Universities should see alumni as a talent pool not a money pot

Let's rethink alumni associations as a coaching network, says Alastair Creamer, and recent graduates as valuable voices.
Is every university proud of the careers and employability service it is providing? Is it working for every different type of student and graduate? Does it reflect the ever changing world of work? If it is a comprehensive service, is it actually being used? Against an unprecedented, underemployed generation, careers advisers in higher education hold the keys to the future of bright young adults.
And so, to an extent, do their alumni, with whom forward-thinking universities must surely now be developing and maintaining the tightest and most well-managed of relationships at the earliest possible opportunity, not to mention with those alumni's employers. If this isn't happening yet, it's a serious missed opportunity.
This isn't sensationalism. The gateway to employability is focused through the careers centres of universities because not enough courses have it woven into the curriculum. It's not a recognised feature at all levels of the student experience. Only when the time draws near in students' third or fourth year do they wake up and search out that advice. This too is where alumni come in. Read more...