1. Friday 7 July 2006 HLSS - Employability: A school holistic approach Pat Green and Penny Welch School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences

2. Friday 7 July 2006 Employability debates Debates are not new Who and what Higher Education is for Rapidly changing context of Higher Education Rapidly changing nature of graduate jobs ‘new’ students – instrumental orientations?

3. Friday 7 July 2006 HLSS provision from late 1980s Student Link at level 3 Applied research projects engaging in experiential learning with public and voluntary sector organisations Funded through Enterprise in Higher Education

4. Friday 7 July 2006 What students have said about Student Link: “…a good all round experience. A great way to combine academic interest with a real-life situation” “I have made good connections with people in a variety of fields I may not have met if I hadn’t chosen to do a Student Link”

5. Friday 7 July 2006 What students have said about Student Link: “…the organisation was so impressed, they have given me a full time contract!” “It was the most important thing I did at University”

6. Friday 7 July 2006 Development during 1990s: Volunteering modules within the Social Sciences – Level 1 ‘Volunteering in the Community’ Level 2 ‘Volunteering in Action’

7. Friday 7 July 2006 Philosophy: Linking academic and theoretical learning with volunteering and community engagement Brings subject alive Learning by doing Extends networks for students Promotes student engagement in action research http://asp2.wlv.ac.uk/webteam/confs/socdiv/sdd- anderson-green-0602.doc http://asp2.wlv.ac.uk/webteam/confs/socdiv/sdd- anderson-green-0602.doc

8. Friday 7 July 2006 CELT funded research: Should be credit bearing and embedded in the curriculum Students take more seriously that which is assessed Accreditation enables evidencing of competence to employers Difficulties of undertaking extra- curricular activities

9. Friday 7 July 2006 Students reported: Preference for subject specific knowledge acquisition alongside practical skills development Preference for multiple opportunities at different levels of study Keating, Green et al, 2003

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11. HEACF, 2002 onwards: This work formed the basis of the university’s plan to HEFCE to develop university wide

12. Friday 7 July 2006 Development of provision: University wide electives SLS – accredited modules working with VCS and not-for-profit sector SED – ‘Working for our future’

13. Friday 7 July 2006 Further developments: Collaboration with external colleagues Joint conference papers LATISS article ‘Volunteering in the Curriculum’ HEA Subject Centre (C-SAP) funded research ‘Volunteering in the Curriculum’ http://www.c-sap.bham.ac.uk/resources/project_reports/findings/ShowFinding.asp?id=132

14. Friday 7 July 2006 Further and future developments: LATEE funded work: Conference papers Article in preparation Critical Volunteering Planned conference: Critical Volunteering September 2007 Edited book based on papers

15. Friday 7 July 2006 Initiative within CETL Peer mentoring support within university community

16. Friday 7 July 2006 HE not just for employment, but… Post-92 Universities have a responsibility to help students through to employment Especially because our diverse graduates face inequalities Graduate employment affected by status of HEI

17. Friday 7 July 2006 WRL and CBL experience Enhances student employability (Elias & Purcell, 2005; Harvey, 2006; Anderson & Green, 2006) Establishes networks & connections with organisations and employers Enhances subject knowledge, professional, technical skills and personal qualities

18. Friday 7 July 2006 WRL and CBL experience Develops wider understandings of employability “ Volunteering gave me the opportunity to further my basic skills of planning, organising, motivating others, team work and communication” “University can be quite insular…but by being out in the community…you come to the end of your course with a greater sense of the community that surrounds you, and have a moral kind of culture to carry on whatever career you may have”

19. Friday 7 July 2006 An Holistic Approach HLSS – diversity of largely non- vocational provision Employability approach conceived of as ‘holistic’ (Harvey et al, 2002) Employability more than just getting a job

20. Friday 7 July 2006 HLSS Employability strategy Employability sub-group 2003 Welcome to your Future 2004 Welcome to your Future 2004 School employability strategy developed and endorsed 2005 Auditing of subject specific strategies and approaches