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Commissioned research into career management and development led to changes in Human Resource (HR) practice and policy within a public sector organisation (West Mercia Constabulary) which have had clear benefits for the organisation. Subsequently, one of the products of this research, a psychometric tool called the Career Competencies Indicator, was successfully developed for commercial purposes in conjunction with a private sector consulting company. A version of the Career Competencies Indicator aimed specifically at 18-24 year olds was launched in April 2013 bringing immediate commercial benefits to the company involved but also potential benefits for an age group that is currently suffering particularly high levels of unemployment.
Portsmouth Business School's military manpower forecasting model was developed with the Royal Navy from 1997 to provide medium and long-term manpower projections. The Naval Manning Agency has used this model since 2000. Work by Jaffry/Rennison in 2009 and 2010 employed this model to establish that a proposed housing scheme was unviable; led to revised inflation forecasts being used in the planning process; and contributed to the integration of the Regular Service and the Reserve. In a wider Armed Forces context, a tri-service manpower model was developed by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) in conjunction with Jaffry, to improve the analytical rigour of military manpower planning in the light of continuing defence budget cuts.
Professor Claire Callender's timely research has informed the policy debate about financial support for part-time undergraduates in England. Her research significantly raised awareness and understanding within government, and more widely, about the case for reform by highlighting the deleterious effects of the pre-2012/13 funding system on the supply of, and demand for, part-time study. It influenced major changes in student funding arrangements for part-time undergraduates introduced in 2012/13, and modified their on-going development. Policymakers have benefitted from her research, alongside higher education (HE) institutions, HE stakeholders and practitioners, and part-time students eligible for the new loans.
The research outlined below was instrumental in the development of a new classification of graduate occupations, beyond a dichotomous graduate/non-graduate distinction, which has become a standard typology for analysing the graduate labour market. Policymakers and research bodies, such as HECSU and Universities UK, have used it to better understand the impact of higher education, labour market and wider social policy reform, such as migration policy. Most UK HEIs have used this typology to compare employment outcomes for their graduates and it has also proved to be an important point of reference for careers advisors and students to aid educational and career decision-making.
Pathways that individuals navigate through education, training and employment are becoming ever more complex and high quality labour market information (LMI) is crucial for careers advice and in informing decisions about where to invest in skills training. Research undertaken by Bimrose, with Brown, Barnes and Hughes has resulted in new policy frameworks for systems design and delivery of careers services; and has informed professional development in careers policy, research and practice. Internationally, the Institute for Employment Research (IER) at Warwick has informed and shaped policy debate and practice on career development services in response to political, economic, technological and social changes.