Some Approaches to Employability in the Curriculum

Pete Watton, Educational Development Services Marc Lintern, Head of Careers Service Tracy Bunyard, School of Sociology, Politics and

Law

Workshop aims

To outline the University of Plymouth’s approach to enhancing student employability

To explore some specific curriculum initiatives related to enhancing student employability

To identify and share good practice with other participants

Skills Plus - The University of Plymouth approach to enhancing student employability

Developed within the context of the Learning and Teaching Strategy

Developed on the basis of feedback from staff, students, graduates and employers

A coordinated strategy addressing the policies on the development of Graduate Attributes and Skill, Personal Development Planning and Employability

Some underpinning principles

Effective development of employability skills requires them to be coordinated, integrated into programmes, for there to be clear progression and for them to be assessed

The diversity of University programmes and student needs require a flexible approach to enhancing student employability

Some underpinning principles

There is substantial good practice both within the University and externally, which should be identified, publicised and built upon

The strategy should aim to minimise additional work for staff

ESECT and Graduate Employability – a set of complex achievements

“…there is a considerable degree of alignment between ‘education for employability and good student learning (and the teaching, assessment and curriculum that go with it).”

Yorke, M and Knight, P (2003) The Undergraduate Curriculum and

Employability. ESECT

The Employable Graduate will need to be able to … Demonstrate and apply Graduate Attributes and

Skills Demonstrate and apply career management skills Demonstrate and apply life-long learning skills Demonstrate business and organisational

awareness Demonstrate an international outlook

Specific curriculum approaches

Career management skills Work related learning Sociology: the experience within programmes

Career management skills

Key principles of embedding

Start early

Deliver in appropriate ways

Build on existing practice and fill gaps

Assess and credit rate Define career management skills

DOTS Modele.g. identify and illustrate the specific skills and qualities

required or preferred in their chosen opportunity

Make links with related agendas

Career management skills

Civil engineering Group design project; 1st Years to Finalists; 1st years apply for junior

roles, finalists recruit them; complete design project working in student groups.

Art & Design Graduate Enterprise; plan & manage all aspects of Final Year Exhibition;

business plan; apply for roles; reflect on skills gained.

Maths & Stats Research career areas; group presentation

Environmental Building Group design project; add competence-based questions to final

report + preparatory session

Work related learningModel developed through the JEWELS Project based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle

• Planning for a period of work experience

• Undertaking the work experience

• Reflecting on the experience

• Making sense of the experience, in terms of how the organisation operates and their own development

Links to the Employable Graduate

Developing, recording and reflecting upon Graduate Attributes and Skills

Developing career management skills in planning and reviewing the experience

Planning, recording and reflecting on learning Gaining understanding of business and

organisations In some instances applying these skills in an

international context

Application of the Model

Credit bearing Independent Work Experience modules, focused on part-time work, vacation work and volunteering

One year ‘sandwich’ and other placements Foundation Degree Work Placement modules Non credit bearing Earn and Learn Award /

Volunteer Award As a flexible resource for staff to use in other

work related contexts

JEWELS Materials and Resources

JEWELS website www.jewels.org.uk JEWELS II Information for Practitioners

SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL RESEARCH: the experience within programmes

Introducing initiatives to enhance the employability of sociology/social research graduates

work based learning module - stage two social research practice module - stage two dissertation volunteer placement scheme self study career planning workbooks

SOCIOLOGY: Work-Based Learning

Optional 20 credit module at stage II - term 1 & 2 Term 1: Preparation

Workshops incl:• self awareness• selling your skills• application forms• interview skills

Finding placements Selection process: application forms and interviews

SOCIOLOGY: Work Based Learning

Term 2 10-12 day placement Post placement workshop Assessment:

• application form• reflective account• report

SOCIAL RESEARCH: Research Practice Compulsory 20 credit module for SRE Majors -

term 1 & 2 practical experience in design, preparation and

execution of a research project Based within an organisation Attend work-based learning career management

workshops Assessment:research proposal and research report Links with other core social research theory

modules

SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL RESEARCH:Third Year Dissertation Introduced a preparation module

includes a workshop “Selling your dissertation to Employers”

• identifying the skills they have developed so far, and recognising the skills being developed in their final year

• how does a sociologist/social researcher find a job?• examples of graduate posts

SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL RESEARCH: Volunteer Placement Scheme New for 2003 First project’s aims:

to increase the number of placement opportunities within voluntary organisations

to encourage students who are not taking the WBL module to do a volunteer placement

non-assessed, but certificate and open reference from voluntary organisation

SOCIOLOGY & SOCIAL RESEARCH: Additional materials

Career workbooks at stages 1 & 2 - self completed

Career Resource Guide for final year students module guides identify key graduate skills

Discussion

What specific strategies have you used to help embedding take place?

What learning activities have worked well for you? Are there any resources you can suggest?