What do graduates do? What skills do employers need? Meeting the employment needs of businesses
- Date: Friday 17 May 2019, 09:00 – 15:15
- Location: Park Plaza Hotel, City Square, Leeds, Boar Ln, City Square, Leeds LS1 5NS
- Type: Ideas in Practice, Conferences, Seminars and lectures
- Cost: Free
This is an event in the Ideas in Practice series taking place in Leeds on Friday 17 May 2019
Industry and employment reports, conferences and the business media abound with questions such as ‘How can we address the skills gap? Where do we find the best graduates? Are we losing our regional graduate talent to London or other regions? What skills do our industries really need? How do we use our talent to meet today's demands?'
This seminar/workshop addresses some important labour market issues: first we look at graduate employment destinations (geographic and sector), graduate career and employments interests, effective methods of recruiting graduates and new and/or major trends and shifts in working. This will include regional and local analysis on how well we perform at retaining our graduates and attracting those from other areas. These are key issues for both businesses and public sector employers.
While much is commented on the soft skills graduates require; few would doubt that the world of work has changed dramatically in the past decade with digitalisation, analytics, AI and evidence-based decision making featuring prominently across business careers. It is not surprising that the value and importance of quantitative analysis and data skills in 21st century jobs is widely recognised. Graduates going into business and management are increasingly required to demonstrate skills in these areas.
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The Nuffield Foundation's national Q-Step programme has resulted in a step-change in provision of quantitative skills for students across the social sciences (including business, arts and humanities). We will look at the value of quantitative and data skills, and employers' needs in these areas.
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In recent years there has been major growth in students taking analytics degrees at Leeds University Business School.
There is no charge to attend this event.
Event format
| 9.00am | Registration |
| 9.30am | Welcome and introduction: Christopher Forde, Professor of Employment Studies, Co-Director of CERIC |
| 9.45am | Presentation: Graduate employment destinations and career choices, Jane Campbell, Head of Student Careers and Andy Blunt, Data, Systems and Quality Manager, University of Leeds |
| 10.15am | Presentation: Talent that works - how employers bring entry level hires into their businesses, Professor Tristram Hooley, Chief Research Officer, Institute of Student Employers |
| 10.45am | Tea/coffee break |
| 11.15am | Presentation: How I learned to stop worrying and love the quants, Simon Gallacher, Head of Quantitative Skills, Nuffield Foundation |
| 11.45am | Stand up and be counted: valuing quantitative and data skills for students in business, arts, social sciences and humanities, Presentations from placement students, placement hosts and alumni |
| 1. Q Step summer placements - Department of Health & Social Care
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| 2. Q Step summer placements - Leeds City Council, Policy & Plans
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| 3. Year in Industry placement – PwC
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| 4. MSc Business Analytics alumnus
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| 12.45pm | Networking lunch |
| 1.45pm | Breakout groups
Theme - Employer skills needs, challenges and solutions In smaller groups, participants will discuss and feed back on the following issues:
Groups will be led by: Simon Gallacher Chris Forde Barbara Summers, Professor of Human Judgment and Decision Making, Leeds University Business School |
| 2.45pm | Presentation: The skills needs of businesses in the Yorkshire region, Mark Goldstone, Head of Policy, West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce |
| 3.15pm | Event close |
For further information, please contact Naomi Colhoun at research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk