Student Led Employability:Genetics and Biochemistry

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Dr. George Johnson

Employability

• Big focus of Universities, as employability metrics are used in ranking all Universities, and in the new ‘Key Information Sets’.

• Swansea is at the forefront of these developments through the newly formed Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) headed by Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Hilary Lappin-Scott.

• Each College has an Employability Champion who sits on the SEA. I am the Champion for the College of Medicine.

• This role emerged through my work on employability with Genetics and Biochemistry BSc students.

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Background• In the 2007-2008 National Student Survey, Swansea genetics

graduates felt that they could have had better careers advice during their undergraduate studies.

• The careers office provides general advice, however more specific information was required for these students.

• Following this feedback, I approached the students at level 2 and 3 of the genetics and medical genetics BSc degree schemes, who echoed this lack of subject specific careers advice.

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Interventions since 2008

1. Careers website, careers afternoon and careers advice with involvement from Alumni.

2. Industrial placements with GlaxoSmithKline and NHS. 3. Extension of links with major employers including Pfizer,

Astra Zeneca and GlaxoSmithKline. 4. Communication-focussed transferable skills in modules.5. Employment focussed modules, including “dragons den”

element. 6. Providing final year projects within the Institute of Life

Science, often leading to future PhD opportunities.

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Genetics and Biochemistry BSc – employability previously assured by:

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SALT Grant• Student led-employability through student ambassador

scheme and trips to local companies.• Combine with the Biochemistry and Genetics (BiG) society,

where they take the lead in organisation and running. • Initial plans were to go to GE Healthcare in Cardiff, and

Morvus Pharmaceuticals in the Welsh botanical gardens. • Student ambassador schemes were planned for students to

give talks at their old schools. BSc and PhD students invited through the BiG society and the Medical Research (MedRes) society.

GE Healthcare Cardiff: Friday of employability week 2012

Following this trip, do youNot at all

Not really

I don’t really care

Yes, slightly

Yes, completely

Have a better understanding of the career opportunities available upon graduation? 0 0 0 14 6Feel more enthused about your chances in employment? 0 1 0 11 8Have a greater appreciation of how your degree will help in preparing you for one of these careers? 0 1 0 9 10Overall, do you have a better understanding of the topic? 0 0 0 14 6Did this stimulate your interest into becoming a scientist? 0 1 1 12 6Would you recommend such industry trips to fellow students? 0 0 0 5 15Would you like to go on more trips to industry or conferences? 0 0 0 10 10Would you see the benefit of becoming a student ambassador and talking at local schools? 0 1 5 4 10Do you have an appreciation of how your CV would look like, to your employer? 0 1 4 4 11

Would you be interested in improving your CV by taking on some responsibilities? E.g. student ambassador or student representative on a committee 0 1 1 1 17

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Following this trip, do you

Not at all

Not really

I don’t really care

Yes, slightly

Yes, completely

Have a better understanding of the career opportunities available upon graduation? 6 1Feel more enthused about your chances in employment? 2 4 1Have a greater appreciation of how your degree will help in preparing you for one of these careers? 6 1Overall, do you have a better understanding of the topic? 7 Did this stimulate your interest into becoming a scientist? 4 3Would you recommend such industry trips to fellow students? 2 5Would you like to go on more trips to industry or conferences? 2 5Would you see the benefit of becoming a student ambassador and talking at local schools? 1 3 3Do you have an appreciation of how your CV would look to your employer? 1 1 5Would you be interested in improving you CV by taking on some responsibilities? E.g. student ambassador or student representative on a committee 7

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Morvus: March 2012

Follow up from trips

• Remain in contact with GE Healthcare, Morvus and other companies. In talks about industrial placement schemes.

• Collaborate with GE on a £400,000 grant for the refinement, replacement and reduction of animals in science (NC3Rs) with the DNA Damage Group in Swansea. Started in March 2012

• Funds for BiG society led trips included the College business plan.

• Staff relationship has developed well with the BiG society. I often pass information to the president, who then places it on the societies facebook page.

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Student Led Ambassador Sessions

• Advantages:– Benefits BSc and A-

level students.– Mentoring

possibilities. – Publicity for University

and course. – Widening access

possibilities.

• Disadvantages:– Later stage students

more desirable.– Better with PhD

students who have success stories.

– Guidance and contacts needed for organising session and materials.

Destination of Leavers from Higher Education

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% Employed2005-2006 100%2006-2007 100%2007-2008 66.7%2008-2009 100%2009-2010 82.0%

DepartmentJACS Subject

Area

Swansea University DLHE

2009/10Lower

Quartile MedianUpper

QuartileNo. of HEIs

Medicine Biol. Sci. 82.0% 50.00% 57.90% 66.70% 109

Biochemistry joined Medicine

DLHE results for 2007-2010 for the College of Medicine (CoM)

% EmployedAll CoM 2007-2008 88.5%All CoM: 2008-2009 100.0%All CoM: 2009-2010 88.9%Undergrad 2007-2008 66.7%Undergrad 2008-2009 100.0%Undergrad 2009-2010 81.8%Just Postgrad 2007-2008 100.0%Just Postgrad 2008-2009 100.0%Just Postgrad 2009-2010 100.0%

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• 8th/ 37 = genetics, www.Unistats.direct.gov.uk• 96%+ student satisfaction

“Third Year project was really interesting and I think it will benefit me in my future career prospects”. NSS, 2010-2011

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Acknowledgements• Swansea Employability Academy: Prof. Hilary-Lappin Scott,

PVC, Judith James and Phil Brophy.• Swansea Academy Learning & Teaching (SALT).• Jess Griffiths and CoM E-learning team. • Prof. David Skibinski.• Andrew Morgan and the tHE. • Genetics and Biochemistry teaching group.• Institute of Life Science staff for delivery of research projects.• DNA Damage Research Group.

Careers –e-learning tool

http://scs.swan.ac.uk/genetics_careers/index.html Transferred the PowerPoints from the careers afternoon into a

website with Jess Griffiths and Martin Goddard (CoM).Update the site regularly and act on feedback.

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DLHE

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Subject Area

% In Grad Job all Work &

Study% Un-

employed % Indicator2005-2006 33.3% 0% 100%2006-2007 0% 0% 100%2007-2008 100% 33.3% 66.7%2008-2009 75% 0% 100%2009-2010 44.4% 18.2% 82.0%

DepartmentJACS Subject

Area

Swansea University DLHE

2009/10Lower

Quartile MedianUpper

QuartileNo. of HEIs

Medicine Biol. Sci. 82.0% 50.00% 57.90% 66.70% 109

DLHE results for 2007-2010 for the College of Medicine (CoM)

2007-2008 % In Grad Job all Work & Study

% Unemployed % Indicator

All CoM 2007-2008 100.0% 11.5% 88.5%

All CoM: 2008-2009 90.9% 0.0% 100.0%

All CoM: 2009-2010 78.3% 11.1% 88.9%

Undergrad 2007-2008 100.0% 33.3% 66.7%

Undergrad 2008-2009 75.0% 0.0% 100.0%

Undergrad 2009-2010 44.4% 18.2% 81.8%

Just Postgrad 2007-2008 100.0% 0.0% 100.0%

Just Postgrad 2008-2009 100.0% 0.0% 100.0%

Just Postgrad 2009-2010 100.0% 0.0% 100.0%

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For PhD students – employability is assured by:

1. Access to undergraduate and taught masters modules to increase knowledge base in subject area.

2. Close links between CoM and key industrial/pharmaceutical sector (GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Roche, NovoNordisk, Unilever) as well as local SMEs.

3. Students attend compulsory Biomedical/health services research (as appropriate) seminars on a weekly basis.

4. CoM provides a compulsory course on “statistics for biomedicine” ensuring that all students are adept at data analysis.

5. Access to careers service on campus and engagement in seminars/workshops run there.

6. Close monitoring of progress of all PhD students by the CoM, including a 1st year viva by independent academics to ensure students maximise their research opportunity.

7. Annual postgraduate research day is set up like a professional scientific conference with poster presentations, verbal presentations, visiting researchers, visiting companies etc. This develops the students presentation and networking skills, with prizes for the best work and much feedback/kudos given between students for good presentations. It is also very social and collaborations often occur as a result of this.

8. Encouragement to attend careers related course offered by studentship sponsors such as BBSRC.

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For the GEM – employability (ie the ability and the incentive to work) is assured by:

1. Selection of candidates.2. Early exposure to clinical practice through short Learning Opportunities in the

Clinical Setting (LOCS) during the first two years of the course3. Exposure to clinical practice in primary care through a course of community-based

learning that begins in the first year4. A system of personal tutors that help students deal with issues that might include

their suitability for the profession5. Clinical Apprenticeships throughout the 4 yr course where pairs of students are

placed with a senior clinical teacher in a clinical setting in order to reflect on the practice of medicine

6. Specialty Attachments in the 3rd and 4th year where students experience the management of patients with specific health needs

7. Matching our teaching, learning and assessment against the GMC outcomes for graduates (as expressed in ‘Tomorrow’s Doctors 2009’)

8. Working closely with the Welsh Postgraduate Deanery in order to develop a ‘seamless’ transition from graduation through the first 12 months of postgraduate ‘Foundation’ training. 18