Employability of Chinese Students: Options and Challenges Daniel Ferrett Mark Turnbull Oxford Brooke

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Employability of Chinese Students Options and
ChallengesDaniel FerrettMark Turnbull Oxford
Brookes University Careers Centre
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Aims of Session

• To outline aims and objectives of producing a
  careers information resource for Chinese students
  employability!
• To describe some of the problems encountered
  during the process What to include? What to
  exclude? Who to appeal to?
• To demonstrate the finished product and get you
  to spread the word!

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Why a Careers Information Resource for Chinese
Students? Context

• HE careers sector concentrates on UK/EU graduates
  and UK graduate labour marketBUT gt25 of Oxford
  Brookes Careers Centre clients are international
  students (with Chinese students the largest
  cohort)!
• International students (those whose domicile is
  outside EU) have little chance of staying and
  working long-term in the UK after graduation
• International students have raised expectations
  about chances of employment in the UK do not
  understand work permit regulations/process of
  applying for work permits by prospective employer
  the infamous list question!

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Why a Careers Information Resource for Chinese
Students? Origins of the Project

• Brainstorming for funding! Money available
  through Vice-Chancellors Innovation and
  Development Fund
• Discussed various ideas with International
  Students Advisory Service colleagues settled on
  Employability Packages for International
  Students Establishing a pilot project for
  Chinese students
• Funding of 8,000 for Careers Centre staff to
  research, write and produce a CD- ROM information
  resource to distribute to Chinese students and
  graduates

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Why a Careers Information Resource for Chinese
Students? Rationale of the Project (1)

• Vast majority of information resources held by
  Careers Centre targeted at UK graduate labour
  market material concerned with job seeking
  strategies, CV writing, applying for graduate
  schemes, interview techniques etc.
• Lack of information provision for international
  students recognised by results of national survey
  of HE careers centres (see www.hecsu.ac.uk)
• Need for targeted information resources to cater
  for different sets of international students
  taking into account differences in labour
  markets, culture, application processes etc.

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Why a Careers Information Resource for Chinese
Students? Rationale of the Project (2)

• Decided to focus on Chinese students largest
  cohort of international students at Brookes UK
  HE, frequent users of Careers Centre
• Careers Centre staff had difficulty in
  answering/resolving student enquiries mainly
  around employment opportunities in UK issue of
  raised expectations
• The element of realism what can we do for
  Chinese students? What cant we do? What should
  parameters of project be?
• Focus on Chinese students returning to mainland
  China to seek employment in a rapidly changing
  economy job seeking, CVs, labour market info,
  interview techniques etc.

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Part 2 of presentation

• Over to Mark to demonstrate the finished article!

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Mark Turnbull

• Careers Counsellor
• Careers Centre
• Oxford Brookes University

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How we did it.

• Blue Skied contents
• ?
• Advice from Chinese student
• ?
• Write content
• ?
• Focus group review
• ?
• Final touches
• ?
• Design process CD Rom and packaging
• ?
• Production
• ?
• Distribution

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• The important bit..

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• ? Do better?
• Differentiate between recruitment activities of
  Western companies and those of the country
  specific employers
• Provide information on more employment sectors
  and do this in more detail
• Include more company case studies
• Better video advice
• Put a date on it
• Visit the country!

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• Good bye from Dan
• and its
• Good bye from Me