Creating and embedding an employer liaison group (ELG) to enhance employability and higher level skills in science students.

Effective employer-university engagement benefits students, employers and Society by producing graduates better aligned to the work environment.

The Faculty of Science at the University of Sheffield obtained funding from the National HE STEM programme to create, explore and articulate a model for an Employer Liaison Group (ELG) to enhance employability and higher level skills in Science students. The project ran from May 2011 – June 2012.

A second aim of the project was to provide, via case studies, a detailed insight into the approach taken by the Faculty of Science to creating an ELG as well as the benefits (and pitfalls) of this approach. Eight case studies have been developed which provide step-by-step advice on topics from examining existing practice to ensuring sustainability. In developing the case studies, we also made some suggestions and offered practical advice that we hope will be useful for others either thinking about or in the process of setting up an Employer Liaison Group. We collated these in the form of “Hints and Tips”. The case studies and “Hints and Tips” can be accessed from the quick links on the right.

The project has successfully developed a dialogue between employers and departments within the Faculty of Science and created opportunities to share ideas and experiences in a more systematic way than has been achieved previously. As well as the immediate benefit of a forum for the stakeholders to gain a mutual understanding of their respective environments, the project has generated a number of positive outcomes including student bursaries and internships.

Although, as a STEM funded project, the remit of our ELG focussed on undergraduate students taking degrees in Chemistry, Mathematics & Statistics and Physics & Astronomy, the project demonstrates the relevance of this approach to other disciplines. Sustaining and broadening the remit of the ELG to cover other departments within the Faculty has been identified as a Faculty of Science learning and teaching priority for 2013 and onwards.

A copy of the Project’s final report can be accessed from the quick links on the right.