Key skills in a researchintensive university

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Key skills in a research-intensive university

• Beatrice Ollerenshaw
• University of Durham, July 2004

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Employability Strategy

• The University of Durham is committed to
• providing opportunities for its students to
  develop abilities and skills which will enhance
  their employability on graduation
• at every level of study
• regardless of their own personal circumstances
• in line with the Universitys Equal Opportunities
  policy.

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What are the challenges?

• Education not training
• Academic autonomy
• Avoid distortion of the curriculum
• Different types of relevance to employment in
  different subject areas from the very direct to
  the very indirect
• Need to ensure compatibility with agreed academic
  aims and objectives

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How did we address them?

• Articulation with qualification descriptors
  already agreed
• Reference to learning outcomes already in
  programme specifications (knowledge,
  subject-specific skills, key skills)
• Drawing on PDPs, already in train
• Reference (of course) to the Careers Advisory
  Service

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All graduates will have achieved

• A high level of intellectual development
  including the ability to
• research topics and seek evidence
• analyse problems and issues and propose solutions
• make cogent arguments drawing on and evaluating
  relevant evidence

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and have developed the ability to

• manage their own learning and work independently
• manage their time effectively and work to
  deadlines including planning their work across a
  range of projects
• communicate in writing and orally, clearly and
  effectively.

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so that they can

• manage their own careers
• continue to learn throughout their career
• contribute in their chosen field using the full
  range of skills and knowledge gained whilst at
  Durham

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What this means for us

• The University will support this process by
• articulating the intended learning outcomes of
  programmes and modules
• providing information and support through the
  Careers Advisory Service
• providing opportunities for PDPs for all
  students, with support from departments and
  colleges to enable them to take responsibility
  for their own development including progression
  to employment.

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together with

• informed communication between employers and the
  University
• a high standard of careers education, information
  and guidance
• the skills developed explicitly and implicitly
  within each students programme of study
• the holistic development of the student within
  and beyond the academic experience of university
  life

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Consistency with our mission

• Academically led (consistent with qualification
  descriptors)
• Draws on accepted academic practice (definition
  of learning outcomes)
• Refers to holistic view of the student experience
  of helps to provide a strategic focus for PDPs
• Integrates the Careers Service into
  implementation of mainstream teaching and
  learning strategy

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So is that it?

• Challenges which remain include
• Making strategic use of CAS information (first
  destination data, employer feedback, awareness of
  employment environment)
• Making departments aware of employability data
  and helping them to know what to do with it /
  about it
• Enhancing contact between CAS and departments
  without infringing academic autonomy
• Avoiding creating amateur careers advisers
• Making sure that it means something