In 2017, UNE Business School continues to undertake several projects funded by the Department of Education & Training’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP). HEPPP aims to ensure that Australians from low SES backgrounds who have the ability to study at university have the opportunity to do so.

One of our projects is being run by Ms Airlie Bell, who was recently recognised by CDAA Excellence Awards for Career Development Practice – Individual. This award is for excellence in the design and delivery of career development programs. Read more…

Airlie’s HEPPP project began with an objective to offer students from low SES backgrounds individual career support during their first trimester, to assess whether this intervention would improve rates of engagement and retention. This first stage required student engagement with the project, and Airlie was able to involve 15 students.During weeks 7-10 of Trimester 1, Airlie set up a temporary careers office in the Business School, and students were invited at lectures to pop in for a short careers consultation.

Airlie shares:

While each student presented individual concerns, there were some common themes. Older students (mid-20+) were looking for career coaching, and strategies to enhance their graduate career opportunities. Younger students were more often uncertain about their choice of degree and/or subjects, and most had not even begun to think about career destinations. It would appear that most had not examined the course or content in any detail before enrolling, and they did not seem to have made the connection between what they were being taught and a future career. Perhaps more concerning, they were not asking for assistance prior to being prompted to access this HEPPP opportunity.

It is clear that it is not only UNE who are experiencing this issue – while attending the CDAA Conference where she received her award for Career Development Practice, Airlie shares that many representatives of other universities are also struggling to grow use of support and services they provide. The conference was an opportunity to talk through some possible solutions or different approaches to assist students in career development.

At this stage, with several common issues highlighted by initial work in Trimester 1, Airlie proposes to conduct a wider survey of a sample of first year students at the beginning of Trimester 2, with information collected providing the basis for development of strategies to address those concerns identified.

UNE Business School blog will keep up to date with progress on our HEPPP funded projects as the year progresses.