My Perfect Cousin, what I like to do he doesn’t: Undertones of Employability Joshua Forstenzer, Simon Middleton, Andrew Taylor, Richard Ward The University of Sheffield

Aims of the Session This session will seek to explore perspectives on the nature of skills development for Arts, Humanities and the Social Sciences. We will consider factors such as: If and how the curriculum should reflect the Sheffield Graduate attributes; Pressures to embed soft skills and transferable skills within the curriculum in an explicit manner (including study skills modules and enterprise learning) e.g. to meet the needs of employers; Whether it is necessary promote employability skills; The responsibility of students for reflecting on their own skills acquisition. 2

The Discussion Panel Simon Middleton (History) Andrew Taylor (Politics) Joshua Forstenzer (President, Union of Students) Facilitator Richard Ward, LeTS

Achieving ‘Employability’ by Design? Sheffield Graduate Attributes Hotter topic after the Browne Review and the Comprehensive Spending Review Value for money and employability implicit future criteria for performance judgements Employers want soft skills and emotional intelligence. Prospective students may want to judge the potential returns on their choice of degree

Structure of the Session Panelists will each establish a position on how we should approach teaching and identifying skills in the curriculum that support employability. Members of the audience will then be invited to challenge the panelists and contribute their own views.