Trying to embed employability? What you need to know Gareth Hill & Amy Lourenco AGCAS Curriculum Design group

AGENDA Discuss the principles for embedding employability Present the Curriculum Design tool-kit and find out how you can contribute Share good practice amongst AGCAS members for how to embed employability

TRUE OR FALSE? ‘It’s too early for them to be thinking about employability’ ‘We’re getting them to do a CV just so we can assess it as a written exercise’  ‘I’ve got a CV lecture that I deliver, so I don’t need any help’ ‘I’d really like to sit in on your lectures and learn more about employability’ ‘If you came in to talk to the students about employability you would just be wasting your time and theirs' ‘You have expertise in working within the curriculum, would you take the lead in helping to write part of our college employability strategy on employability in the curriculum’

AGCAS Curriculum Design Group Members: Becci Hubbard – Nottingham Trent University Ruth O’Riordan/Lynsay Pickering - University of Dundee Darrin Beattie - Newcastle University Claire Guy - Plymouth University Sarah Longwell - Keele University Aisling Flynn - Maynooth University Amy Lourenco – The Careers Group/University College London Gareth Hill - Swansea University Aims: Share existing approaches to embedding employability Disseminate amongst AGCAS Progress: Toolkit for AGCAS Members (launching end 2019) Training in 2020 The task group seeks to share existing approaches to embedding employability and careers within the curriculum (pillar 4- Research and knowledge) and find ways to disseminate this to the wider AGCAS community via written resources, research, training or conferences (pillar 1 learning). Longer term, the group will seek to collate, create or update frameworks and resources to support embedding within the curriculum, and share via consultations, conferences or publications. The overall aim is for AGCAS to be positioned as a leader of best practice, to influence approaches for embedding employability within the university curriculum (pillar 3: Advocacy, pillar 5: Quality).

Principles of Embedding Employability In small groups sort the cards into order of priority Stick onto the flip chart & place on the wall Visit other groups and see if you agree!

Principles of Embedding Employability within the Curriculum Inclusivity: all students, regardless of location, situation, programme or mode of study, should have equitable access to opportunities to enhance their employability, make successful transitions and manage their careers. Collaboration: Employability should be seen as an institution- wide approach and therefore collaboration between both academic departments and careers services and also the HEI and relevant employers is important. Engagement: The language used around employability is critical in terms of its potential impact on engagement, with all stakeholders. Developing a shared understanding and view of employability in any given context will facilitate staff, employer and student engagement. Understanding: It is important that staff and students feel motivated to engage with employability, and understand the benefits of doing so. An example of this is awarding marks for employability elements of modules or choosing assessment tasks that develop employability skills (Pegg et al. 2012). Strategic Support: High level strategic support is important in embedding employability throughout a University. Structures should outline responsibility and accountability. Adapted from Artess, Hooley & Mellors-Bourne (2016) & HEA (2015)

Principles of Embedding Employability within the Curriculum Holistic: students should have the opportunity to reflect on their skills, mind-set & experiences and discuss how to articulate their learning to employers. This in turn develops their confidence. Current: links to the labour market and/or opportunities to connect with employers should be provided. Alongside a focus on adaptability to cope with the ever-changing global labour market. Content should be adapted to changing student cohorts. Impact:  The design, delivery, assessment, and evaluation of curricula should be informed by a range of contemporary pedagogies for employability including conceptual and theoretical models, innovative learning and teaching for employability, relevant subject benchmarks,  professional body requirements, relevant data regarding the cohort and graduate labour market trends. Expert Led: To have the maximum impact teaching should be delivered by employability professionals who can develop effective programmes and act as consultants in advising academic staff. In addition practitioners should ensure they meet their institutional requirements for teaching qualifications such as gaining HEA Fellowship  Complementary: The massification of higher education has placed increased pressure on careers professionals to increase large group teaching and online careers education. This learning should be seen as complementary to one to one careers guidance; both are important and have distinctive roles to play. Adapted from Artess, Hooley & Mellors-Bourne (2016) & HEA (2015)

Toolkit – Progress so far Plan Do Review https://www.473c1fc8f6d1d451622c6545a-16346.sites.k-hosting.co.uk/course/view.php?id=245 workspace login: amy.lourenco, UOL password!

https://www. 473c1fc8f6d1d451622c6545a-16346. sites. k-hosting. co https://www.473c1fc8f6d1d451622c6545a-16346.sites.k-hosting.co.uk/course/view.php?id=245

Toolkit – Your thoughts & contributions Plan Do Review What is missing? (Green post-it) Could you write an article or case study (or refer us to someone that can)? (Pink post-it) Discuss & add post-it to the corresponding flipchart around the room (Plan/Do/Review) Please add your name and email address if willing to contribute

Summary Discuss the principles for embedding employability Present the Curriculum Design tool-kit and find out how you can contribute Share good practice amongst AGCAS members for how to embed employability

Questions? Want to contribute to the tool-kit? amy.lourenco@ucl.ac.uk g.d.hill@swansea.ac.uk

References Artess, Hooley & Mellors-Bourne (2016). Employability: A review of the literature. HEA [online] Higher Education Academy. Available at: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/resources/employability_a_ review_of_the_literature.pdf [Accessed 14 November 2018] HEA (2015) The Framework for Embedding Employability in Higher Education. [online] Available at: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/downloads/higher_educati on_academy_-_employability_framework_-_210416.pdf [Accessed 14 November 2018] Pegg, A., Waldock, J., Hendy-Isaac, S. and Lawton, R. (2012) Pedagogy for employability. York:Higher Education Academy [online] Available at: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/pedagogy_for_employabili ty_update_2012.pdf [Accessed 14 November 2018]