and recent graduates in relation to career opportunities and support for job-finding in respect of first-time entry to the labour market. This will include skills analysis, identification of needs and career decision making, job-search help, practical job applications sessions on CVs, application and interview techniques etc.

 

Support and retraining for graduates enabling a greater range of job opportunities in the future; focussing on vocational training (accredited and unaccredited) and qualifications.

 

Short/intensive courses including practical, soft and workplace skills.

 

Knowledge transfers and skills focussing on entrepreneurship, leadership and management skills.

 

Graduate internships/placements providing workplace experience and introductions to potential employers.

 

For more information on the range of advice and guidance available, and current workshops and events visit our Careers web pages.

GRADUATES NORTH WEST