Engaging students in the midst of a pandemic

Work and play

Making a real difference to local government

Real difference

Engaging diverse audiences for the NHS

Your NHS

A global challenge

100% you

The social mobility challenge

Be the apprentices

The pandemic has changed student engagement in a number of different ways. Virtual has become a norm &#8211; to attract as well as assess students. And it seems that employers are determined not to go back to old methods, but to embrace a more hybrid model. But this means different kinds of challenges &#8211; breaking through the digital noise, grabbing the passers-by, reaching out to diverse audiences and creating connected experiences that students want to be part of. We are here to support employers and help them transform engagement &#8211; from school years to graduate alumni, from initial contact to webinars, social engagement and more.

/get-ready-for-amazing-virtual-campus-experiences/

Get ready for amazing virtual campus experiences

/events/employability-roundtable-focusing-on-interdisciplinary-learning/

Employability Roundtable

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is possibly the biggest challenge and opportunity facing the majority of organisations. We work with employers to engage diverse audiences, build strong communities, create peer to peer content and run events that put a spotlight on what DE&amp;I means to organisations and to their people.
Talk to us about:
• DE&amp;I insight 
• Targeting and campaigns 
• Content 
• DE&amp;I events 
• Influencers

DE&I

Today social is a way of life.  It influences our decisions in everything we do, from the music we listen to, to the food we eat. Talent brands need to socially immersed, creating and co-creating content, engaging with students, standing up for what they believe in, and showing the culture and values of the organisation.
Talk to us about:
<ul>
<li>Social media strategy</li>
<li>Content development</li>
<li>Social management</li>
<li>Influencers</li>
<li>Social measurement</li>
</ul>

Social

We are a brand and engagement agency; so we focus heavily on how a brand story can evoke the right emotions in the audience and provoke action.  We are master storytellers, using all the tools in the communications box to engage and inspire our audiences, from the first contact right through to life inside an organisation.  Remember, communications that engages really connect with the right people and builds the brand is as much about the science as it is surprising audiences.
Talk to us about:
<ul>
<li>Concept development</li>
<li>Student targeting</li>
<li>Campaign management</li>
</ul>

Campaigns

We&#8217;ve seen a seismic shift in the way we might work in the future – and it is more virtual and more digital, relying less on the traditional engagement opportunities.  Now more than ever brands need to invest in digital experiences that cut through the ever-increasing noise and engage people in novel and relevant ways.  It is no longer enough simply to have a website.  What is your social strategy?  How can you use Voice or AR?  What will help and support students in the best possible way?  Lots of questions.  We can help you come up with the answers.
Talk to us about:
<ul>
<li>Website design and development</li>
<li>App development</li>
<li>AR, VR and Voice</li>
<li>Social media engagement</li>
<li>Digital marketing</li>
</ul>

Digital

Student Marketing

In Conversation with Emma Moore, Head of University Partnerships, Gradconsult and ex-Director of Careers and Employability at the University of Liverpool and some fantastic Peer Career Coaches from the University of Liverpool.
Jayne Cullen, 106 Communications Early Careers Consultant, recently attended the ISE webinar on Peers in Careers where Emma was joined by Jane Campbell, Head of Student Careers at the University of Leeds to share their experiences of integrating students as members of staff into their service provisions. Thank you to Emma and Student Careers Coaches, Aditi, Zuzanna and Aidan for sharing their time and experiences with us… here is a summary of the conversations…
<h2>The concept of Peers in Careers? </h2>
In 2019 Emma and the team at Liverpool launched their Career Studio employing 20 student careers coaches for 10 hours a week, who were responsible for delivering the whole front end careers support. The concept is around co- exploration ie the students themselves cannot and do not claim to be experts; instead they co-explore and support their fellow students on to the next step in their career journey. Together student members of staff and the students are encouraged to identify one short term step that will move their career journey on a stage. The conversations between students were less formal and based around shared lived experiences.
At Leeds, Jane Campbell has introduced a slightly different model in conjunction with the Widening Participation team whereby they have hired four students/ recent graduates as Employability Progression Assistants each of whom are case loaded with finalists/ grads who need careers support. Leeds also runs a Peers Support System (similar to Liverpool’s Careers Studio) as well as hiring placement students and interns into the Careers comms team.
All of this sounds pretty radical? Well, it was certainly groundbreaking and paved the way for over 24 Universities including MMU, QMUL and Kings to embrace the approach and offer different versions on a theme from Campus Brand Managers, Communications Assistants, Frontline support and Student Careers Coaches. Since leaving Liverpool ten months ago, Emma has worked with many careers teams across the country to help shape their peer-to-peer offer.
But why is this proving so popular?
<h2>The driver? </h2>
At a time when careers teams were under increasing pressure to deliver a value-add service to their fee-paying students there was a strong driver to innovate. Teams continue to be stretched and often under resourced unable to deliver innovative and diverse approaches to an ever-increasing student population. All the while students were hungry for peer-to-peer content across multi platforms, and that content included careers information and guidance.
Furthermore, University Access and Participation Plans dictate that Employability Services need to be able to prove how they are supporting different student groups, working with students as partners and incorporating the student voice in service design is a great way to do this. Yet, the careers profession is somewhat lacking in diversity with a predominance of white, female advisors in role – so when trying to engage with diverse student groups, careers teams often struggled with lack of engagement as students weren’t “seeing someone like me” in the team. Aditi, Careers Coach at Liverpool, explains that many students, particularly those with lower careers capital, will avoid engaging as they assume their questions will be “too stupid for professionals to deal with.” Instead, the opportunity to engage with a fellow student who is in the same boat is more relatable, asserts Aditi.
Aidan, a Masters student at Liverpool and a returning Careers Coach, explained that he sees his role as helping students to break down barriers; “students often see careers services and employers as a massive wall that they can’t penetrate. My job is to support students to see their own potential, discuss options and to build their confidence. Its not about telling the student what to do or how to do it.”
<h2>What benefits have Universities enjoyed?  </h2>
The cool factor!
Emma talked passionately about how having student members of staff as part of the careers team has made services way more accessible admitting that careers may have, in some cases, a reputation for being somewhat “stuffy, boring and old fashioned.” Student members of staff have been able to improve the marketing and reach of careers teams via social media channels in new ways, following student trends and raising awareness of graduate jobs and supporting the transition of students into the world of work. “Having students running careers teams socials makes us look a lot cooler and more accessible; it’s a lot less cringey.”
Depth and breadth
As mentioned, careers teams are limited with resource and spread thinly, so a significant benefit of employing students has been the ability to increase the team’s bandwidth and to do more interesting projects that previously were on the back burner.
But it hasn’t just been the breadth of provision that’s improved, it’s also about having different minds to work with.
<h2>What lessons have been learned in employing Peers in Careers? </h2>
Going into the unknown, the team were unsure what to expect, what level of commitment and engagement they would receive from the student mentors. Nevertheless, the student staff members were professional and respectful, bringing lots of ideas to the table craving responsibility and wanting to make a difference.
Emma would encourage careers teams recruiting teams of students to think about
<ul>
<li>The level of pastoral support required when hiring students especially around mental health and anxiety. Students need support around balancing their work and their studies.</li>
<li>Getting the right mix of students within the team that best reflects the student population you are serving. For example, a mature student with a high level of work experience under their belts may not best respond to working with a 19-year-old coach – a diverse mix is best.</li>
<li>Take time to plan training, this is crucial to the success of a student coach.</li>
<li>Ensure that there is an ongoing mechanism for observation and feedback to maintain quality.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Finally, how would you encourage employers to get involved? </h2>
#1 – Employers should encourage Student Careers Coaches to attend their on-campus or virtual sessions. Or better still to run specifically targeted events to hep the student staff to translate the offer to their own networks. Zuzanna, a student at Liverpool explains that “this is really important to help broaden my own understanding of different sectors so I can pass on these hints and tips to my peers.”
#2 &#8211; Student coaches are encouraged to spread the word about careers amongst their own networks and communities. Zuzanna mentioned that in her role she was encouraged to spread the word of the role of the Careers Coaches within her own and other departments and that having these employer insights was invaluable as part of her presentations.
By engaging with peers in careers employers may be able to access different student groups than previously.
#3 &#8211; Student staff members are a well-informed audience; they know a lot about careers and aren’t like your typical focus group of students. In fact, many of them have found their way into Early Careers teams within large corporates. Employers would benefit from working with them to better understand the idiosyncrasies of different campuses.
Using student careers ambassadors to help you shape your student marketing activities could also be hugely beneficial to help bridge the gap between what students want and what employers think students want according to Aditi. Keeping abreast of what is going on with your target student audience is another benefit of employers getting involved. Aidan suggested that Careers Coaches can help employers keep their finger on the pulse of students’ burning questions or concerns.
At this time of year we are all in full on Autumn term planning. If you would like to discuss how 106 comms can support you in maximising the network of Peers in Careers then do get in touch – <a href="mailto:jayne@106comms.com">jayne@106comms.com</a>

Peers in Careers: The changing faces in student employability

Welcome to &#8220;The Communicators’ Corner&#8221; – a series where we ask senior IC leaders the questions that you’ve always wanted answers to. We’re delving into challenges they encounter, the strategies they employ to surmount them, and the inspiration that drives them as communicators. This is a platform for collective learning, from each other’s wins (and mistakes), that will help us overcome the unique and always varied challenges that face internal communicators.
Our inaugural guest is none other than Rina Paredes, Internal Communications Manager at <a href="https://cafod.org.uk/about-us/how-we-work/our-common-home-vision">CAFOD</a>, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. When we saw her present at the SimplyIC Conference in May, we knew that Rina would be the perfect guest to kick off this series!
Originally from Lima, Perú, Rina came over to the UK from Latin America where she spent 18 years working in the international development sector. Since 2012, Rina has been an integral part of CAFOD&#8217;s mission, bringing her passion and expertise in ‘Communications for social change’. This is an approach often used in Latin America, that sets emphasis on participatory communication allowing people to not only be heard but also to discuss and re-construct boundaries and cultural norms that underpin knowledge and power relations.
Inquiring about what sets CAFOD apart as a workplace, Rina&#8217;s response radiated with genuine admiration and motivation. Despite the major challenges they face as a charity dedicated to eradicating global poverty and advocating for global justice, she finds herself consistently inspired by the enduring sense of hope that permeates the organisation&#8217;s culture of nurturing relationships.
She spoke passionately about CAFOD&#8217;s mission and recognises the impact her role has on empowering and bringing to light the voice of local leaders in crisis-stricken regions across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Rina provides them with a platform to voice their experiences to the rest of the charity across the globe and their supporters in England and Wales.
At its core, CAFOD stands as a purpose-driven organisation, with a resolute mission. As a result, Rina experiences the unique advantage of a workforce already deeply connected to the organisation&#8217;s purpose.
<h2>What challenges do you face as a communicator at CAFOD?</h2>
<blockquote>
“Do you want me to save the world, or do you want me to be in your film for internal communications?”
</blockquote>
Time seems to be the enemy for most internal communicators, no matter the industry, and convincing colleagues and senior leadership of the value of planned internal communications can be a challenging task. For Rina, it’s always time well-spent as the need to build trust is vital in such a diverse organisation, and this demands investment from the senior leadership to be constant, open and clear in the language they use.
Authenticity and the importance of being genuine was another challenge that Rina reflected on in our discussion. What appears at first to be a common challenge actually remains a fairly nuanced one for organisations who work in international development or even global health etc. The concern around ‘White Saviourism’ brings a lot into question for employees in this sector and as Rina stated, you have to be really critical about what your message is, very intentional in understanding the context of the message, who’s speaking, why and how you are sharing that message.
Lastly, being able to create genuine intercultural connection that resonates with colleagues globally poses certain challenges. When delving into this further, Rina said that as an internal communicator, she needs to recognise the distinct and varied cultures in CAFOD, and respect that her colleagues will have different perceptions of the world and therefore will interpret her communications uniquely.
Following her presentation at SimplyIC, Rina emphasised how important it is as a communicator to understand the bias, influence and power you have within an organisation, because you are in an innate position to include or exclude people. Even simple statements that you wouldn’t recognise as exclusionary can have an incredible effect on building belonging. One example she shared was the use of phrases such as “This project will be launching in spring 2024”. But as Rina questioned in a large international organisation…Spring where? Eurocentrism is an obstacle many IC leaders are facing currently.
<h2>What are you doing to overcome these challenges?</h2>
<blockquote>
&#8220;There is a reason you have one mouth and two ears.&#8221;
</blockquote>
At the core of Rina&#8217;s approach to internal communications, is the belief that effective communication begins with active listening and fostering open dialogues within the organisation. By engaging in meaningful conversations with colleagues and senior leaders, she seeks to understand the challenges they face and find effective ways to engage them. A key challenge for many IC leaders is building trust, especially when dealing with colleagues from diverse cultural backgrounds. Rina addresses this by emphasising the importance of aligning messages with actual behaviour and actions across the organisation.
As part of her innovative IC strategy, Rina has reimagined the traditional townhall approach by empowering different teams to run the show. Global Townhalls at CAFOD are no longer confined to headquarters or to a single country. Instead, they are hosted by various countries each month, celebrating the diverse cultures and people that make up CAFOD. This move towards intercultural communication has become a central pillar of their IC strategy, enriching interactions and fostering a sense of ownership among team members.
<blockquote>
“Let hope move you away from fear.” 
</blockquote>
Rina is all about progress over perfection. She recognises that communicators often strive for flawlessness, but this can discourage potential contributors who fear making mistakes. Instead, she advocates embracing imperfections and focusing on continuous improvement, leading to broader participation and increased engagement.
<blockquote>
“The response for me is to remain human first. Remain genuine and let hope move you away from fear. Language barrier is an obstacle for participation in so many spaces for dialogue or decision-making.” 
</blockquote>
As a result she encourages the use of native languages to foster authenticity and create a deeper emotional connection when delivering essential messages. This approach has become possible and more accessible, thanks to the opportunities AI has opened up for communicators. While some may worry that AI will replace human jobs, Rina sees it differently – she believes that, managed with caution, AI creates more possibilities for building engagement. Tasks that would have previously required significant resources, such as creating subtitles for multilingual content, can now be achieved with simple AI tools, freeing up communicators to focus on higher-value activities and strengthening their connection with the audience.
Rina always keeps people at the heart of her communication strategy. “One of my favourite singers in Spanish has a line that says nothing is lost, everything is transformed and I think that’s a wonderful description on how to let go of things that are not under your control and to embrace new challenges.” By prioritising active listening, building trust and celebrating diversity, Rina is able to inspire her colleagues and leaders to get involved – despite the time challenge – creating authentic messages and genuine intercultural communication.
<blockquote>
“You are not communicating or engaging with projects; you are not communicating or engaging with documents; you want to communicate and engage people with people.”
</blockquote>
Thank you so much Rina for sharing your challenges, insights and strategies!
&nbsp;
Written by Lauren Maxey, Account Manager

The Communicators’ Corner….Rina Paredes

Back in the days before TikTok and Soya Chai Lattes, I worked with a copywriter who reckoned that most employer brand campaigns were generated by taking two or more of the following words ‘Difference, Together, Make, Better, You’ and creating a strapline.
Or, as he also said, just put ‘together’ at the beginning or end of your statement and for most enterprises, it is job done.
His view was that there is little or no employer brand differentiation.
Let’s take a look at one particular employer brand message that seems to be fairly ubiquitous.
Like contestants on Love Island, many organisations love going on a journey – and there will be many more in the future who want you to feel that joining them really is a emotional / spiritual / developmental journey.  (And I too have been guilty of ‘starting a journey’ with one large healthcare company.)
&nbsp;
After a quick Google search, here are five.
<h3>Bookaway</h3>
Join our journey
<h3>Rolls-Royce</h3>
Join our journey
<h3>TT Electronics</h3>
Join our journey
<h3>Stone King</h3>
Join our journey
<h3>Eastward Partners</h3>
Join our journey
&nbsp;
Of course, you can say that there’s no way that Rolls-Royce are competing against Eastward Partners for talent; or TT Electronics are butting up against Stone King for the majority of their hires.
But by using a generic and much-used term, there’s always the possibility of being indistinct.  And what exactly is the journey?  Where does it start and where might it end?  Is there a data point?  Or a vivid description of what that journey will be?
Don’t be silly.
&nbsp;
<h3>Bookaway</h3>
“Bookaway is changing the way people travel and taking them to new places. Come aboard and help us make a real difference in the travel industry.”
<h3>Rolls-Royce</h3>
“Be a part of our journey; challenge the status quo; help us simplify how we work and free us to focus on the things that matter, so that together we can co-create a brilliant future.”
<h3>TT Electronics</h3>
“Achieve your goals, contribute to the lives of others, and build a brighter, smarter future &#8211; together.”
<h3>Stone King</h3>
“We are an ambitious, collaborative and friendly firm recognised as leaders in our field with offices across the country.”
<h3>Eastward Partners</h3>
“I firmly believe that in order to achieve greatness in any area of business, it’s essential to surround ourselves with skills professionals who can act as a mirror to help us navigate the complexities of the modern world.”
[Fair play to the CEO of Eastward Partners; he’s on a journey to some kind of parallel universe.]
&nbsp;
Right now, there’s been a healthy discussion raging between Mark Ritson and Byron Sharp over the difference between differentiation and distinctiveness.
Ritson puts differentiation as the most important factor for brands; Professor Sharp has written a book putting distinctiveness above differentiation.  One LinkedIn user described differentiation as the substance; distinctiveness as the style.  It is slightly more nuanced than that, but whichever camp you sit in, there’s an emphasis on creating some distance between you and the competition.
In employer branding, everyone talks about authenticity – as though the office of one accountancy firm is so different from another.  Authenticity has become a watchword for lazy marketing – here’s a Day In The Life of a trainee; here’s my lunch; here’s my fabulous team; here’s me running an extreme marathon; here’s a dog.  It’s like Be Real has taken over the world of employer branding, and we are stuck in a loop of employee love.
Of course, authenticity is important.  After all, there’s no more powerful employer branding platform than employee advocates sharing their experience.  But let’s not confuse authenticity as being distinctive or differentiating (unless of course you want to spill the beans about the Christmas party).  It’s employer branding 101.
Differentiation (and even distinctiveness) comes from developing a value proposition that plays to your supporters but also grabs the attention of the passers-by, the waverers, the talent who might not give you a second look, the high flyers who had previously had their hearts set on other brands.
Let’s leave you with the propositions from two brands who are born of from the same family – the Saatchi brothers – but now seems poles apart.  M&amp;C have gone all vanilla, while Saatchis have retained the essence of what made them famous in the first place.
&nbsp;
<h3>M&amp;C Saatchi</h3>
We are a creative solutions company, like no other.
<h3>Saatchi &amp; Saatchi </h3>
A creative company making the most influential ideas in Modern Britain.
I know which one I’d want to work for.
&nbsp;
Written by Henry Davies, Founder

The Holy Grail: Employer Branding Differentiation.

Rob Fryer is the current Director of Recruitment for Now Teach, a charity that finds and supports career changers into secondary teaching.
Rob has seen the full 360 of the Early Careers market, having headed up student recruitment for Deloitte for over 6 years before moving into the world of Higher Education, starting off as Director of the Career development service before moving into a wider role as Director of Student Life (great job title!). Rob’s experience in the world of student recruitment is extensive and Jayne Cullen, 106’s Early careers consultant, was delighted when he agreed to have a virtual cuppa to share his wealth of experience.
&nbsp;
<h3>Rob – tell us a little bit more about the premise of Now Teach?  </h3>
One of our co-founders, Lucy Kellaway, made the transition from journalist with the FT to Business Studies teacher and reflected that there was a gap in advice and guidance for careers changers entering the profession. As such:
<ul>
<li>We provide advice, guidance, and information to career changers to enable their smooth transition into teaching.</li>
<li>During their teacher training we provide a comprehensive programme of wrap around support.</li>
<li>And connect them with a strong professional network to amplify impact and accelerate their progress.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h3>The Now Teach Programme is funded by the Department for Education whose primary objective is to hit their teaching targets. It must be difficult, however, for the organisation to balance their recruitment marketing between the overarching message of teaching as an inspirational career with the journey to becoming a Now Teach participant. </h3>
It is a delicate balance. We dice up or approach across each stage of the candidate journey from:
<ul>
<li>Attract (inspire career changers to consider teaching).</li>
<li>Engage (once we have a level of interest or those that are already considering the move, we engage with Now Teach offer to help them make the right choice of subject, school, and training provider).</li>
<li>Convert (those already in application processes, we provide support to succeed)</li>
<li>Retain (working in partnership with school, universities, and training providers to help career changers transition).</li>
</ul>
At each stage we ensure that we remind candidates of what inspired them to make the journey in the first place, reinforce the positive impact they will have and the increased chance of success when working with Now Teach.
&nbsp;
<h3>Now Teach provides that wrap around support to anyone thinking about a career change into teaching. Many employers in the early careers space target second jobbers or career changers so what advice would you give employers out there about developing a strategic marketing plan to hire career changers? </h3>
Identifying appropriate ways to segment your potential audience is the first step. This is a challenge as there are very few markers. Our audience is neither grouped in one place in high numbers (for example at a university) nor by nature of them wanting to change careers, does their career history help to zero in on a potential applicant (it could be anyone who has a career).
Developing candidate personas guide our efforts to decide on appropriate platforms to advertise and which segments of our EVP  may appeal.
My top tip is that hiring career changers can take time. Our research suggests those seriously considering a move into teaching could take anywhere up to 3 years before acting on it. This isn’t simply a change of jobs, it is a change of lifestyle and workplace dynamic; they are likely to be paid less, going back to study, and starting at the bottom of the ladder, which requires a great deal of consideration, time, and commitment. Building a talent pool that you can nurture and develop over time is crucial.
Once they have made the switch, Now Teachers are more likely to complete their teacher training and we have an increasing evidence base that they are adding great value in the classroom.
&nbsp;
<h3>Speaking of building those talent pools Rob where would you say you are on that journey and what can other employers learn from your approach? </h3>
To be honest we are at the start of our journey in building a strategic approach to talent communities. Here at Now Teach we are fortunate that as a small charity we are relatively nimble in our decision-making compared to when I was in the PS world. However, the challenge comes with resources to deliver this approach and balancing our BAU activity with this longer-term initiative. We need to start small, to pilot and to measure. If we can show which elements of the pilot have delivered value, then we can make informed decisions about where to spend more time and money in the future.
&nbsp;
<h3>How are you leveraging the goodwill of your current participants to drive more interest? </h3>
I am a big fan of referral schemes. Who better to endorse candidates than our current Now Teachers. It helps to extend our market reach, increase brand awareness, identify strong candidates, and increase conversion rates. We launched our scheme shortly after I joined, and it is starting to deliver returns. Key for me is to ensure all stakeholder’s benefit. The benefits are clear to the organisation, but we have also needto ensure Now Teachers and candidates benefit from our schemes. We have put in place rewards for Now Teachers’ schools as well as a specifically designed fast-track route for their candidates to ensure this is in place.
Like all teachers, Now Teachers are very busy people, so a simple tool kit and guide helps to break down barriers to adoption.
&nbsp;
<h3>You have worked in Professional services, HE and now in the charity sector… what lessons have you learned from working in each? </h3>
Professional Services firms had a laser focus on results. As most employees billed their time to clients, I quickly learned that you needed to demonstrate value. Very early in my career I called a meeting involving several senior staff. On walking into the meeting room, one of them said to me ‘by having these people in this meeting and therefore not billing work to clients it is costing us x amount; it had better be a valuable meeting’. I learnt to spend most of my time on the most important work, but also to be mindful that what is important to me may not be to a colleague.
HE is a very different environment. It can be slow and bureaucratic but underpinning that is a devotion to the best practice ways of doing things. Although the decisions may not have been timely, they were very well researched, consulted upon and scrutinised. I hope I have taken aspects of those best practices with me.
Working for a small charity is completely different again.  It has really demonstrated to me the importance of people versus process. That’s not to say that people weren’t important in PS or HE, but in the absence of costly systems or very well engineered processes, more emphasis is placed on colleagues’ performance and expertise. It is crucial that everyone feels valued, energised, empowered and accountable.
Thank you, Rob, for your valuable time and we look forward to watching the future progress of the Programme.
&nbsp;
Written by Jayne Cullen, Early Careers Consultant

The importance of people versus process: In conversation with Rob Fryer

The apprenticeship system dates back to the 16th Century as a means to provide technical training to young people starting out. In the modern employer market, apprenticeships look very different and can be a career starter in everything from HR, to consulting to a legal career. The times have changed – now our mindsets need to catch up. 
In January 2022, <a href="https://ise.org.uk/page/record-applications-as-graduate-jobs-recovery-lags">ISE reported that 63%</a> of companies saw a reduction in applications for their apprenticeship roles and this is not an anomaly – many organisations are struggling to fill their attractive apprenticeship schemes compared to their graduate ones. Why is this? Why is there a stigma around apprenticeships? Where did the stereotypes and myths that exist around apprenticeships come from? And how can companies overcome them effectively?
&nbsp;
<h3>Apprenticeship stereotypes</h3>
Many young people as well as their parents still hold their outdated beliefs about apprenticeships and spread misinformation, which can be fatal for the attraction rate of apprenticeships. This is because the opportunity to go to university is seen as prestigious and can make apprenticeships look like the &#8216;second option&#8217; and the less prestige alternative. This idea still echoes in people’s mind todays.
Sourced from UCAS and The Guardian (2022) some of the outdated beliefs people hold about apprenticeships are:
<ul>
<li>Apprenticeships being limited to only blue-collared jobs</li>
<li>Limited career progression</li>
<li>Limited flexibility once a specific apprenticeship is selected</li>
<li>People do apprenticeships because they don’t have the grades to get into university</li>
<li>Apprentices are paid poorly</li>
</ul>
However, these are inaccurate representation of what apprenticeships can offer young people, with countless opportunities for growth and development in a range of different sectors and organisations such as such:
<ul>
<li>Leading British retailer, M&amp;S</li>
<li>Global biopharma company, GSK</li>
<li>Two of the ‘big four’ accounting firms, KPMG and EY</li>
<li>British multinational law firm, Clifford Chance</li>
</ul>
And many more&#8230;
<h3>Parental influence</h3>
Parents are the key decision makers in a young student’s life and students often look to their parents for guidance when it comes to making important decisions. In 2020, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/parents-urged-to-look-beyond-apprenticeship-misconceptions">the government conducted research</a> finding that 60% of parents with children aged 13-18 did not want their child to do an apprenticeship because they didn’t want them to be ‘stuck making tea’ (The Department for Education, 2020).
When I was in the position, a few years ago, to decide what I wanted to do once I had finished Sixth Form, doing an apprenticeship was never even an option. My parents wanted me to go to university so that’s what I did. The idea of doing an apprenticeship never even came up. After speaking to friends and colleagues, it was clear that this is somewhat an accurate representation of how many young people pick a career route.
Research conducted stated that 90% of parents claim they have insufficient knowledge about apprenticeships <a href="https://www.weareamberjack.com/apprenticeship-market-trends-2023/#:~:text=Parents%20can%20be%20strong%20factors,strategy%20means%20potentially%20losing%20out.">(Amberjack, 2023)</a> and 45% were not aware that apprenticeships could go right up to degree level <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/parents-urged-to-look-beyond-apprenticeship-misconceptions">(The Department for Education, 2020).</a>
To attract young people to apprenticeships, organisations must recognise the influence that parents have and adjust their strategy to encompass parents as well.
<h3>Student perceptions</h3>
In a survey of 5000 students conducted by Prospects, 39% indicated that a degree held a more favourable reputation than apprenticeships. A similar perception was echoed by many students, who believed that apprenticeships offered fewer developmental and career opportunities compared to traditional university routes. What&#8217;s apparent is that young people often lack sufficient information about apprenticeships. But why is this the case?
ISE reported that only 26% found information about apprenticeships easy to access, compared to 73% for higher education. Unfortunately, many schools don&#8217;t provide the same level of information and support for apprenticeships as they do for university applications. In my own school experience, apprenticeships were never discussed. This leaves many students having to conduct independent research when applying for apprenticeship roles, while their peers receive ample support for their university applications.
When choosing what university, I wanted to go to, I did lots of research on different social media platforms to understand more about what different universities offered and where I felt would be a good fit for me, seeing what life would look like if I were to go.
With 85% Gen Z say that social media influences their buying-decisions, social media plays a pivotal role in our decision-making process. When I was choosing what university, I wanted to go to, I used social media to help me understand more about what different universities offered and what life would look like if I were to go there. Social media helped me realise where would be a good fit. The same information about apprenticeships is unfortunately not available for many young people looking to apply.
<h3>What steps can be taken?</h3>
So, what can organisations do to overcome existing stereotypes, challenge misinformation and educate students and parents around what apprenticeships can offer young people?
<ul>
<li>Support Schools: Equip schools with essential resources like information packs, application guidance, and online skill sessions. Ensure that students receive assistance regardless of their chosen path.</li>
<li>Forge School Partnerships: Collaborate with schools to engage both parents and students through various avenues such as:
<ul>
<li>Career fairs</li>
<li>Career exploration days</li>
<li>Question and answer sessions</li>
<li>Inclusion in newsletters</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Host Apprenticeship Insight Days: Showcase the real essence of your apprenticeship program. Highlight daily tasks, allow potential applicants to interact with current apprentices, and emphasize the program&#8217;s benefits.</li>
<li>Leverage Social Media and Online Marketing: Disseminate information in an engaging manner. Consider using &#8220;Day in the Life&#8221; videos and posts outlining program advantages. Customize your content to resonate with the Gen-Z demographic through language, imagery, and video formats.</li>
</ul>
In today&#8217;s climate of soaring university costs and disruptions in education, apprenticeships shine as a top-tier choice, not just a fallback. They offer promising careers without the weight of student debt. So, to boost interest, organisations need to adapt their marketing strategy and harness the power of parents, schools, and social media. It&#8217;s time to make apprenticeships a desirable path for talented young individuals.
&nbsp;
Written by Koy Rogers, Student Marketing Intern

Apprenticeships: Shattering stereotypes to shape success

Recently on the tablet of wisdom that is LinkedIn, a coach/consultant asked the people of LinkedIn to vote on whether managers should be rewarded for retaining staff.
The people responded – by not voting!  Probably taken aback at being asked to consider whether managers would have it in their power to do this.
Because retention is much more nuanced than good management.
Yes, people say you join a company and leave a manager.  But you might leave a manager because you’ve been offered £10k more.  Or HR didn’t give you the promotion you wanted.  Or you want to test yourself in another company.  Or you’ve come to distrust the leadership of the organisation.  Little of which is in the power of your immediate manager.
Recently we conducted a focus group with a room of employees at a company’s offices in the UK.  The group were volunteered – as nobody had volunteered to spend their time with a couple of communications consultants on the train from London.  (I didn’t blame them!!)
The purpose of the focus group was to establish what motivated them to come into work, but also what they thought about the wider business (beyond their team and location), how communication could be improved and what they thought of the leadership.  We knew already there were some trust issues, but what we found was something more fundamental.
We found what can be likened to a form of workforce PTSD.
Here were a group of people with a real sense of loyalty to their team members and their immediate managers, but no sense of loyalty to the greater organisation.  In part, this was driven by decisions made by leaders; but it also came from personal experiences of redundancies and corporate rejection in other organisations.
It didn’t mean they were any less proud of the work they did – and they would never admit that they put in any less effort.  However, any comms coming out of the centre was either ignored or criticised – no matter how good the intention.  It was clear that if another job came along, many would have few qualms about entertaining that option.
Once trust is eroded, it is very difficult to rebuild – and especially if leaders don’t recognise the issue and embrace it whole-heartedly.  And if people have felt rejection before, will that affect how much they trust the leaders of their next employer?  Just like a spurned lover, trusting a partner again is not always easy.
In these circumstances, it is not the big gestures that count; but the small and consistent steps towards building trust.
Turning up (consistently), listening, answering questions, showing empathy, being honest – many of the things that aren’t glamorous and don’t fill leaders with a sense of their own importance; but show a commitment to the team and individual.
Those who have hadn’t had such toxic experiences in the corporate world may not be as loyal as we might imagine, either.  Because sometimes, pay and opportunities within one business don’t keep up with what you can get by moving organisations.  Even in law, where people often stay at one firm for decades, chasing the dream of partnership, there’s a sense today that moving pays off – both money and career-wise (<a href="https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/08/switching-firms-pays-off-quite-literally-research-finds/">according to a recent survey</a>).
Loyalty is of course not the same as Retention.  You can be loyal, but decide to leave.  You can stay, but not out of to a sense of loyalty.
So why is loyalty important?  People and teams will come together to support and combine; they will have each others’ backs; and they will want to do the best job possible for each other (more than anyone else).
They are not just doing it because they want food and rations, like my dog.
Picture Credit: my dog, Poppy.  Pure click-bait.
&nbsp;
Written by Henry Davies, Founder
&nbsp;

Student
Marketing

No going back for student employers

Case studies

WORK AND PLAY

REAL DIFFERENCE

YOUR NHS

100% YOU

BE THE APPRENTICES

Services

DE&I

Social

Campaigns

Digital

Insight

Get ready for amazing virtual campus experiences

Event

Employability Roundtable

Recent Posts

PEERS IN CAREERS: THE CHANGING FACES IN STUDENT EMPLOYABILITY

THE COMMUNICATORS’ CORNER….RINA PAREDES

THE HOLY GRAIL: EMPLOYER BRANDING DIFFERENTIATION.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE VERSUS PROCESS: IN CONVERSATION WITH ROB FRYER

APPRENTICESHIPS: SHATTERING STEREOTYPES TO SHAPE SUCCESS

YOUR NOT-SO-LOYAL SERVANT

No going back for student employers

Case studies

WORK AND PLAY

REAL DIFFERENCE

YOUR NHS

100% YOU

BE THE APPRENTICES

Services

Insight

.css-1xu3tth{color:black;}.css-kqwcob{box-sizing:border-box;margin:0;min-width:0;color:#00c9ff;color:black;}.css-kqwcob:hover{color:#00c9ff;}Get ready for amazing virtual campus experiences

Event

Employability Roundtable

Recent Posts

PEERS IN CAREERS: THE CHANGING FACES IN STUDENT EMPLOYABILITY

THE COMMUNICATORS’ CORNER….RINA PAREDES

THE HOLY GRAIL: EMPLOYER BRANDING DIFFERENTIATION.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE VERSUS PROCESS: IN CONVERSATION WITH ROB FRYER

APPRENTICESHIPS: SHATTERING STEREOTYPES TO SHAPE SUCCESS

YOUR NOT-SO-LOYAL SERVANT

Get ready for amazing virtual campus experiences