EMPATHY MAPTAT I A N A TAVA R E S

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEWS

I HAVE DONE INTERVIEWS WITH 2 SELECTED CANDIDATES:

THE RECENT GRADUATE OPENING A NEW BUSINESS

THE LECTURER FROM GRAPHIC DESIGN DEPARTMENT WITH 3 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION AND 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE ON THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

I SELECTED THE SECOND CANDIDATE:

WHY?

LECTURERSTUDENT

INTERVIEWS

THE RECENT GRADUATE HAD JUST OPENED A NEW BUSINESS AND HAS A

UNREALISTIC VISION ABOUT THE WORK ENVIRONMENT.

SHE WASN’T ABLE TO IDENTIFY ANY PARTICULAR PROBLEM WITH HER SCHOOL-WORK TRANSITION.

THIS WAS THE PROBLEM!

I SELECTED THE SECOND CANDIDATE:

LECTURER

INTERVIEWS

A LECTURER FROM GRAPHIC DESIGN DEPARTMENT WITH 3 YEARS EXPERIENCE

IN EDUCATION AND 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE ON THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

SAY

“There are normally 3 main concerns in students experiencing the school-work transition: self-awareness (their behaviour as a professional), self-responsibility (work ethics) and self-expectations (there is no personal preferences, only what’s best for the client)”.

“Students normally feel that working in the industry is not as creative as they imagined. They can’t afford unpaid jobs – to build on their portfolio – and they can’t always do what they would like to be doing”.

“School has more structure and students receive lots of guidance. Work is quite enclosed, involves more risks and you are highly responsible for everything”.

“Students feel that starting a new job can be quite challenging, because suddenly they realise that they don’t know everything”.

SAY

“Takes a little bit of time for this generation to get adapted to the workforce. Primary, because they are very sheltered and don’t have initiative and energy to seek for a job”.

“The perfect situation would be introduce the students to a prior controlled environment or internship – which currently is not available in the curriculum of this Institution – where students can learn how to be professionals before going to the workforce”.

“Education can only go so far. Unfortunately is up to the student to improve and adapt themselves to the work environment”.

“Educators can use their experience as self-narration to give insight and help students in the transition”.

“Education provides the student with a safe environment where they can’t see the reality of work environment”.

SAY

“The core of the problem is that the school needs to adapt the curriculum with concepts such as professionalism, deadlines, technical and deliver requirements to prepare students to the reality of work environment”.

“Unfortunately, the commercial work environment is all about ‘time is money’. The workforce should also be in a position of accommodating the new graduate by giving device and time to adapt”.

“Students should have a realistic vision and be open to the transition. they also have to understand that it can’t be only their own way”.

“School needs to encourage students to fail and take risks. School is the moment to experience. I keep saying to them: “If you fail it’s ok, you gained something out of it”. The problem is that failing is not normally well accepted on the industry”.

SAY

THINK / FEEL

As an educator, the lecturer has a good overview of the transition between school-work environment. The expectation of students are unrealistic and schools don’t normally prepare them properly to the transition. The disconnection between school and work environment is clear and the educator is extremely important in informing the students the realistic situation. However, students need to understand that the transition is inevitable. Also, the workforce needs to assist the new graduate on the process.

There are different aspects of the problem. The school, work environment, lecture and students have to contribute to the transition, all in their own way. There is not one only way to look at the problem.

Students have lots of energy and excitement but usually have unrealistic expectations from the work environment. They are not mature or completely prepared to be self-directed.

THINK / FEEL

INSIGHTS

• Students need to able to understand the real situation of work environment.

• Students need more life and work experience.

• Students need more time to adapt to the workforce.

• Students need to be opened to the transition and understand that it can’t be their own way.

• Expectation of students needs to be more realistic and school needs to inform and prepare them to the work environment.

• Education / workforce should be on the position to offer device and time to adapt.

• All the different parts should be interconnected to facilitate the transition.

INSIGHTS

PROBLEM STATEMENT

STAKEHOLDER

LECTURER

PROBLEM STATEMENT

HONEST, CHEERFUL, CARING, EXPERIENCED, DEDICATED TO DELIVER THE BEST ON WORKING

RELATIONSHIPS FOR CLIENTS AND STUDENTS.

NEEDS A WAY TO

BECAUSE

PROBLEM STATEMENT

GUIDE STUDENTS ON THE WORK-SCHOOL TRANSITION

STUDENTS HAVE AN UNREALIST EXPECTATION AND SCHOOLS DON’T PREPARE

THEM TO THE WORK ENVIRONMENT.