How to improve student engagement with careers activities

Evidence suggests that encouraging students to take part in careers activities is becoming harder, making it more important than ever that careers services find new ways to boost engagement

Prospects Luminate hosted two interactive in-person workshops for careers professionals in Spring 2023 with the aim of understanding more about the specific challenge around student engagement and exploring viable solutions.

Understanding and improving student engagement is a key priority. In a survey of careers advisory services by Jisc in July 2022, 46% of respondents identified student engagement as their top challenge, well ahead of student employability in second place on 18%.

More recently in June 2023, Prospects Luminate's Early Careers Survey showed that there was a clear decline in the number of students saying they had taken part in all types of careers activities over the last 12 months compared with the same survey a year ago.

What successful student engagement looks like

Participants defined engagement as any student interaction with services provided by a careers advisory service (CAS) - everything from simply clicking on a link in an email to more comprehensive activities such as 1-2-1 guidance and advice sessions.

Current provision includes:

• Events - careers fairs, face-to-face sessions, welcome events, employer events.
• Collaboration with distinct groups - societies, student unions, careers ambassadors, central communications teams, academic and course organisers to provide in-curriculum learning.
• Specific activities - targeted marketing with increasing focus on social, drop-in sessions across campus and in courses, careers awards and incentivisation schemes.

For most taking part in the workshop, measuring engagement with these services remains focused on top-level metrics (attendance at events, email open rates, social engagement and careers services registration, for example) rather than individual journey mapping.

But asked to identify the ultimate goal for student engagement and what defined success, it was described as ensuring students' career readiness, broadening professional horizons and improving graduate outcomes within the job market - across all demographics and particularly in underrepresented groups.

Identifying problems and challenges

During the workshop, careers professionals set out a series of key challenges that they face in attempting to improve student engagement:

• Data - increasingly important as a way of understanding student experience and predicting behaviour, and therefore focusing resources. Developing the capability of staff to use data effectively is a vital part of this.
• Engaging internal and external stakeholders - for example to build stronger links with the curriculum and to enable employers to connect better with students.
• Ensuring diversity and inclusivity - how to avoid only supporting those groups who are more prone to access services (described by one participant as the risk of 'polishing diamonds').
• Finance and resources - both are being pressed further leading to increased demand for efficient approaches to delivering services.
• Getting the balance right - between virtual, in-person and hybrid delivery for both students and employers. This is complicated by students' growing fatigue with online events.
• Managing student expectations - for job availability and accessibility, highlighting equitable and inclusive recruitment by employers and challenging bias.
• Raising awareness and visibility - of the careers service within the institution and beyond.
• Student confidence - in the value of engage with CAS and also in their own choices.

Ideas for improving student engagement

To develop solutions, participants were asked to generate ideas based on 'how might we…' statements. These are just some of the responses gathered.

1. How might we better understand student expectations and predict behaviour to enable us to deliver our services?

The themes here centred on the better use of data, collaboration with other groups, conducting market research, the introduction of better tools, training and technology, and the implementation of strategy.

"Build stronger links with recruitment teams in our universities e.g. motivations to come to our university."

"Use digital technology – engage students creatively e.g. meme competitions."

"Undergo lots of diversity training in order to understand students who are underrepresented in HE."

2. How might we increase visibility of CAS within our institution across various different stakeholders?

The strength of brand identity, the importance of a physical presence on campus, effective strategic communications and collaboration across the university were all highlighted here.

"Have a defined brand across CAS content."

"Seek inclusion in cross-departmental and uni wide comms (newsletters/social media)."

"Academics – build a network of advocates in each school who can reinforce the offer to students."

3. How might we ensure continued resourcing and maximisation of that provision?

Workshop participants identified a refined strategy, improved visibility, efficient and effective delivery using technology, better data and evidence, and - a common theme - better collaboration.

"The employability strategy needs to be uni’s as a whole. Not just the careers bit!"

"Making use of free or existing tools and systems with additional training if necessary (in house if possible)."

"More collaboration with regional CAS and employers - reduce cost per service and free opportunities/funding."

4. How might we evaluate current modes of delivery to future-proof services?

Here, careers professionals again cited the importance of market research, the better use of available data, exploring different ways of working, and also staff diversity.

"Ongoing quantitative evaluation e.g. numbers of students engaging with each service".

"Co-design delivery with students, leads into joint/co-review and evaluation."

"Do staff represent diverse student population?"

Run your own workshops with this toolkit

The two Prospects Luminate interactive workshops described here followed the format in this toolkit from Jisc. It is freely downloadable should you wish to organise your own sessions to understand and explore key challenges and ideate potential solutions. If you have any feedback please contact editor@prospects.luminate.ac.uk

Written by

Dan Mason

Editorial manager

Prospects