How to support graduate retention in your city

An innovative collaboration between Leeds Trinity University, Leeds Beckett University and the University of Leeds was established to support graduate employability in the city of Leeds

In 2016, the University of Leeds sent a number of students to visit companies in Leeds and New York to develop leadership, communication and networking skills through their Student Leadership programme. Five of the students were so inspired that they pitched the idea of running a programme to showcase what the city of Leeds had to offer students. Seeing the potential in this idea, the university agreed to support them to develop the programme in partnership with the Leeds based universities and Leeds City Council, and to help them deliver it in the city.

The Leeds context

Leeds is an economically thriving city and is an important driver of the regional and Northern Powerhouse economy. However, the Leeds Talent and Skills Plan 2017-2023 recognised that while an increase in graduate-level jobs is forecast, major employers are reporting challenges in attracting graduate applicants. This is despite the fact that slightly more undergraduates and graduates move to Leeds to study and work than leave the city, as highlighted in the plan. In addition, the Great British Brain Drain Leeds Analysis reports a net outflow of predominantly graduates aged 22-30 to London, in total Leeds retains only 30% of its graduates.

The careers services at the universities of Leeds, Leeds Trinity, and Leeds Beckett all had strong employer relations in the city but had not previously worked together to promote opportunities. We recognised that there was an opportunity to work collaboratively for the benefit of students, employers and the economic growth of the city.

What is #InLeeds?

#InLeeds is a city-wide partnership between Leeds Trinity University, Leeds Beckett University, the University of Leeds, alongside Leeds City Council and citywide employers to create a sustainable project to enhance graduate outcomes in the city.

#InLeeds annually brings together teams of students from each university to take part in a themed challenge, visiting employers across the city to showcase Leeds as a city of opportunity. The day culminates in each group presenting a challenge, judged by the #InLeeds partners.

The #InLeeds vision and partnership is underpinned by four aims:

• promote Leeds as a destination of choice after graduation
• promote how staying in Leeds can give more career responsibility from an early stage, a better quality of life and to market the range of organisations in the city
• enable employers to showcase their opportunities and optimum work-life balance that Leeds offers as a place to live and work
• give all university students the opportunity to meet successful employers in the city.

Career treks

The programme aims to see up to 100 students participate in a one-day event. The day consists of students participating in the following activities:

• city-wide employer tours
• interactive personal development workshops
• challenge presentations
• networking.

#InLeeds day immerses students in a series of these activities, allowing them to develop key skills, whilst building their confidence through gaining employer feedback on their performance throughout the day. Our #InLeeds challenge themes have been:

• 2016 - How to make a city smarter by retaining talent
• 2017 - Diversity in the city
• 2018 - Cultures and values of employers
• 2019 - Wellbeing in the workplace.

Students are able to gain a greater insight into the culture, values and opportunities available with organisations across the city, while also developing soft skills through participating in a challenge and presentation.

What do students say?

• 30% reported that they were considering staying in Leeds after graduation pre-event, which rose to 70% post-event.
• 100% confirmed that the employers had assisted in raising their aspirations.
• 97% felt an increase in confidence, self-belief and understanding of business.

Joe Mottershead, a third-year international relations student, said, 'I didn't have the slightest clue what I wanted to do before and the exposure to different businesses and sectors I wouldn't usually have looked at has definitely helped me in making career choices. Everyone there was very friendly, and the people you talk to on business visits are keen to help give you an insight into how they operate. The challenge seems daunting but after you've done it you feel so much more confident, and everyone there is incredibly supportive. You will be so glad that you chose to do it!'

Following on from the success of the events, we aim to continue to run this an annual initiative, with a focus on the digital skills gap in Leeds we intend to run our next event in 2020 with a Digital Media theme.

This workshop was delivered at the AGCAS Annual Conference 2019, which took place in Manchester during the first week of September. You can view and download content from other workshops delivered at the conference.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of HECSU/Prospects