Philosophers are Employable!

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Philosophers are Employable! employability
attributes and academic disciplines

• Val Butcher, Higher Education Academy
• and Claire Rees, University of York

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What are Student Employability Profiles?

• In 2002, Peter Forbes and Bianca Kubler
  undertook a consultancy for CIHE Employer
  Perceptions of Subject Benchmark Statements. The
  report examines employers' perceptions about the
  skills developed through undergraduate study and
  how far these skills are reflected in the QAA
  benchmark statements produced for English,
  Engineering and Hospitality, Tourism and Sport
  to give a range of disciplines.

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What are Student Employability Profiles?

• Four years later, in September 2006, Peter and
  Bianca completed a huge research project for
  CIHE, The Higher Education Academy, and Graduate
  Prospects covering all the 56 QAA Benchmark
  statements (including a separate version for
  Scotland). Two versions were published, with
  separate introductions for higher education
  practitioners and for employers.
• It is essential that the hard copies are read in
  conjunction with the appropriate web-sites
• CIHE http//www.cihe-uk.com/publications.php
• Academy http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/profiles.htm

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What is in Student Employability Profiles?

• Evidence from QAA benchmark statements of the
  work related attributes developable through study
  of a particular subject
• Summary of knowledge taught
• Skills mapped against competencies identified by
  the Council for Industry and Higher Education
  (CIHE) as ones that help transform organisations
• Glossary of terms

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How were Student Employability Profiles developed?

• The profiles were developed by identifying
  the employability skills recorded in the QAA
  subject benchmark statements.
• There followed a process of consultation with
  Academy Subject Centre staff for each subject so
  as to reach agreement on the content and style of
  the profiles such that they would be useful to
  academics in developing and executing their
  learning and teaching programmes.
• Panels of employers were consulted and
  subsequently, versions of the profiles were
  written for the benefit of employers.

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Higher Education Academy Subject Network
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What are Employability Skills?

• Employers in the CIHE Policy Forum
  identified the following, and it is against these
  that the benchmark statements are mapped.
• These competencies are (and no list is
  definitive)
• Cognitive skills - problem solving and
  information handling
• Generic competencies - communication,
  influencing, organisation and interpersonal
  skills
• Personal capabilities - desire for self
  improvement, initiative
• Technical ability
• Business or organisation awareness
• Practical and professional skills - continuous
  professional development.

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Student Employability Profiles

• Inform curriculum design
• Support delivery of career development learning
• Enhance understanding of prospective students and
  their parents as to the value of higher level
  study
• Facilitate effective communication with
  employers, especially non-cognate

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Supporting Career Development Learning

• Career development learning is concerned with
  helping students acquire knowledge, concepts,
  skills and attitudes which will equip them to
  manage their careers, i.e. their lifelong
  progression in learning and work
• Watts, A.G. (2006) Career Development Learning
  and Employability, Learning and Employability
  Series. York Higher Education Academy

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Mode of Material Usage

• Materials led
• Adaptation
• Design

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Materials Led

• Skills and Attributes Map
• Personal Development Planning
• mock interviews
• Reflective Questions
• Personal Development Planning
• mock interviews

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Adaptation

• Skills and attributes map
• self-assessment grid
• role analysis exercise
• Glossary of competencies
• defining the nature of competencies
• feedback form for observing assessments

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Design

• Skills and Attributes map
• Visualisation - what are the skills and
  competencies which a skilled graduate from
  their degree course might possess