Want to know how to run an effective digital assessment centre? Our latest Institute of Student employers blog , where we share our 15 essential tips for running an effective digital assessment centre, will tell you everything you need to know.
You can also watch our webinar to see how taking your assessment centres online is easier than you might think.
Click HERE to read the blog and watch the webinar. If you’d like to find out more about running a digital assessment centre, get in touch for a chat.
Nurturing Employability at the Reimagine Education Awards and Conference
Celebrating those who are shaping the future of Higher Education, the Reimagine Education Awards & Conference brings together participants from universities, schools, and education technology companies all over the world. Participants connect, collaborate and showcase their projects, enabling all delegates to receive an unparalleled snapshot of the most successful student-centric solutions available.
This year, SRS Recruitment and Employability Experts are delighted to attend, showcasing the Assessment Centre Experience (ACE). ACE is a committed four year collaboration between the University of Hertfordshire Careers and Employment Service , SRS, academic staff, and employers.
From one school with 450 students in 2016, to nine schools with over 3000 students in 2020 - ACE continues to have a massive and positive impact on employability and career prospects. It enables students to prepare for the competitive reality of the graduate assessment centre, and as a result has been proven to increase student confidence by over 44%. To reflect current trends in graduate recruitment, this year ACE went digital, with students using SRS’ innovative digital assessment centre platform, assess.digital, to connect with professional assessors via video conference.
ACE has been shortlisted in the Nurturing Employability category at the Reimagine Education Awards, being validated for innovation, uniqueness, efficacy, and impact by a panel of 200 independent judges. The project was also subject to two rounds of internal moderation from the Reimagine Education Steering Committee.
Get in touch if you would like to find out more about collaborating with us to enhance employability, or for a demo of our assessment platform which can be used for all assessment events.
The perfect partnership: Careerpass Network named supplier partners of the Institute of Student Employers
The Careerpass Network, a fully-integrated talent solutions business, have been named supplier partners of the Institute of Student Employers. Made up of SRS Recruitment & Employability Experts, GradTouch, Kaampus and Assess.digital, the Careerpass Network combines owned media channels with industry-leading creative and tailored employability services through a single tech platform.
As the UK’s leading independent member group for organisations who work with student talent, the ISE brings together employers, the education sector and supplier partners in a community of experts. The ISE support in all aspects of student recruitment and development.
The partnership allows the Careerpass Network to continue developing their connections, working with the ISE to make a positive impact within the industry. Through SRS and GradTouch they have the opportunity to share their expertise and knowledge with a wider audience, and the chance to impact new industry developments through working together with the ISE at conferences, and through webinars and other online channels.
“We have enjoyed being ISE members for a number of years and value our role within such a vibrant community. Our work with both universities and employers gives us a great understanding of the graduate recruitment market and a partnership with the ISE was a natural fit for the wider Careerpass Network group.”
Sophie Milliken, SRS Founder and MD, CSO of Careerpass Network
Key benefits of the ISE partnership include research opportunities, with Careerpass and the ISE working together on an industry-changing co-branded report. This will allow the SRS team to further develop their mission of helping every university embed employability in the curriculum.
“Careerpass Network group are strong supporters of the ISE and their knowledge and experience are a real asset to our industry. We are pleased to announce our partnership with the group and look forward to working even more closely with the team.”
Stephen Isherwood, Chief Executive of the ISE
For more updates, follow Careerpass Network on LinkedIn and Twitter.
International Expansion for SRS
SRS are going global! We’re so excited to be working with new clients in Australia, Qatar and Spain. And we don’t even need to worry about forgetting our tickets…
Whilst this year has been a challenging year for everyone, it has also presented us with many opportunities. The development of our own bespoke digital assessment platform software, assess.digital, has allowed us to pivot our delivery to continue to support our amazing clients. In place of in-person events, we’re running large-scale digital assessment centres, which thousands of university students are attending.
Our digital assessment centres successfully replicate the experience of attending an assessment centre with a real graduate employer, giving students and graduates the opportunity to practice in a safe environment, developing their skills and confidence.
At the end of October, we’re running our first digital assessment centre in Australia, with CIC Higher Education in Melbourne. Dates are also being confirmed for digital assessment centres in Qatar, with Carnegie Mellon University, and Spain, with Universidad de Málaga. With each partnership, we’re delighted to become a part of the institution’s employability strategy, helping to advance their vision and objectives.
“International expansion has been on our radar for some time. The challenges presented by COVID-19 have been redeveloped as opportunities. We now have an exceptional digital assessment software platform which enables us to replicate the assessment centre experiences students will go through with employers. Because this is now online, location is no longer a barrier and I'm delighted we will be working with international universities.”
SRS Founder and MD, Sophie Milliken
We’re looking forward to working with more international universities, with further prospects in Greece, Thailand and Columbia.
Interested in running a digital assessment centre? Get in touch for a chat.
Prestigious CATE Award Win for the University of Hertfordshire and SRS
We’re proud to celebrate the news that we have been recognised with the University of Hertfordshire in a prestigious Advance HE Collaborative Award for Teaching (CATE). CATE celebrates teaching excellence and taking a collaborative approach. This award recognises the partnership between the University of Hertfordshire Careers and Employment Service, SRS, academic staff, employers, students and Watford F.C., that results in the Assessment Centre Experience (ACE).
ACE is a series of mock assessment centres, usually hosted at Watford F.C., where over 3,000 students from 9 different academic schools take part. The assessment centres accurately simulate the graduate recruitment process, giving students the chance to practice in a safe learning environment. Bespoke materials are created for each academic school to ensure the exercises students complete are truly reflective of the industries they will apply for jobs in. Graduate employers also attend ACE and get involved with assessing students, presenting networking opportunities and even the chance to be headhunted.
Students receive detailed feedback for each exercise which highlights their strengths and development areas so they can instantly apply their learning at an employer’s assessment centre. As a result of ACE, students feel more confident and prepared to secure graduate roles and placements: in 2019, 58% of students felt either confident or very confident post-assessment, compared to 14% pre- assessment. One student commented: “I feel a lot more confident now with the whole process and how it may be set out in the future. I wouldn't feel like I've been thrown into the deep end at a real assessment centre.”
By embedding the assessment centres into the curriculum, ACE has a wider impact on a larger group of students. 42% of University of Hertfordshire students are the first in their family to attend university, and hence can lack knowledge of recruitment processes and how to present themselves to employers. ACE helps to address this gap and gives more opportunity for students to engage with the Careers and Employment Service.
ACE has a huge impact and is now recognised as a key part of the University of Hertfordshire’s employability strategy. Preparations are underway for ACE this year, which will be fully digital to reflect current trends in graduate recruitment.
Get in touch to see how we can help to support your students to enhance their employability at a digital assessment centre.
