500 applications - No jobs

If you are a follower of my blog you will no doubt realise that I am passionate about my industry and one of my core aims as a lecutrer is to produce graduates that not only have the skills to gain a job on graduation but to have the skills, passion and drive which will allow them to contribute to the ongoing development of sport and leisure in the long term. My previous posts on how students should be fit for purpose have provided the stimulus to continue to reflect on my teaching. I wish to challenge my delivery to ensure that students have the best possible experience whilst ensuring I meet the needs of the industry -  which at present is in the midst of a sea change.

What would Kolb make of my challenge.

A recent industry graduate level job in sport was advertised with up to  500 graduate applications 3 were short listed with 95% not even close to the mark. There is a growing swell of discontent with industry employers. The challenge is not only to provide front line early career skills and qualifications for students but also to expose students to managerial decision making, programme design, staff management and problem solving. I can teach the decision making process as a model but need students that can deal with the pressure of making decions. The often stale and sterile environments in which we teach are limiting; role plays, scenarios and case studies can make it interesting but these strategies and environments are safe havens for both teachers and students. Placements can expose students to real world sceanrios,  but partners often will not take the risk on new, untried and untested staff, leaving students focused on front line operational tasks. This is a valuable experience but students still need the opportunity to progress.

The Final Transition - LSM - Leisure and Sport Management Society

Final year management and business undergraduates training to work in any industry need valid experiences - someone needs to take a risk on them and challenge both their academic skills and professional competencies. I have set myself the challenge of creating challenging teaching plans and assessments that provide students the opportunity to make the final transition into a professional.

LSM has been set up as a student led society with a remit to improve sport health and well being of staff and students within the University. Final year students have each been given a functional areas in which they must lead. They have multiple assessments/modules associated with this role and will plan, deliver and monitor their own work. My intention is to assess the process at each stage and record how valuable these experiences are to their overall development. In parallel to my blog post regarding teaching philosophies,  I intend to keep a reflective account of this experimental programme of work.