Some Approaches to Employability in the Curriculum

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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

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Workshop aims

• To outline the University of Plymouths 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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The USEM Model

• Employability is influenced by four broad and
  inter-related components
• Understanding
• Skills, or skilful practice
• Efficacy beliefs, the extent to which students
  feel they might able to make a difference
• Metacognition, self awareness of learning
• Yorke, M and Knight, P (2003) The
  Undergraduate Curriculum and Employability. ESECT

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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

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Specific curriculum approaches

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

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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 Model
• e.g. identify and illustrate the specific
  skills and qualities
  required or preferred in their chosen
  opportunity
• Make links with related agendas

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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

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Work related learning

• Model developed through the JEWELS Project based
  on Kolbs 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

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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

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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

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JEWELS Materials and Resources

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

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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

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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

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SOCIOLOGY Work Based Learning

• Term 2
• 10-12 day placement
• Post placement workshop
• Assessment
• application form
• reflective account
• report

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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
• Assessmentresearch proposal and research report
• Links with other core social research theory
  modules

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SOCIOLOGY SOCIAL RESEARCHThird 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

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SOCIOLOGY SOCIAL RESEARCH Volunteer Placement
Scheme

• New for 2003
• First projects 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

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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

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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?