Some Approaches to Employability in the Curriculum

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Specific curriculum approaches • Career management skills • Work related learning • Sociology: the experience within programmes

9. 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

10. 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

11. Work related learning Model 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. JEWELS Materials and Resources • JEWELS website www.jewels.org.uk • JEWELS II • Information for Practitioners

15. 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

16. 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

17. SOCIOLOGY: Work Based Learning • Term 2 • 10-12 day placement • Post placement workshop • Assessment: • application form • reflective account • report

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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?