Developing Autonomy and Employability: The European Challenge Berlin 2006. Students as consultants, tutors as clients

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Developing Autonomy and Employability The
European ChallengeBerlin 2006-08.Students as
consultants, tutors as clients
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• Nick Nunnington e3i Associate Director
• Project Manager
• Principal Lecturer in Corporate
• Real Estate
• Steven Skinner Hallam student
• BSc. Business Property Management
• Final Year
• Participant in the European Challenge

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• What is the Challenge
• Students and staff from 9 universities in 8
  countries.
• Provides an intensive, authentic experience for
  undergraduate/postgraduate students from related
  degree courses (e.g. real estate, facilities
  management, property management and business) by
  setting them a complex inter-disciplinary,
  international professional assignment.
• Interprofessional, international student groups
  work together as consultants for a fictional
  global finance company seeking to establish a new
  European Headquarters.

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• Why does the Challenge drive employability?
• it pushes all the current topical employability
  buttons
• internationalisation - non UK centric -
  challenges a UK perspective
• team working (cross cultural)
• autonomy and self reliance
• commercial awareness
• client management
• communication, motivation . . .
• hit the ground running (What do
  graduates do 2005)
• competitive, intensive and demanding
• raises profiles CVs and interview
• Its FUN yes FUN - work hard play hard

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• So Steven?
• Is it intensive ? - how does it compare to a
  conventionally
• taught module ?
• What makes it a special experience ?
• Is it fun? Why is this important ?
• What was it like working with people from USA /
  Eastern Europe you had never met before ?
• Why do you think it drives employability ?

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• The Process
• Over two weeks the students collectively apply
  their knowledge by assessing the company's
  requirements and analysing potential premises in
  nine cities (incl. Vienna, Bratislava, Warsaw,
  Munich, Amsterdam and Prague).
• Students visit premises, interview local agents,
  and conduct field research in these cities. This
  provides each group with relevant, real data.
• Each group draws up a report and makes a
  professional presentation to the company board
  comprising tutors and employers.

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The Process

• Employability enhancement is at the heart of the
  project.
• Evidence from past students that it has directly
  contributed to gaining employment.
• Develops many standard employability skills but
  also very contemporary ones such as working in
  a multi-national cross cultural team.
• Puts AUTONOMY the first feature of Sheffield
  Hallam's Employability Framework at the heart of
  its pedagogy.

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• Students as consultants, tutors as clients

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• So Steven?
• There was only 50 minutes of traditional
  teaching and that was a briefing the rest was
  through role play how does that work ?
• Was it realistic ?
• What skills did this approach help develop ?
• You had to prepare a lot of material beforehand
  and become an expert was this effective ?
• How has this prepared you for work ?

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Semester 1 October - December
Stage 1 Each Group of 8 students
work Autonomously on a knowledge theme e.g.
Space Planning In their home University
Outputs 1 Poster Presentation 2 Briefing
Paper 3 At least 3 new objects for their
own Blackboard site.
MOTIVATION the students know they will be the
expert consultants in Berlin
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Inter Semester Break January
Stage 2 A team building exercise in their new
multi-national teams e.g. a Polish, Dutch,
English, Irish, German and Danish student working
Together.
Outputs The students present their expert
findings to all the student groups, Distribute
their briefing paper and Signpost their
Blackboard resources
MOTIVATION the students on day one are
setting out their professionalism and
commitment. PLUS National Pride ?
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Inter Semester Break January
Stage 3 Students produce a strategic brief of
their clients requirements HARD DATA plus SOFT
DATA Role play interaction with tutors as
clients.
Outputs The students fully appreciate the role
of a consultant and develop essential client
management skills
MOTIVATION the students find the role play
challenging as tutors are briefed with
conflicts reality!
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Inter Semester Break January
Stage 4 Students fly out to one of 10 capital
cities on the clients shortlist working with
real companies and having Presentations from
real inward Investment agents the students visit
Potential buildings and undertake a Detailed and
objective evaluation
Outputs The students are exposed to the
realities of building appraisal in a non
familiar environment
MOTIVATION the students are working in
unfamiliar territory with real professionals
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Inter Semester Break January
Stage 5 Students complete their building
Selection and make a final Presentation in
front of invited Professionals HR professionals.

Outputs The students make a very high quality
presentation and final report
The Final Report
The Final Presentation
MOTIVATION the students know that jobs are on
offer !
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Seeing, hearing, doing LEARNING A Students
Perspective
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• Dissemination

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• Phase 2
• The European Challenge DV D

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• Next Steps
• DVD Take 2
• Internationally available courseware
  SHU/CETL/CEBE branded.
• Inclusion in the Matrix deployment on business
  courses.
• Entry into e-learning competitions.

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Questions