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The responsibility for students' employability

Learning through Earning Project (University of East Anglia)

The project, carried out at the University of East Anglia (UEA) aimed to:

increase substantially the number of UEA employable graduates;

offer accreditation for student learning derived from a wide range of work experiences;

increase the quality, learning potential, and number of work experience opportunities;

produce tested models and materials with potential for wide application throughout higher education.

At the outset, it was evident that stakeholders held a range of views about the project aims and how to meet them. The Department for Education and Employment, employers, careers service, some UEA students and some members of UEA's Learning and Teaching Committee saw students' employability as a high priority. Others (many academics, some senior managers and administrators, and some students) did not believe that "preparation for employment" should be a significant aim of the academic enterprise. Nevertheless, external pressures have had an impact on the University culture: there has been a gradual appreciation of the value of work experience and skills development for higher education students.

Project outcomes include:

A piloted and refined programme of skills development workshops, a "portfolio pack" for recording achievement, and a workshop series which supports students to produce evidence of their skills.

A 20-credit Work-based Learning Unit (WbLU) offered to second and third year undergraduates as a "free-choice" option. The WbLU is located in the University's (non-discipline based) Centre for Continuing Education. The decision to locate it within the Centre had the advantage of making WbLU accessible to all students and avoided placing undue pressure for "skills" training and assessment on academic staff.

The expansion of work opportunities and the wider availability of quality work experience through the University's Employability Service (available through the Students Union and the UEA's Intranet).

Lessons learned that may be of value to other institutions include:

Students are enthusiastic about the idea of gaining credit for work-based learning, and the University's students union was a useful and supportive stakeholder. However, there is a danger in over-selling the WbLU as an easy option.

Development of WbLU triggered useful debates in individual schools on the whole issue of academic responsibility for students' employability, and the development of generic "life skills" within the undergraduate curriculum.

Employers' support for the preparatory workshops (prior to summer vacation work), and their assistance with the assessment of the students' presentations gave WbLU particular credibility and was appreciated by students and employers alike.

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The responsibility for students' employability

Follow this link for the Final Report

Project Themes:

Graduate Business Start-ups

Key Skills in HE

High Level Lifelong Learning

Guidance for Graduates

Recording Achievement

Labour Market Intelligence

Innovation and Creativity in the Curriculum

Work Experience