Understanding Organisations

Learning Area Co-ordinator

Janet Strivens

Centre for Lifelong Learning , The University of Liverpool

Introduction

The Understanding Organisations learning area is concerned with discovering what organisations mean when they say they look for students who are commercially aware.  This information will then be used to raise awareness of what students need to know and understand in order to make informed career decisions, manage selection processes successfully and ultimately manage themselves within an organisation.   

We will produce resources useful for all students who may wish to undertake work experience or work for an organisation.  This could be a work-placement as part of a degree, a project brokered by the university, part-time / vacation work or graduate employment.   These resources will be customisable for different purposes, e.g. use in careers seminars, talks to students in departments, employability workshops, personal tutorials.

Our pages include:

• responses from employers, academics and others to the question ‘What is Commercial Awareness?’

• a guide, useful as a resource for students before applying for work experience or a graduate career post, and for work with students about to embark on work-placements

• a questionnaire to ascertain what students do to enhance their employability whilst still at university, plus the results from cohorts of students at this university

• a factsheet on how start your own business

• A literature review around the theme of 'Understanding Organisations' and  'Commercial Awareness'

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• a podcast on 'Commercial Awareness' made by students: find it here http://www.liv.ac.uk/careers/students/downloads/index.htm

Future research will consider:

• the values and ethics of organisations; do students understand them and how much importance do they attach to them when applying for work?

• what resources students find helpful in their career search or in gaining the most from a work-placement? 

Resources

For fact sheets, glossaries, reports, evaluations and much more please click here

Still unsure? Have questions? Contact us and we will aim to get back to you as soon as we are able to. 

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