Employability Peter Scales Lifelong Learning Consultant

Overview of the ‘employability agenda’ What is employability? How can we develop it?

“The employers were of the opinion that their young recruits were inarticulate, tongue-tied, showed little initiative, and were unable to work effectively with other people.” Hind, D. and Moss, S. (2005) “Employability Skills” Referring to Sunday Times survey of employers April 1986

What is employability? What do employers say they want?

UKCES definition “We take employability to be the skills that almost everyone needs to do almost any job.” ‘The Employability Challenge’ UKCES February 2009 (UK Commission on Employability and Skills)

Positive approach Using IT effectively Using language effectively Using numbers effectively Self management Thinking and solving problems Work together and communicate Understanding the business UKCES Model of employability

How can we deliver employability skills? develop

Two ways Discrete Embedded

“Employability is, at heart a process of learning” Harvey, Locke and Morey, 2002:2)

The core of developing employability skills is broadly agreed to be: ● experiential action-learning using skills rather than simply acquiring knowledge, with an emphasis on trial and error and a focus on the pay-off for the learner in employment and progression UKCES “The Employability Challenge

● work experience, preferably work placements, but otherwise classroom experiences that simulate the complexity, ambiguity, unpredictability and consequences of success or failure present in the workplace

opportunities for reflection and integration: learners, with feedback from staff, peers and employers, look at learning experiences and prepare to put them into action in other situations

Many priorities – one solution? Reflection Lifelong learning Employability Sustainabilty Citizenship ‘Skills development’

Don’t start with these priorities and issues and think about how you can achieve them… Think about teaching and learning first, and these things will follow

T & L methods to encourage employability Case studies Wikis and blogs Presentations Discussion Simulations Peer teaching Projects Research Group work Concept mapping