Here's The Example

What this project is all about is student-Alumni networking. And here's the prime example I'd like to show you. An online student-Alumni network that allows for mentoring of students and knowledge transfer to Alumni. This is exactly what students and Alumni of every profession should have at every place of higher education. If you don't already have this, then set one up! I will be glad to help you make it happen.

Here's the group:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3450289&trk=groups_most_recent-0-b-shrttl

Simon Sinek's 'The Golden Circle' Talk, About the What, How, and Why of a Business

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

What, How and Why - My Responses to the Motivation Behind This Project

Hi James,

Thank you for your input. I also work in HR, and it is true that my admin experience helped as much as my qualifications to get the job. All the same, I’ll find out what qualifications my colleagues had to have for their positions. Although much of what we do is learned through training, there are still a great many subjects studied in higher education that we use. I’ll find out which are the favourites and get back to you on that.

I assume you’re referring to Simon’s so called ‘Golden Circle’ of ‘What? How? And Why?’ (see link)

So with that in mind, here is my response:

I believe that the true value and power of knowledge has not yet been unleashed. I believe that if it were, then virtually every challenge we face could be overcome by a combination of academic insight (the ‘thinking’ stage) and business acumen (the ‘doing’ stage). After all, we build world class industry right here in England and we can rebuild it. Human beings are as good now as they were in the 19th Century. Human nature does not change, even though our technology does. But the advantage we have now is the benefit of what our predecessors have given us from their learning experiences. If their knowledge and ours were used effectively, we could rebuild virtually everything we have lost in the Recession, from the wisdom of generations past and present.

We have this knowledge in the many books I have seen and read while studying at the University of Birmingham. In the Harding Law Library alone, for instance, I have read literature from centuries old texts. The knowledge held in these books could make profound changes in the legal affairs of virtually every institution, were its full potential to be unleashed. But just as human beings have not yet learned to access 100% of our brain, we have also not unleashed the true power of our knowledge and wisdom.

How we could do this is to bring both the academic and business sectors together, to ensure that every possible angle and insight into a product, service, and profession were considered and tried. If the students of a profession, the professionals in the field, and the retired veterans of each profession were around the same table discussing their issues, I believe this would guarantee that every single thought or piece of knowledge the members possess would be used to find solutions. In the past, think tanks, guilds and trades unions have done to great effect. And there is also clear evidence for this in the success of the U3A (or ‘University of the Third Age’) Programme, which has unlocked a lot of knowledge from the older generation, for the benefit of a great many people: and it has allowed retired professionals to feel valued in the knowledge they impart to others.

Similarly, in the UK, the Technology Strategy Board is working to effect knowledge transfer between universities and businesses, and I understand that the government has established regional centres to do this throughout the country. Again, there are many success stories that I have read about. For the student generation mentoring schemes and apprenticeships have been highly effective in allowing young people to learn about the culture of the workplaces they will enter, as well as bringing their own ideas and insight to the profession. And in every case, social media has had a profound effect on the ability of each generation and sector to impart knowledge to others. But the questions remains: how to organise this, to unleash the full potential of all generations in all professions?

So what I plan to do, is to ensure that students of each subject at a place of higher education, are connected to their (Alumni) counterparts in the profession (and retired), to allow knowledge transfer both ways. The knowledge transferred to the students by the Alumni will give them the mentoring, coaching and connections; and the knowledge transferred from the students to the Alumni will give them new ways of thinking and solutions to help them overcome challenges they face in their businesses and their profession. But we must be systematic, and think of the knowledge economy as one coherent whole:  every student, at every place of higher education should be connected with the Alumni who practise the profession they study for. As you say, I understand that some professions may not seem to have higher education degrees for them, but there are still connections that can be made.

For example, history students are known to go into different professions from their field of study. I’ve known some who studied history at our university, but who went on to practise law, professional acting and many different careers. But they could still be connected to practising archaeologists, archivists and museum curators, who use history degrees in their line of work. If we are stuck for whom to connect with whom, then the clue is in the application: what qualifications were necessary to apply for your job? It is the students of these subjects who should be connected to you. Even if your training was learned on the job, I am sure that a business qualification of some kind was required by your employer. In my case, my law degree was essential for work within local government: who use a lot of legal reasoning in their decision making. So for example, law students whose modules include public law could be connected with Alumni who work in local government.

Another part of the reason 'why' for this project, is that I believe that our mechanisms and systems should truly reflect the way we do business. We're often told that it's 'who you know, not what you know' that get you the career of your choice. My response to this is: ok then, if it's 'who you know,' then what we should have are networks at every school, college or university, that connect the students to the right people in their chosen industry. But from what I have heard so far, this is not always the case: and since networking is so crucial to getting the best jobs, it really should be.

To respond to the ‘What’s In It For Me?’ argument, here is what I say. For the older generation, Student-Alumni networking will allow retired professionals to impart their knowledge from years of experience. Some of the university professors who taught me were themselves, retired professionals. But there are a great many others I have come across, whose knowledge is not used. Some of the pensioners I have served in my past jobs were retired regional managers, wardens, and doctors, who had a lot of knowledge, but little contact with the outside world. Just like the U3A programme, student-Alumni networking could ensure these individuals were valued, and that their knowledge was passed on to student of their profession today.

For my generation, I understand that we are very busy, and that is why I recommend contact with students through social media, not face to face. Online networking will allow us to post comments at our convenience, at a time that does not disrupt our schedules. And more importantly, it will give us access to new ideas from the students, to solve the challenges we are currently facing. Each generation of students brings something new to the mix, that we can benefit from. For example, I am currently working with software than is in a transition phase, and a student at my university might have a bright idea that I hadn’t thought about, to transfer the information more efficiently. This would save me a lot of time and effort. My counterparts in smaller businesses especially would benefit from bright ideas, as they cannot afford the teams of experts available to multi-nationals.  So what’s in it for me as an Alumnus? New ideas from the students to make my working life easier, and the chance for me to feel valued, by teaching them about the cultural expectations of my workplace.

What do the rest of you think about this? I welcome your thoughts.

New Year, New Goal

Well done this year and Happy Christmas

A big thank you to all who have helped to turn 'Let’s Build Bridges' from a nice idea into a serious project! We all agree that young people should be given the best possible opportunities to build careers – this after all is the purpose of every university, college or academy ever founded.

But student-Alumni networking is an important part of this process that is still unfulfilled. Everything I have been told by people so far, has confirmed that there are still gaps to be bridged. Students of every profession at every university should be connected directly online with the professionals (Alumni) of that industry, and Birmingham University is the ideal place to get started.

For this reason, I have started Let’s Build Bridges as a project to bring together the people who can get the ball rolling. While it may seem like a long time has passed, members of both this group and many others have come forward with some remarkable insights, into the challenges facing student-Alumni networking. They have also brought me some intriguing strategies and methods to overcome these challenges, which I intend to put into action from 2014.

We are now at the research stage, finding out what the students want, what form online connections must take; and most importantly, how to bring them about. There will be many changes, as the project evolves to deliver the desired outcome. I agree with the majority of views so far, that we should concentrate our efforts on one campus, start small and then build on thus achievement. We will find ways to improve student-Alumni connections, build new ones, and use this as experience to make even more.

20 or 30 years ago, this level of online interaction between students and Alumni would have been impossible. Students’ exam commitments, Alumni work commitments, and people’s family commitments have always made it hard to arrange face to face meetings, or even telephone conversations at a time convenient to both students and Alumni. Therefore, from what all volunteers to this project have confirmed so far, social media is still the most flexible means to allow both students and Alumni to interact effectively. People have often told me that to provide student-Alumni networks for all would be a 'massive undertaking' which indeed it is. But I've known too many young people who were denied their shot at something better; and too many adults who look back and regret what might have been. Now is the time to act, and do something about it.

In the face of difficulty, it is easy to do nothing. But had the founders of The Sanctuary Group (my employer) thought this when they wanted to start 'The World of Property Housing Trust,' in 1969, several thousand homes, and professions today would not exist. And I will use The Sanctuary Group as an example. A critic could say that you can’t possibly house all of the homeless, or that you can’t possibly help all of the vulnerable: there are endless numbers in needs of help, and providing care and homes for all would not be achievable: so why even bother? I am sure that my colleagues have heard this many times: for every person we help, there always seem to be more who need it. There are indeed many serious challenges to helping the vulnerable and homeless: the financial and legal obligations alone would seem staggering to the average member of the public. 

But this has not stopped us from trying. Every day, the people I work with face astronomical challenges to keep the process going. My colleagues are among the most tenacious people I have yet known. They work flat out, to solve overwhelming problems, and often put in extra time to make sure they are deal with. Yes, at this time, we may not be able to house physically all of the homeless, or provide care for all of the vulnerable. But 95,000 isn’t a bad start, and we expand every day to keep doing more.

By the same logic, I say that the challenges facing young people’s opportunities can be overcome. Although this project is my own personal initiative, it is certainly inspired by the work of others.With the academics and business people involved in the project's networks alone, we can build the first few bridges, and start the process going. Once people realise that there is a way to connect students and Alumni effectively, they will follow our example, and the process will go viral, eventually spreading to every place of higher education, and for every profession.

In the meantime, well done for all your work this year, and have a well earned break. We'll resume in earnest come January.

Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Best Wishes,

James M

Founder and Project Coordinator

       

Dewey Decimal System

When the time comes we will need to decide how subjects and topics are to be divided. For example, would we class Japanese and Chinese studies under one 'Language' network, or allocate a separate one for each?

Also, many skills cross over into different subjects. Topics such as Gaming Design may involve both computer programming and designing skills.

For these reasons, a basic layout of subject areas needs to be in place, to group the different schools by network and a good starting point would be the Dewey Decimal System.

This time honoured library classification system will be the ideal basis for deciding which subjects will go into which networks, and I would like to propose it as the long term guide, when the classification of networks needs to be decided.

Opportunity: The Need for Networks

As part of a larger article to follow, I would like to sum up why it is so important for us to support and develop opportunities for young people.

Right now, our economy in the UK is not doing well. Although we have recovered some losses from the recession, and the Coalition government have tried, we are still facing a lot of setbacks. Cuts are being made to local council services. Energy bills are rising. Wages are falling. The most talented members of our workforce are migrating or emigrating to find work abroad, and many nationals from Romania and Bulgaria among others, will soon compete for jobs on the UK market. Times are tough and the pressure is on.

As I look around, I see people getting on with their lives, and trying to enjoy what they have. Festivities are all around for Christmas, and for a while at least, people may forget their troubles. But the question still hangs in the air: what about the future?

We are all worried what is to come. With fewer jobs, lower wages, higher bills, and an endless rise in global competition, rebuilding our economy seems a hopeless situation. Where do we even start? People may ask. We don't have the funding, our expertise is challenged from abroad, our industries outsourced or downsized to cope.

And it is young people who will be hit the hardest. The next generation will be denied the opportunities for good careers, and will either move abroad, or give up altogether. We can't let this happen.

However, we are obviously not going to kick-start the economy with money alone. Funding is tight in even the best of projects, and cuts will have a knock on effect. Growing competition from Brazil, Russia, China and India, makes the building of more factories and infrastructure harder to do.

So where do we start? First things first: we need to network. Get the smartest, most successful members of each industry around the same table to discuss things, and they will set the process in motion. Guilds and Think Tanks have been used in the past, and for the 21st Century, we should take this to a digital level

If the students and Alumni of each profession were put into the same online networks, and the networks organised in the right way, this would ensure knowledge transfer in every part of the business and academic sectors. It would lead to new developments and ideas, as the students of a profession, the professionals in the field, and the retired veterans of that profession would share their knowledge. Developments would come form all points of view.  This in turn, would lead to new enterprise, and ultimately, to jobs.

Though student-Alumni networks may not seem the most effective way to face the Recession, let's remember, that it was the right combination of academic insight and business acumen during the 18th and 19th Centuries, which led to the Industrial Revolution, here in Britain. We did it once, we can do it again. Networking is the way forward. If it's who you know, not what you know, then we should build more, and effective, networks to make it happen.

For the sake of a whole generation of young people, let's do this.