bcur 2014 employability presentation
TRANSCRIPT
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Fostering a critical awareness of employability in social sciences where linkage to professional career development is less clearly articulated
Kety Faina, Gordon Heggie, Jade McCarroll, Neil McPherson, Paul McShane, John Melia, Donna Russell, Iqra Tusadiq
British Conference for Undergraduate Research 2014 Nottingham
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Unpacking the employability agendaEmployability and higher education
‘Many of the graduates I met were unprepared, uninformed and lacking in self-
awareness. They struggled to demonstrate what it was they wanted from a job
and what they could bring to it.
Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (2006)
‘To be employed is to be at risk, to be employable is to be secure’
Peter Hawkins, 1999
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Targets, targets, targets
• By the end of AY 14/15, UWS will achieve a graduate-level employment rate of 65% within the annual DLHE survey
2013-14 SFC-UWS Outcome Agreement
• By the end of AY 14/15, UWS will achieve a minimum graduate-level employment rate of 75% for our graduates within 3 years of graduation’
2013-14 SFC-UWS Outcome Agreement
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But employability…
• ‘Employability…is about learning and the emphasis is less on ‘employ’ and
more on ‘ability’. In essence, the emphasis is on developing critical,
reflective abilities, with a view to empowering and enhancing the learner.’
(Harvey, quoted in Pegg, 2012: 4)
• ‘Is clearly not the same as graduate employment rates’ (Knight & Yorke 2004: 9)
• Nor is it… ‘something that can be quantified by any single measure. Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey is a measure of employment not employability’
(Cole & Tibby 2013: 6)
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The employability agenda Questioning the role of the University
‘[Employability] is now claiming time on syllabi at the expense of academic
subjects and inculcating market values at the expense of free and critical
thinking’ (Sarson, 2013, non-paginated)
How do we make employability real for social science students?
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Understanding what employers want
Most important factors considered when recruiting graduates
Source: CBI. Learning to Grow - Education and Skills Survey 2012
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Understanding our peers
0 20 40 60 80 100
Language
Degree classification
Work experience
Degree subject
Employability skills
Hamilton
Paisley
Which of the the following do you think are the most important factors employers consider when recruiting graduates (%)
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Understanding our peers
0 20 40 60 80 100
Yes
No
Do you have a particular job/career path in mind after you finish your studies? (%)
Paisley
Hamilton
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Understanding our peers
Survey of L7 social science students undertaken in week 1
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• ‘I like how broad it is because I might change my mind later in the course. I know people who have a [social science degree] and went into different kinds of jobs.’
• ‘I think there is actually a reason...why there are so many social science graduates with…graduate jobs because there are so many different things you can do.’
Understanding our peersFrom the focus groups
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Employment and the social sciences
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Employment and the social sciences
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Making employability ‘real’
Our employability-integrated assessment map