Greenwich University/ Skillsarena case study

With cash issues a fairly constant worry, finding some sort of part time or temporary employment is a priority for many students. The 20,000 students at the University of Greenwich in South London are no exception, but their job search is eased by the university Job Shop, run by the careers service.

As the name suggests the Job shop is designed to be a one stop shop to assist students with all areas of employment. It helps them find part time and temporary work placements; it helps with tax issues and national insurance, and offers advice on issues surrounding international studentsí rights to work in the UK.

Many of the available jobs are within the University itself, as well as local, national and international employers. The Job Shop operates a standard vacancy notice board approach and is developing a database to record the skills possessed by students who register. In a busy week between 500 and 1000 students use the Job shop services, and much of the work is email or web based.

However the Job Shop wanted to become more like a professional recruitment agency for its students, and realised that some form of skills assessment would be needed. Ben Wraith, Job Shop co-ordinator explains: ìWe had our own tests for internal recruitment, but we wanted to look at a commercial model to give our students that extra edge when applying for jobs outside the University.î

Wraith continues: ìWe felt this was an important part of the Job Shopís activities: being employed helps cover financial obligations, but it also prepares students for the world of work once they leave full time education. We recognised that skills assessment could play a big role in this.î

After looking at several options available Greenwich University selected Skillsarena, the UKís leading provider of online assessment modules, to provide the skills tests they were looking for. The Job Shop were impressed by the flexible payment terms offered by Skillsarena, which are important for a University department on a tight budget. Their systems were also easily integrated with the Job Shopís so new equipment was needed, keeping costs down.

ìBut most importantly, their tests are available online,î explains Ben. ìThis cuts down on administration expense, and is also in line with our own policy. We have five campuses so we try to offer as many of our services online as possible, so that students can access them when itís convenient. As most of them are working and attending lectures during the day they donít always have the time to come in during normal working hours.î

The Greenwich Job Shop selected a number of Skillsarenaís testing suites including Microsoft Office Skills, General Aptitude, Spelling Numeracy, Sage accountancy and Call Centre Skills. ìWorking with Skillsarena was a pleasure,î adds Ben. ìThey proved to be open to our feedback and their customer service and support is excellent. Weíre now investigating their Create Your Own suite in order to have our own, bespoke tests.î

The Job Shop initially trialled the Skillsarena assessment modules with a select number of students, and have been using the tests in full for several months. Their website is due for a re launch at the start of the new term in September, and the online assessment service will form a key part of that launch.

The skills tests will primarily help students identify their strengths as well as their weaker areas and offer them the opportunity to practice and test themselves. It will also help the Job Shop keep their database of students registered for work accurate and up to date, as well as help provide the essential ëtransferableí skills that all job applicants need on their CVs.

The Job Shop is also considering several other uses for the online testing suites. ìWe have put forward proposals to develop a ëtrain the trainerí course so that students can learn to help others use Microsoft Office software effectively,î explains Ben. ìWeíve also got a proposal going forward for students studying courses in the Business School to use the Skillsarena tests as part of the application process, and to assess them as they progress through their studies. There are a lot of exciting possibilities.î