Thinking of Employability

1
Thinking of Employability

• What it is, what it is not, why it is important?

2
What does employability mean to you?

• Working in pairs, discuss and draft a definition
  of employability
• Swap and compare your definitions with the pair
  sitting closest to you
• Any similarities, differences, thoughts?

3
Perceptions of employability
EMPLOYability
EmployABILITY
Yorke (2004), Employability in higher education
what it is what it is not, HEA Learning and
Employability Series
4
I am employable because

• I got a new job?
• I have the skills?
• Ive had good work experience?
• Ive done my career planning and/or I can do well
  at job interviews?
• I can be taught to be or become (more)
  employable?
• .? (write your own!)

5
Employability is

• a set of skills, knowledge and personal
  attributes that make an individual more likely to
  secure and be successful in their chosen
  occupation(s) to the benefit of themselves, the
  workforce, the community and the economy
• (Yorke 2004)

6
Is employability just a buzz word?

• Change organisations downsizing, restructuring,
  outsourcing, responding to market pressures and
  needs
• Careers and jobs becoming more and more flexible
• No such thing as job for life
• Hard work does not guarantee job security
• Career management individual responsibility

7
An ongoing process

• Employability is a ongoing process and not a
  thing to have!
• Over time, some skills can become outdated or not
  needed any more (or needed less)
• New careers and opportunities
• constantly emerging
• Labour market changing
• Life is changing!

8
Employability and lifelong learning

• Employability is, at heart, a process of
  learning. Harvey, L. et al (2002)
• Do you have a learning attitude to life?
• What are some of the opportunities that exist in
  your academic experience that enable you to
  become more employable?

Knight, P et al Briefings on Employability 3
online. Available from http//www.qualityresear
chinternational.com/esecttools/esectpubs/knightlea
rning3.pdf
9
Employability as outlook and engagement

• What are some of the opportunities that exist in
  your wider university life?
• What are the ones outside of your academic
  experience?
• Your own examples,
• achievements, plans?

10
Employability and Aspiration and Personal
Development

• How do you approach your development?
• Finish these sentences
• As a student (or researcher) I aim to
• To grasp opportunities for self-development
  means
• In my work or career it is important to me to
• To be professional means

11
Employers

• Employers want to be sure they get a return on
  their investment in you. They want graduates who
  are
• aware of their own strengths and skills
• able to use and build on their strengths
• capable of and willing to make an impact wherever
  they work and grow with the organisation
• committed to personal development and life-long
  learning, and
• able to provide evidence (examples!) for these
  claims.

12
Your own conclusion!
To be employed is to be at risk, to be
employable is to be secure
The Art of Building Windmills, Peter Hawkins
(1999)