Careers education case study (8): Developing career management skills with business, accounting and management students at a university in south-east England
This module (compulsory at Part 2) requires students to act as recruitment consultants and prepare a 'client report' containing a job advertisement, the selection of candidates for interview and interview questions.
The case study (sponsored by CCMS, University of Reading) involves a manufacturing company producing and selling shower equipment. It was developed after attending sessions by Pauline Kneale from Leeds University and Jackie Hartley from Staffordshire University at the CCMS conference in Reading in 2007.
Programme structure
Students are required to work in diverse teams to research a business issue, solve problems effectively and think critically in order to gain the highest marks. The case study provides opportunities for careers education and the development of skills regarded by the HE Academy as essential for the employability of management graduates.
Students attend lectures, which introduce them to the case study and different aspects of the selection and recruitment process from an employer’s perspective. All lectures and case study material are available on Blackboard, which also contains a range of links to useful sites and sources of help and information.
In team meetings students have to bring individually-prepared work before embarking on the team task for the report. The written report is assessed, as is the presentation of the report to 'the client'. Individually, the students reflect on the processes they have been through and what they have learned about skills such as team working, leadership and negotiation (this work is also assessed).
Outcomes
The evaluation of the module focused on employability skills and was overwhelmingly positive. For example: more than 85% of students reported that they had improved team working skills, effective problem solving and self awareness; 81% thought that the module had come at the right time in their degree; and 96% thought the academic level of the module was 'about right'.
For further information on this case study please contact Maria Gee, lecturer at the University of Reading.
What are careers education case studies?
These case studies have been compiled by members of the AGCAS Careers Education Task Group, building on the good practice developed in the Careers Education Benchmark Statement. They aim to show the diversity of practice and how careers education is developing as a discipline within HE. We hope they will inspire other practitioners to share their experience by drafting case studies that we can publish during 2009. If you have any comments about this section, or would like to submit a short case study summarising your own experience, please contact Iwan Griffiths.
Read all case studies in the series