UCT Careers Service co-organises global directors’ careers summit

How do higher-education institutions ensure best practice when delivering careers services to tomorrow’s students and employers while keeping up with the ever-changing world of work? 

These and many other challenges are being posed at the Global Careers Service Summit in the UK this week where 100 careers-service leaders have converged on Newcastle upon Tyne from 13 – 15 March 2018. Participants will share best practice and insights into various issues facing higher-education institutions.  

The summit creates a platform where careers services across the world can share their insights, observations, challenges and opportunities via collegial dialogue so that they can appreciate their similarities and differences. It also creates a space to network and form cohesive international partnerships with colleagues, all of which are central to excellent service delivery.

To help solve some of the worldwide challenges, UCT joined fellow directors at Newcastle University in the UK as well as Binghamton University and the University of California, Irvine, (both in the US) to help organise the event. David Casey, UCT Careers Service Director, says: ‘Careers service leaders are coming from five continents and 14 countries to this annual summit to engage with, collaborate on, discuss and collectively solve global challenges.’

Delegates will partake in workshops, presentations and interact in small groups. Some topics of discussion include ‘What are the hot topics faced by global careers services?’; ‘What do businesses require of graduates’; ‘Trends in employer and university relationships’ and ‘How are we preparing our students to start their own businesses?’  An international employer panel will also advise on company expectations.

‘Some topics that have been identified for discussion include how technology can help to scale service offerings; increased demands placed on multiple stakeholders and the need for careers service professionals to prepare students for the future world of work,’ says Casey. Topics were identified in a pre-summit questionnaire sent to delegates.

An addition to this year’s summit is a poster exhibition, in which UCT Careers Service highlights: ‘How data was used to influence change’. One of UCT Careers Service’s innovative deliverables in 2017 was the creation of a digital dashboard, which uses data to establish trends, predict outcomes, and inform its strategy. Each year UCT Careers Service disseminates and collates the Graduate Exit Survey at the University and this data shows the destination of students at graduation. 

‘The poster exhibition introduces a practical element and allows delegates to share global best practice. This summit will be a wonderful global opportunity for UCT Careers Service to showcase our innovative work and discover new ways of doing things differently through dialogue with our global colleagues,’ says Casey. In line with its strong focus on technology, UCT Careers Service agreed to develop and manage the summit’s app.

Finally, the World Café, which is an interactive session where participants focus on issues they would like to discuss in more detail, will help wrap up the summit.

Associate Professor and Dean for the Centre for Higher Education Development at UCT, Suellen Shay, says the university is ‘thrilled’ to be part of the global summit of careers professionals.

‘We welcome this platform for discussion, debate and creative problem-solving on some of the most pressing issues of our time as we collectively see to prepare graduates to thrive in the uncertain landscape of the world of work.’