There is good news for staff concerned with placement provision, particularly those involved for the first time. A new Placement Guide for Staff will provide quick reference points for managing the different types of placement and provide answers to FAQs. Once approved, it will be on the Web for easy search and update. In the meantime, the SEECC placement and development team are happy to answer queries and provide support for Schools.
With so much interest on career outcomes from potential students and their families/supporters, one of SEECC’s summer tasks is to create a central resource on all the activities that a student can engage in to develop their employability. Careers Advisers will also be talking to School and Department staff to ensure that we have an up to date picture of career learning in the curriculum and celebrate good practice. We hope to link the central employability resource to subject-specific information so that students understand the range of provision inside and outside the curriculum.
A working group led by Dr Paddy Woodman is revisiting the University’s Policy on Careers Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) in the light of the revised QAA guidelines. The Director of SEECC has drafted an updated policy and implementation plan for consideration at its April meeting.
Work is also underway to increase the number of students completing the popular RED Award and to develop RED Plus for students who are keen to be challenged further. We are very sorry to lose Vicky Clarke who developed the Award and has done so much to make it a success. We thank her for the legacy that will enable the Award to go from strength to strength.
Finally, we welcomed Amanda Duggan us from SOAS on 2 May who joins as Employer and Graduate Career Manager. Amanda will lead on employer engagement and the provision of services to new graduates, with the main focus still on supporting graduates in their first six months. We would be grateful if staff could inform finalists in their final tutor meetings of the new email graduatecareers@reading.ac.uk which went live in May 2012.
Jane Standley