education & business 17
Industry and university link up to build strong careers
A recent survey* named Southampton as the second-highest English city for good growth, and visitors to the city can’t fail to miss the ever-changing skyline as new construction sites take shape, writes Alison Dewar of The Business Magazine
Among these is the new campus for Southampton Solent University, and it is only fitting that university students are playing a key role in the development of both that site and others across the region.
Around 470 students are currently studying a range of full and part-time courses as part of the university’s Built Environment team (BE), ranging from degrees in construction management, architectural technology and interior design, to HNCs in quantity surveying and civil engineering.
The ability to gain hands-on work experience is key to their future career success and BE academic leader John Barfoot has worked hard to forge strong relationships with the local construction industry and other related businesses.
Helping him succeed is an innovative national initiative called the Employment Skills Plans (ESPs). Now a mandatory part of the process developers need to follow to gain planning permission, the aims and targets contained within ESPs mirror the university’s own student employability and enterprise goals.
In a nutshell, it means developers are now much more willing to offer work placements, training, graduate employment and other opportunities to students, something Barfoot has been keen to take advantage of.
To promote the ESPs approach, Barfoot has hosted a successful networking event to bring together Southampton City Council, which he says has been very supportive, as well as developers and other interested organisations.
“Historically, it has always been challenging to find opportunities for students within construction and related industry sectors but the advent of ESPs means
From front: Final-year interior design student Gemma Mcquillan on a work placement with Vincent Leonardi and Angel Mihaylov from Crest Nicholson, on a site at Centenary Quay in Woolston, Southampton
companies are now coming to me and asking if I can place students with them,“ he said.
“Southampton has been very much a trailblazer for the project. There is a lot of development work going on and there’s a real need for businesses in this sector to engage with schools and colleges.
“It’s very positive because taking students on work placement gives companies the chance to effectively ’try before they buy’, and in turn the students learn a great deal about the working environment.
“What we’re seeing now is that companies are coming to us because they want students and can see the benefits. They’re doing it for the right reasons and not just to hit their KPI targets.“
Although the introduction of ESPs has had a very positive effect in the construction sector, with around 200 students benefiting from more than 20 citywide ESPs, Barfoot is keen to attract new opportunities for students within architectural and interior design businesses.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – MAY 2014
One company which has a strong track record of working with the university is Capita, a leading provider of consultancy services for a number of major projects in Southampton and nationwide.
Justine Taylor, Capita’s community engagement manager, has been a long-term supporter, providing encouragement and advice on future careers to many of the university’s students.
“Today’s students are effectively a ready-made recruitment pool and it’s important that we build relationships with them. This is the next generation of talent, we need to nurture that and give them the chance to experience what real-life work is all about,“ she said.
“I always encourage students to take on relevant work placements. It takes a long time to gain a degree and they need to be sure the topic is right for them. They need to ask questions, to understand the ethos of their chosen profession, to think about where it will take them in life and what they want to achieve.“
Capita has successfully taken on a number of work experience students, in some cases working on paid projects and presenting their ideas to clients, something Taylor says was “invaluable“ in giving them confidence and boosting their future CV potential.
Barfoot is keen to stress that it’s a very simple and straightforward process, and says that if employers want to engage students it can take less than a week to have suitable candidates lined up.
“Within hours of arriving on site, our students can be helping out and doing something productive, they are work-ready, keen to learn and become part of the team,“ he added.
And, in order to ensure students don’t lose out academically, flexible scheduling makes sure courses can be tailored around work opportunities, enabling them to enjoy the best of both worlds.
’What we’re seeing now is that companies are coming to us because they want students and can see the benefits. They’re doing it for the right reasons ...’
The redevelopment of the university’s city centre campus is also providing a perfect opportunity for first-hand experience, and gives the students the chance to enjoy live briefings and input their own design ideas.
At the same time, time lapse cameras and a documentary are recording every stage, giving Barfoot and his colleagues the ideal design project to talk about in the classroom for years to come.
For more information on work placements, contact Barfoot on the details below.
*The Good Growth Index 2013, produced by PwC and think tank Demos.
Details: John Barfoot
john.barfoot@
solent.ac.uk www.solent.ac.uk
www.businessmag.co.uk
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