embedding employability: learning for workforce development peter knight and mantz yorke enhancing...

Embedding employability: learning for workforce development

Peter Knight and Mantz Yorke

Enhancing student employability: enhancing workforce development

conference

Birmingham, 27-28 January 2005

Overview

Employability.

Implications for the first degree.

‘Employment is temporary, employability can be endlessly renewed.’ Examples include:

Mid-level qualifications, incl. foundation degrees.

Taught master’s degrees.

Professional doctorates.

Cross-cutting themes.

Part-time students.

The quality of non-formal learning.

Employability.

Implications for the first degree.

‘Employment is temporary, employability can be endlessly renewed.’ Examples include:

Mid-level qualifications, incl. foundation degrees.

Taught master’s degrees.

Professional doctorates.

Cross-cutting themes.

Part-time students.

The quality of non-formal learning.

The ESECT view of employability

A set of achievements, understandings and personal attributes that make individuals more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations.

Consistent with thinking in other countries — Hong Kong (Ed Ko), Australia (Simon Barrie), Canada (Alan Wright), USA (Marcia Mentkowski).

Likely to be adopted by the European Commission.

Embedding employability in the first degree

Main focus of ESECT work.

Embed employability in bachelor’s degree by evidence-informed design of:

Curriculum content.

Learning, teaching and assessment approaches.

The learning environment as a whole.

USEM

Good learning and the enhancement of employability involve attending to students’:

Understanding of subject matter

Skilful practices

Efficacy beliefs

Metacognition

Co-curricular responses

Co-curriculum

All those arrangements made outside the ‘regular’ curriculum for the educational enrichment of the undergraduate years

Equity issues

Employability for all – single parents, those already in work, historians, minority groups.

Employability as a curriculum issue

Employability lies less in curriculum content than in curriculum processes.

An entitlement approach to learning, teaching and assessment.

A programme-focused approach to employability, learning, teaching and assessment.

Employability Experience Questionnaire

A tool to help in curriculum design and evaluation Pilot 1 complete; 1417 responses; suggests 5 factors

Academic confidence (Un)certainty regarding personal capability Confidence regarding employment Influence of work-experience on academic studies Personal autonomy

Pilot 2 to run during February 2005 Electronic version subsequently to HE Academy

website

Curriculum responses

The LTSN/GC Learning and Employability series (2004). Further publications under development.

Other Higher Education academy and ESECT resources, tools and networks.

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/Employability.htm

Employability.

Implications for the first degree.

‘Employment is temporary, employability can be endlessly renewed.’ Examples include:

Mid-level qualifications, incl. foundation degrees.

Taught master’s degrees.

Professional doctorates.

Cross-cutting themes.

Part-time students.

The quality of non-formal learning.

Employability: a matter of transfer and transitions?

Transfer of training.

A battle.

Situatedness of practice.

Tacit knowledge.

Making transitions.

Performance (and confidence?) dips.

Applied metacognition?

Looking beyond the undergraduate years

Schooling

Further Education or Community College

Undergraduate years

Foundation degrees

Taught master’s

Work-based training

Professional doctorate

Non-formal learning

Part-time study

Employability.

Implications for the first degree.

‘Employment is temporary, employability can be endlessly renewed.’ Examples include:

Mid-level qualifications, incl. Foundation Degrees.

Taught master’s degrees.

Professional doctorates.

Cross-cutting themes.

Part-time students.

The quality of non-formal learning.

Mid-level qualifications

Often directly employment-relevant.

Various modes of study.

Valued particularly in continental Europe and the US.

Foundation degrees introduced into England, Wales, Northern Ireland.

Foundation degrees

Designed in conjunction with employers to fit specific employment needs.

Strong emphasis on work-based learning, which raises issues regarding mentoring, assessment.

Notable contribution to upskilling in health, social care and education.

Some particularly successful industry/education institution partnerships.

A general, rather than a specific, foundation degree?

What will be the impact of top-up fees?

Employability.

Implications for the first degree.

‘Employment is temporary, employability can be endlessly renewed.’ Examples include:

Mid-level qualifications, incl. foundation degrees.

Taught master’s degrees.

Professional doctorates.

Cross-cutting themes.

Part-time students.

The quality of non-formal learning.

Master’s degrees: improving employability

Variety of master’s degrees – conversion, specialist and professional.

Professional master’s typically entail:

Reflections on practice;

Drawing on research evidence;

Drawing on research concepts;

Beginning action research.

Master’s degrees: improving employability?

Coherence?

Are goals met?

Boyatzis and colleagues, 1995?

What about USEM?

Studies needed.

Employability.

Implications for the first degree.

‘Employment is temporary, employability can be endlessly renewed.’ Examples include:

Mid-level qualifications, incl. foundation degrees.

Taught master’s degrees.

Professional doctorates.

Cross-cutting themes.

Part-time students.

The quality of non-formal learning.

Professional doctorates: improving employability

Growth area, especially in Australia.

Theory-practice-enquiry interplay.

With professional focus.

Mixture of ‘taught’ courses and dissertation/thesis/ project.

Professional doctorates: improving employability?

Dilemma:

Too ‘highfaluting’?

Bogged down in local practices?

USEM?

Studies needed.

Employability.

Implications for the first degree.

‘Employment is temporary, employability can be endlessly renewed.’ Examples include:

Mid-level qualifications, incl. foundation degrees.

Taught master’s degrees.

Professional doctorates.

Cross-cutting themes.

Part-time students.

The quality of non-formal learning.

Employability and part-time students

Little, B. (2005, forthcoming) Part-time Students and Employability. York: the Higher Education Academy.

Employability.

Implications for the first degree.

‘Employment is temporary, employability can be endlessly renewed.’ Examples include:

Mid-level qualifications, incl. foundation degrees.

Taught master’s degrees.

Professional doctorates.

Cross-cutting themes.

Part-time students.

The quality of non-formal learning.

The quality of non-formal learning

Blackwell, A., Bowes, L. Harvey, L. Hesketh, A. and Knight P.T. (2001) Transforming Work Experience in Higher Education, British Educational Research Journal, 26(3), 269-286.

Bailey, T.R., Hughes, K.L. and Moore, D.T. (2004) Working Knowledge: work-based learning and education reform. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

Other readings

Boyatzis, R.E. and associates (1995). Innovation in Professional Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Knight, P.T. (1997) Masterclass: learning, teaching and curriculum in taught master’s degrees. London: Cassell.

Knight, P.T. and Yorke, M. (2004) Learning, Curriculum and Employability. London: Routledge/Falmer.

Yorke, M. and Knight, P.T. (2004) Embedding Employability into the Curriculum. York: the Learning and Teaching Support Network.

More

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/Employability.htm

peter.knight@open.ac.uk

m.yorke@livjm.ac.uk