Graduate Business Start-ups Project Report - The Institute for ...

8. Recommendations
Stemming from our research for the Good Practice Guide, we
have identified a number of issues for HE Careers Services, and
also for Government and other national agencies. The following
is a set of operational and policy recommendations
! When Institutions are looking at the provision of career
management skills, that they recognise those competencies
which are particularly important in the context of selfemployment
and make appropriate provision. We would
hope to see students being enabled to manage the
boundaryless career, as well as managing careers within
organisations.
! that system designers be asked to investigate how
PROSPECT HE (Higher Education’s computer aided career
choice program in wide use in HE Careers Services), could be
developed, so that those motivations, skills and values,
particularly associated with self-employment, could be
highlighted.
! that in the writing of Association of Graduate Careers
Advisory Services (AGCAS) Graduate Careers Booklets, chief
writers are asked to assess whether there is scope within each
occupational area for a higher profile for selfemployment/freelancing
options.
! that those Careers Advisory Services which do not run events
around self-employment/starting your own business as a
part of their programme, consider doing so, possibly on a
regional basis, in order to test levels of interest and to
promote the idea.
! Many Services have made a point of developing links with
Innovation Centres and incubatory units associated with
their own Institutions to help boost contacts and to provide
placement or project assistance helpful to those who want to
explore their own business ideas, or who are at the stage of
wishing to survey self-employment as an option. As
additional Centres, such as the new Enterprise Institutes
come on-stream, Careers Services should build on their
existing good practice by continuing to foster
communications.
! that Careers Services might usefully consider linking their
websites to their Institutions’ Alumni website, where
appropriate, to enable students and recent graduates to
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