International Conference on Enhancement and Innovation in Higher Education Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow 9-11 June 2015 Welcome

Yvette Wharton Students’ perceptions of employability within their degree programme: highlighting the disparity between what academics believe is included and the student experience. Background

Audit of Modules cognitive skills, generic competencies, personal capabilities, technical (practical) ability, professional expertise business/organisational awareness.

Generally poorly expressed “Transferable skill” Rarely related to any activity within the module Module Audit

Understanding of Employability General General overview Good at making yourself sound good on paper. What you provide Skills for a job. Being attractive to an employer Hard & Soft skills Specific Critical thinking. Prioritising Subject knowledge Lab skills Getting on with people Graduate Attributes Initiative Confidence

“….the lies you can tell without getting caught” “Being able to blag”

Self belief, Self motivation, confidence, Passionate, friendly, likeability, adaptability, Time management, communication skills, Enthusiasm, independence, organised, Knowledge What attributes do you need to get a job?

Where and how have your employability skills been developed? Living Alone Placement Thrown in at the deep end Tutorials/Lab Sports committees

In class/assessments what employability skills have you developed? Attributes – Trust, leadership, confidence in a professional setting Skills – Teamwork, confident talking, practical skills, professional façade, presentation skills, networking Placement and labs/tutorials were identified as the main locus for developing these skills and attributes

Of the skills development that you have been exposed to, which if any have been the most challenging for you to acquire? Skills/knowledge – practical skills, – statistics, – public speaking Attributes – working by yourself – time management – writing skills

Are there any skills or employability resources you would like to see in your programmes? – More practicals – Interview workshops/practice – How to teach Information – More on the type of jobs available – Direction on filling in application forms – More access to employers Experience – Working abroad – Earlier placement – Mini projects/placements

What does your programme include that you think is not useful? Too much focus on research Placements not always focused on career aspirations “Jack of all trades” Placements not long enough Statistics

Initial conclusions The student body has an understanding of the term employability Very little reference was made to development of these skills in academic activities such as lectures, reports and examinations Activities such as tutorials, presentations, practical sessions (labs, kitchens, placements) were identifies as the main area for development of employability skills

Questions Raised Do we need to produce more focused activities to deliver employability skills or better relate existing activities to employability? How can we improve student awareness of existing support and opportunities? How do we support identified needs with finite resources?