Student Societies: An Untapped Resource

Something else I'd like to put for your consideration. While student-Alumni networks should be first and foremost the students and Alumni of each profession, I believe that the networks will also benefit from one untapped resource: the student societies.

The addition of student societies with the same are of interest as the students and Alumni, has been used to great effect in schemes such as New York State University's 'Constituent' scheme, which I believe is a brilliant idea for several important reasons.

When we think about it, who are the best professionals in the world? Chances are, they will be the ones who wanted to be in that profession. The best doctors are the ones who wanted to be doctors, the best plumbers wanted to be plumbers.

There are many so called 'amateur' societies: amateur sports clubs, amateur dramatic societies. But although the word 'amateur' is often used as an insult, it's literal meaning is indeed 'for the love of it.' After all, what is it that we love about athletes? Their passion. Passion goes a long way. A group of people who are passionate about what they do will always achieve much more, than a group who were simply paid to do the same.

This is the potential that we have with student societies. There are many young people who had a passion they had to give up, in favour of a more stable career, but they continue their interests through a group of like minded young people who are also doing the thing they love.

I believe that these societies can bring a lot to the student-Alumni networks. Their members have a genuine interest, and may have original ideas to contribute to developments in each industry. For example, members of the universities' sports clubs may not be qualified athletes, but they will bring a fresh perspective to the development of student Alumni knowledge transfer within professional sport.

Another very good example I'd like to use, is one of my old student societies, the Guild Musical Theatre Group, at the University of Birmingham. For over 25 years, within GMTG (as it is known), student volunteers from all schools of study have come together to perform shows to a very professional standard. The society has built up an organised operation, and its Alumni have gone on to do great things throughout the performing arts and other industries.

A group like this could bring some very interesting ideas to the student-Alumni networks of music, drama and dance, to name but a few. The genuine passion of GMTG's members would make all the difference, were they to discuss with performing arts students and Alumni who perform for a living. I can guarantee you that they would bring some original insights from the raw, original work they have done. And of course, this approach could be tried for all schools of study.

I once heard of a student technical society who spent their passion by rigging and assembling the gigs for all other societies on campus. It was an ingenious idea, and obviously helped them to do the thing they loved, by providing a worthwhile service to others.

There are many such examples of successful student societies, where young people come together as volunteers, to do the thing they love. I believe that their original insight would make an important contribution to existing student-Alumni networks, and I strongly recommend that it be considered as an integral part of each school of study.

Opportunity Let's Do It

On the Job Training: Giving Non-Graduates Their Chance

I’d like to take time out for a moment, to consider one group of people, who need opportunities the most: the Non-Graduates. While this project is focussed on young people in higher education: who will have the means and influence to create opportunities for others; it has been pointed out to me, that there are plenty of young people who are smart and talented, but whose families could not afford to send them to college or university. Add to this the rising cost of tuition fees, the massive overheads of student accommodation and food, and we see that higher education is becoming increasingly off limits, to all but all but a privileged few.

The all too familiar scene I see around me now, is that people have to keep their heads down just to pay their bills. Between long hours, low wages, and responsibilities to family and home, there is very little time or resources left to study for full time education. The result is, that while there are some employees who are overqualified for the jobs they have; there are also those who are underqualified, because they have learned through experience on the job, new skills for which they may receive a grade.

Some solutions like home learning, have been tried to good effect, and I myself am lucky to have had one qualification through an out-of-hours diploma. But again, these cost time and money. For those in full time work: especially the Non-Graduates, who may not have the option of full time study, there is I think, a more practical solution.

A number of years ago, there was a very interesting role that I applied for. The government had responded to a damning report by an international survey, about the relative skill levels of each nation’s workforce. Britain was ranked lowest in the survey; but this, as government ministers argued, was unfair, because a lot of skilled employees were working to a level they had not been graded for.

So a scheme was introduced, to appoint special assessors, to find talented young people, who could be given on-the-job training. It was an exciting idea: after all, there are plenty of young employees who are learning on the job through experience, and it would be interesting to see how many deserved to be given qualifications on what they had learned.  Sadly, I didn’t get the job, but it showed me how important it is, to discover hidden talent. So here’s how it could work.

The government could create a scheme, where special referrals can be made, by employers, teachers, and parents; for on-the-job assessments: similar to past schemes, but this time for employees within all professions. I earned a QCF (formally NVQ) in Customer Service this way, so it can certainly be done. Once a Formal Recommendation is made, an assessor could be appointed, to check the candidate’s progress. The assessor would determine what grades the candidate would qualify for; and if the candidate needs to sit an exam, what further training or preparation is needed for this. The candidate would then receive the grade(s) from the assessor, or be referred to sit the relevant exam.

This kind of assessment has been used in the past, but I argue that it should now be made universal: if an employee’s line manager, or a student’s teacher can see that he or she possesses an ungraded skill, then a candidate in any profession should be referred for assessment.  

What this will do, is to reveal a wealth of hidden talent, right across our workforce. It will allow talented employees to rise in their profession, and help them overcome the frustration of feeling held down or held back, because they will be given new opportunities for career advancement. For Non-Graduates especially, it will allow access to on-the-job qualifications, that will reflect their true ability, and overcome a great many social disadvantages they have had to endure. On-the-job training may seem a poor substitute for higher education, but I believe that it is a practical way to nurture the talent of Non-Graduates, and to give them the break they deserve.

Who You Know Not What You Know

Networking Into a Business, How to Get Recommended

Networking effectively from higher education into business, is a very important part of student-Alumni relations, and it therefore something I'd like to comment on.

Students have been taught to speak only to the managers, or to the highest member of the organisation they can contact,  to network their way into an organisation. However, to be blunt, this approach will get them nowhere. It is standard practise among most businesses, that executive and high level management cannot be contacted directly. All calls, queries, and letters must come through their PA’s, who may simply discard them, or redirect them to the normal application routes. No matter how impressive the student’s liaising, or how brilliant his or her resume, the manager simply will not hire someone who is not known or recommended to him or her.

The student’s persistence will only serve to annoy the PA’s and secretarial staff on the other end, who have to take time out of their work to deal with the many speculative letters, cold calls and email queries that come their way. And to the student, the constant rejection by potential employers, can be soul destroying, even for business students, who are taught to be prepared for it.  Personal contact may also not be enough. Meeting face to face with their employer will make a difference to a graduate’s chances, but the question at the back of the recruiter’s mind is ‘if I take you on, what will you the candidate, give me in return?’

So here is a solution that I propose, both to help student-Alumni networking, and to motivate the students and Alumni to work together. I suggest that as part of their final year’s assignments, students are made to work directly with the Alumni. A selected student must learn the culture of that Alumnus' workplace, through mentoring and coaching. The student, in return, looks at ideas and innovations that could help the Alumnus in the course of their work. Let’s face it, we have a dozen headaches in the workplace everyday, and it would help to have a fresh perspective from a student of the profession, who can think outside the box, and come up with something new.

The difference between this arrangement and the existing mentoring schemes, is that it could be made a formal, integrated part of each student’s course. Since the larger organisations already have arrangements in place for knowledge transfer, the students’ ideas could be used to help Alumni with smaller businesses they know; or at a more basic level of a big organisation. If an agreement could be secured between the university and the business, then the student's assignment could become a module of their final year. 

The student would have to demonstrate that she or he had made every effort to solve the problem or issue that was agreed upon. It may not always be possible to find a solution, but the student’s ideas and suggestions will have made a difference to the Alumnus, making life a little easier in his or her profession.

I realise that placements of this kind do exist in some professions. For example, here in the UK, the Knowledge Transfer Partnership has arranged this with many universities, colleges and businesses. But my understanding is that student to business networking is arranged by their Partnership on a strategic level. That is brilliant for the students who are taking part: but I say that this option should be considered and promoted systematically, throughout our knowledge economy: for students of all professions, at all colleges and universities. Even the professions that are more individually focussed can benefit from student innovation. For example, full time musicians could benefit from new databases of clients, or improved booking systems for their concert work.

The Alumnus who works with the student can then recommend him or her, to one of the managers higher up in the business, or to another connection known to the Alumnus. As we know, a recommendation by someone in the profession goes a long way to ensuring that a graduate can secure the job of his or her choice.

In this way, we will save a lot of frustration on both sides of the application process, and make it easier for all, by arranging formal agreements between the students and Alumni. Cold calling businesses, without tangible results to offer, will not work. Students may still have better luck with the small to medium enterprises; but for these and especially for the larger organisations, it is better for their colleges and universities to have formal arrangements in place for the students to work as interns. The Alumni give the students coaching and mentoring as before; and in return, the students give the Alumni their ideas and innovations, to help the Alumni in their professions.

That is what I propose.

I welcome your thoughts on this.

Update for February 2014

Thanks to all members of this group, Let’s Build Bridges, for their information so far. I will now update you all on our progress.

Due to resourcing issues, I am told that it will not be possible to pursue Let’s Build Bridges in co-operation with Fixers as I had hoped. Therefore, from now on, this project will be a fully independent one, that is open to participation from all organisations. We will now develop an open forum, for discussion between all members, as to where student-Alumni networking has succeeded, and where it still needs improvement. Having spoken with my contact at Bright Futures UK, he has agreed to direct interested academics to this page, to share their ideas and experiences. We will be able to hear the success stories, from the people who founded the networks: and to hear first-hand, for where improvements will be needed.

The main challenge to student-Alumni relations so far, is inconsistency. It is not that students and Alumni do not network at all; but that some do and some do not. For example I have learned already that at my old university, the University of Birmingham, there is an excellent network for Engineering students and Alumni: but not one for Environmental Sciences. In the interests of equal opportunity, I say that all students must have access to the same basic networking resource, regardless of their field of study; where they study, or the curriculum of their university. And again, I am told that it is usually a handful of dedicated students from each school who network. But online networking with Alumni should be seen in exactly the same way as apprenticeships: as a logical process, leading from study, straight into the profession itself.

There are certain professions like television production, and directing in a theatre, where the career path may seem less well defined, and from the graduates' accounts of their profession, personal contacts are more useful than straightforward application. For these professions especially, more networks between students of those disciplines, and the Alumni in the business would be a clear help to all.

I understand that it is difficult to convince students that this is in their interest, but I will personally speak to any students, who may have doubts about networking with Alumni, and will tell them from 10 years of experience, exactly what they will gain. Another issue we face is of course, that each student is unique. Students of every college and school within a university have a unique learning experience: and the work of students from one campus may seem entirely different to those from another. Student-Alumni networks may not seem a one-size-fits-all solution. But we should still remember that students of every subject at every university or college must have access to the same basic learning resources: and in today’s increasingly competitive world, this should include direct access to the Alumni in their chosen profession.

So, I would like to hear the experiences from your contacts, who have helped student-Alumni relations. If you or anyone you know would like to comment on the issues involved, I am more than happy to make you Contributors to the blog, to write articles of interest. You are of course, welcome to comment on the Linkedin and Facebook pages as well. I will try to establish more links on Twitter, Instagram and other media, but would like to focus on the more obvious pages for now. It would also be good to have a wider range of participants involved, so if there is anyone you know who is interested in improving student-Alumni relations, then you are welcome to invite them to this page.

I am also waiting to hear back from a member of the Technology Strategy Board. The Board have pioneered many projects for knowledge transfer between businesses and academics themselves, and will hold useful information for networking projects from the Alumni point of view. I have given my contact the links to these pages and am waiting to discuss with him.

Eventually, I plan to use the arguments from interested parties, to determine where more student-Alumni networks are needed, and to take action to do this. The best solution so far, on the advice you have given, is to hold a competition between all schools of a university, for the most original innovation that academic year: and to encourage students and Alumni of every school, to work together to achieve this. That will ensure that any students or Alumni who are not already networking will be encouraged to do so. By working together, the students will get the mentoring and coaching from the Alumni: and the Alumni will get new ideas from the students that they can use in their professions. This will be a win-win solution, as all participants will gain something from such a competition: including the host university, who can take credit for the new innovations.

It is in everyone’s interests that students and Alumni of every profession are interconnected: to ensure mentoring and coaching of students to prepare them for a very competitive, global job market; and to give the Alumni new ideas, and innovations, to make their professional lives easier. Our efforts will go a long way to making sure that this happens.

Who You Know Not What You Know