Placement Learning in Politics

The Higher Education Academy and Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) are running a one day workshop entitled New Developments in Placement Learning in Politics on 27 June 2012. The event will be held at SHU and aims to open up the discussion around the experiences of setting up politics placements and to share in areas of good practice. An anticipated output from the event is the development of an on-line support network, hosted by SHU, which offers a network of contacts and examples of good practice that can be used by colleagues across the country interested in learning more about the setting up and running of effective politics placement opportunities. Click here for further details.

Policing Conference

There is a call for paper for the 2011 Higher Education Forum for Learning and Development in Policing conference on “Police Learning: Professionalisation and Partnerships” scheduled for 6-7th September 2011 at The University of Northampton. The conference may be of particular interest to those exploring the implications of the recent Neyroud Review of Police Leadership and Training review Conference themes include:
• Inter professional education and multi-disciplinary policing practice
• Comparative policing: A UK-wide perspective
• Designing and delivering a new professional police service
• Professional policing : meanings, myths and opportunities
• Equality & diversity: In the context of HEI and Force partnerships
• Lessons from the front line. Student officers experience of HE and the relevance to policing practice

For further details on the conference and call for paper contact polcon2011@northampton.ac.uk

PSA Conference - London 2011

The Political Studies Association Annual Conference takes place in London next week. I will be chairing a panel on ‘Politics as a Professional Education’ which will include papers from Katherine Brown (Kings, London) on ‘A Learning Institution? The politics of Professional Military Education’ and Brid Quinn (Limerick) on ‘Reflection and research: reflection on research’. Other papers that are also of particular interest to those interested in work-based and experiential learning and the social sciences are Sarah Hale (Birkbeck, London) ‘Workplace Politics: Foundation Degrees in Local Government and the Public Sector’, David Bates (Canterbury Christchurch)‘Teaching Engagement’ and Annabel Kiernan (Manchester Met) ‘Connecting communities: Community Engagement and the Big Society at MMU’

Policing and Higher Skills

Much of the higher skills provision delivered by social scientists over the last few years has been in the areas of police training and development. The Higher Education Forum for Learning and Development in Policing was formed a couple of years ago by representatives from HEIs working in this field and now has over twenty institutional members. They are holding their annual conference at UCLAN in September, with speakers from both education and policing sectors. More details can be found on the conference website.

Criminology and Employability

This event may be of interest.

*Support for student employability: Criminology a case study*

The University of Lincoln would like to invite you or a representative from your institution to our Social Science Careers Information Day on July 14th.

The aim of the event: To help you to better support those students who are considering pursuing a non-vocational degree in one of the ‘Social Science’ subjects, including criminology, politics, sociology and social policy.

This free event includes lunch and is supported through funding awarded for a current C-SAP mini-project.

Background: Lincoln University was awarded funding in 2009 to carry out research into the employability of criminology graduates; we think the results of this research will be helpful to any staff involved in advising students through the university application process or about employability issues.

Programme: We have put together what we hope will be an interesting and entertaining programme including contributions from academics, students, HE careers professionals and alumni. A draft programme is included with this invitation.

Location and time: The event is taking place in the new Enterprise@Lincoln centre at the University of Lincoln. Start time 10am until 3pm.


In order for us to plan the catering please could you book your place at the event by emailing Victoria Worricker at vworricker@lincoln.ac.uk by 30th June.
Please also state if you have any specific dietary requirements.


We look forward to seeing you on July 14th.

Jill Jameson – Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences

Mandy Jones – Head of Opportunities


****************

Draft Programme

Start 9.45 for 10.00

Coffee on registration

Welcome and Introduction to the research project.

What is criminology: Myth and Reality?

• Ice Breaker: What do you think criminology is?
• What employers think criminology is.
• Criminology: The academic discipline.

Coffee

Career aspirations and destinations:

• Undergraduate aspirations.
• DLHE results.
• Alumni destinations.

Employability in the undergraduate criminology curriculum:

• Criminology in the professions: a specialist employability module?
• Student experience.
• ‘Life after criminology’ DVD presentation.

World Café Lunch: Implications for practice beyond criminology…what do you think?

• Pre-entry guidance.
• Employability in the curriculum.
• Graduate careers guidance.

Round-up and departure 15.00 approx

Another relevant conference

Here is another conference that is likely to be of interest...

Work Based Learning Futures 4 - Work Based Learning: Policy into Practice?
Wednesday 14th April – Thursday 15th April 2010
Middlesex University, Hendon Campus, The Burroughs, Hendon London NW4 4BT

The Work Based Learning Futures conference series began in 2007. Conferences have been organised and hosted alternately by University of Derby Corporate and the Institute for Work Based Learning at Middlesex University.

This conference, to be held at Middlesex University on 14 -15th April 2010, aims to illuminate the relationship between Policy (institutional, regional, national and international) and higher education level Work Based Learning (defined as learning through, at and for work). These policies could then be interrogated from a work based learning perspective and with consideration to the flexibility and capacity of work based learning in higher education to impact in the policy arenas.
Key policy areas which the conference will cover include:
- Higher education funding council policy: ‘Employer Engagement’, Enhancing Learning, Teaching and Assessment, Widening Access.
- Economic and business growth national policy: financing WBL and the position of WBL in the fees debate. Contributions relating to the potential of Work Based Learning to engage with the problems of the current economic downturn and preparing work based learners in coming out of the economic downturn would be particularly welcome.
- EU lifelong learning policy: Developing the Knowledge Economy, Widening Participation in Higher Education through Work Based Learning
- Research policy: research informed curriculum for WBL, Research Councils and WBL research, multi and trans-disciplinarity debates in research

Abstracts (300 words) of papers/workshops are invited by 22nd Feb 2010. Please email your abstract to Natasha Shukla n.shukla@mdx.ac.uk

Confirmation of acceptance of abstracts will be given by 5th March 2010
Three well received and nationally distributed collections of edited papers from the earlier conferences have been published www.uvac.ac.uk and a fourth volume resulting from this conference will be published in 2010 with highlights sent to key policy makers.

To register your interest in the Conference please email Janet Bain j.bain@mdx.ac.uk
The Conference rate is £100 including conference dinner (note that the conference is partly funded by the Centre for Excellence in Work Based Learning)
Work Based Learning Futures 4 is sponsored by the Centre for Excellence at Work Based Learning, Middlesex University and University of Derby Corporate.

ASET Conference 2010

Details of the 2010 ASET conference 'Enhancing the Student Experience through Work Based and Placement Learning' and call for papers have now been published. I have never been to an ASET conference myself, but have heard good reports from colleagues who have attended.

Work-based learning and assessment Conference

Here is a conference that may be of interest.

Work-based learning and assessment for the next decade

16 – 17 March 2010

Weetwood Hall, Leeds, UK

ALPS’ aim over the past five years has been to increase the confidence and competence of students graduating in health and social care. With a high proportion of many undergraduate courses being taught within practice settings, work-based learning and assessment has increasingly been at the forefront of education development.

The ALPS Conference 2010 will facilitate the dissemination of ALPS’ work and act as a springboard from which programme outputs and embedding projects may be launched. The conference will also:

* identify the trends and potential developments of work-based learning and assessment over the next 10 years
* review current and up-and-coming learning technologies
* highlight factors affecting the employability of graduating students

The Conference will be of interest to all those working in health and social care education, as well as researchers, professionals, and anyone concerned with the future of work-based learning and assessment.

Workshops, roundtable and oral presentations will be focused on one of the two conference themes:

1. Working in partnership to improve employability
* Ensuring and assuring professional competence
* How should Higher Education respond to the changing employment landscape? (e.g., the changing face of the NHS)
* ‘All together now’ – interprofessional working, learning and assessment
* Working in collaboration
* Services for students (support during fieldwork, work experience, practice placements etc.)

2. Learning and assessment in the technological age
* Learning without walls
* Student expectations of learning and assessment
* Mobile learning in a mobile world
* Technology as an enhancement to learning
* Long-arm supervision of students at work-based placements
* Sustainability and scalability of learning and assessment innovations

For details of the conference and registration: http://www.alps-cetl.ac.uk/2010registration.html

Post conference thoughts

The last few weeks have been a busy time for conferences, with the fdf Conference in October followed by the UVAC and C-SAP conferences in November. As I mentioned in my last post, I was particularly looking forward to hearing the contrasting views of the Minister of State for Higher Education, David Lammy MP and his shadow John Hayes MP. Unfortunately due to ministerial business David Lammy was unable to attend – a great shame as it would have been an excellent opportunity for the minister to talk with the people who are trying to make the higher skill agenda a reality on a day-to-day basis. The address by John Hayes was long on criticism of current government policy, but rather short on policy proposals to overcome the problems identified. Such is the luxury of opposition.

Party Politics

With the next general election approaching, the parties are getting busy outlining their policies. Whether they will have the funds available to pay for these is of course another matter, but following on from the Liberal Democrats commitment to 10,000 extra university places and 50,000 extra college places for Foundation degrees (see blog entry for 12th September), the Conservatives have also pledged 10,000 additional university places. From their press release there seems to be no mention of additional Foundation Degree places whether college or university based. However, the point that does interest me is that both parties are proposing these as a response to rising levels of youth unemployment in the current downturn. It’s easy to see the short-term political logic of getting people off the unemployment figures, but less clear how this might relate to a longer term skills strategy aimed at addressing the skills needs of the economy.

Perhaps we shall hear more at the forthcoming UVAC conference where both the Minister of State for Higher Education, David Lammy MP and the Shadow Minister John Hayes MP are scheduled to speak.

Employability - International Dimesions

Here's news of a one day workshop focusing on international dimensions of graduate employability. Looks interesting.

The FDTL5 Enhancing Graduate Employability Project is delighted to invite you to attend a one-day workshop entitled:

International Dimensions of Graduate Employability: Developing the global citizen

Friday 16th October 2009

Oxford Brookes University

Confirmed Speakers include:

· Brenda Little, Principal Policy Analyst, Centre for Higher Education Research and Information

· Chris Shiel, Director of the Centre for Global Perspectives, Bournemouth University

· David Bagley, Head of Enterprise and Employability, University of Central Lancashire

This workshop will provide an opportunity to:

· Explore institutional approaches to embedding employability

· Explore some key issues surrounding graduate employability with a specific focus on international perspectives

· Consider the demand for graduate skills in a difficult economic climate

· Enable the sharing of best practice within the higher education sector to enhance graduate level employability

Attendance is free of charge but places are limited. The event will be of interest to academics with an interest in employability from across subject disciplines, careers advisors, senior institutional staff and employers.

To register your interest in this workshop please e-mail: hlst@brookes.ac.uk.

Complimentary copies of the following publications will be made available on the day:

“Delivering Graduate Employability:

Case studies in Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism”

Edited by Sarah Graves and Angela Maher

and

“Graduate Employability: Can higher education deliver?”

Angela Maher and Sarah Graves

The workshop is being run by the FDTL5 Enhancing Graduate Employability Project and is supported by the HLST and BMAF Higher Education Academy Subject Centres and the Oxford Brookes University Careers and Employment Service.

The FDTL5 ‘Enhancing Graduate Employability’ project is directed by Oxford Brookes University and funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL). Further detailed information and resources can be found on the project website at www.enhancingemployability.org.uk

Employability in the Curriculum Conference

Followers of this blog may be interested in a conference just announced by the ceth CETL (Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning) which is developing work around the employability of humanities and social science students.

The announcement and call for papers is below.

Employability in the Curriculum: Beyond the Bolt-on?
First Call for Papers
A ceth conference; www.uclan.ac.uk/ceth

Key Note Speakers so far include:
- Professor Freda Tallantyre (HEA)
- Professor Lee Harvey (Copenhagen Business School)
- Professor Ronald Barnett (Institute of Education, University of London)

The University of Central Lancashire’s Centre for Excellence in Teaching and
Learning (ceth) invites you to explore the processes, value, and impact of
different ways of delivering employability within subject curricula and asks
whether we have moved beyond the bolt-on and to what effect?

You are invited to register and to submit a paper.

The main themes we wish to explore include:
• Embedding employability in non-vocational disciplines
• Work-based learning
• Learning spaces and real/realistic work environments
• Employer, community and alumni engagement
• Teaching, identifying and assessing employability skills
• Evaluation and impact
• The voice of the students
Further details can be seen at
http://www.uclan.ac.uk/ahss/ceth/conference.php along with registration
forms and details for submitting a presentation, or call us on 01772 892250.

Janet Lange
Director, ceth at the University of Central Lancashire, jlange@uclan.ac.uk