1. Employer perspectives on a broader curriculum and graduate attributes
Tony Donohoe, Head of Education Policy

2. Outline Business Context Employers’ view – IBEC Survey 2010
National Strategy for Higher Education
Employability skills and attributes
PhD skills
Five Minds for the Future
Impact on curriculum, pedagogy and learning environment
Education for employment v good student learning

3. Post industrial concerns
Globalisation
75% of world’s population does not speak English
End of US global economic dominance
Pervasiveness of technology
Complex and dynamic markets
Respond to customers, governments, markets, economic and social instabilities
Growth of services
70% of employment and 40% of exports
Sustainability is a growing concern

4. IBEC Survey 2010
Majority of respondents said they had no difficulty in recruiting suitable graduates from Irish HEIs (74.6%).
Most employers who had difficulty highlighted problems with the engineering-related disciplines
Employers were less satisfied with graduate’s ‘ability to work autonomously’
Employers are now expecting higher education institutions to embed generic or employability skills more fully into their curricula.
38% of respondents have informal or ad hoc college placement procedures in place in their organisations.

5. IBEC Survey 2010

6. National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030
Integrating research with teaching learning
Parity of esteem between roles
Clear routes of progression
Work/service placements acknowledged through accreditation or diploma supplement
Flexible routes of progression within and across HEIs
National framework for RPL
First year experience
Induction and preparation programmes
More interdisciplinary learning opportunities

7. National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030
Generic skills
Explicitly address skills required for workplace and engagement in society
Ensure alignment between learning outcomes, pedagogy and assessment
Review quality assurance frameworks
Develop guidelines to support National Framework of Qualifications
Review of external examiner system

8. National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030
Engagement with wider society
Encourage greater inward and outward mobility of staff and students between HEIs, business, industry, the professions and wider community
Respond positively to the continuing professional needs of the wider community
Recognise civic engagement of students through programme accreditation
Encourage involvement of wider community in a range of activities including programme design

9. Vitae (UK) Report –ranking of skills for PhDs
Data analysis
Problem solving
Drive and motivation
Project Managing
Interpersonal skills
Leadership
Commercial awareness

10. The entrepreneurial skill-set
Self-confidence
Strategic thinking
Cooperate for success
Ability to plan work, organise tasks and communicate decisions
Project development and implementation
Team-building and attribution of success
Recognition and proactive orientation to change and innovation
Risk assessment and foresight activity with regard to market changes and opportunities

11. Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future
The Disciplinary Mind
mastery of major schools of thought
The Synthesizing Mind
ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole
The Creating Mind
Capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions and phenomena
The Respectful Mind
awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings and human groups.
The Ethical Mind
fulfilment of one's responsibilities as a worker and as a citizen.

12. Employability A richer construct than ‘skills wish-list’
A set of achievements, understanding and personal attributes helps students to realise their potential
Meets corporate expectations
Supports values of citizenship
Helps produce learning that will shape the future
Should be located in an academic context
Not inimical to the values and practices of the academy
Implications for pedagogy, learning environment and assessment

13. Impact on learning environment
Employability – not a stand-alone ‘bolt on
Learning not just tied to instruction
Inter-disciplinary teaching
Active learning
Problem-based learning
Reflective learning
Team development
Work experience modules & materials
Work-based projects

14. Promoting employability
Explain what we mean by ‘employability’ to teaching colleagues and students
Write employability into programme specifications
Audit and promote employability
Not ‘one-size fits all’
Tuning existing curricula
Use a variety of assessment methods
Help students to translate their achievements into ‘employer-friendly language

15. How business can do more
Support case for realistic funding models
Provide more guidance on the content of courses and the nature of employability skills
Provide opportunities to undertake real-life projects and provide undergraduate work experience
Seek to work with HEIs as a core part of their innovation activity
Seek to engage with the HE system to develop and help finance bespoke training provision for employees
A national graduate internship scheme

16. What will success look like?
Stronger business-university partnerships in which employers’ needs and HE outcomes are aligned
A sustainable and more efficient HE sector with the right incentives to deliver high-quality teaching and research
Business taking a more active and integral part in developing students’ skills and experience of the work of work
A richer experience for students