The concept of employability is analysed and the prevailing tendency to create employability measures based on outcomes is critiqued. The outcome approach results in employability as being construed as an institutional achievement rather than the propensity of the individual student to get employment. The operationalisation of employability as a concept is examined and the implicit 'magic bullet' notion of employability-development opportunities is revealed. An alternative, more complex model is outlined but its applicability is subverted by the 'irrational' activities of graduate recruiters, which render useless any employability indicator based on the proportion of graduates obtaining work. An alternative approach, based on an audit of employability-development within institutions, is explored and some methodological pitfalls are outlined. The conclusion suggests that any evaluation of employability needs clearly to indicate areas for internal improvement rather than simply ranking institutions.

Defining and Measuring Employability.

The paper addresses one aspect of the ‘New Realities’ of higher education: the employer‐higher education interface. It explores the development of the ‘employability’ agenda in higher education, examines the nature and implication of organisational change for graduates and assesses what attributes graduates will need in the next decade. Flexible organisations need flexible, and increasingly empowered employees; that in turn calls for transformative and empowering learning. The way that higher education might address this, particularly in the context of lifelong learning, is explored.

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New realities: the relationship between higher education and employment

Many governments are concerned that investment in higher education should increase the stock of human capital, which is seen as a source of national economic well-being. This concern often leads to an expectation that higher education will foster the learning outcomes that employers value. In the UK it has taken the form of pressure on higher education institutions to improve students' employability. This paper briefly reviews some current responses, claiming that they are inadequate. An analysis of the concept of employability follows, leading to a claim that it necessarily entails complex learning. This gives way to a view of what needs to be done to improve the chances of such learning occurring. The main implication for teaching is contained in the claim that employability policies are not well-served by piecemeal actions. Rather, teaching that enhances employability is associated with systemic thinking about programmes and learning environments.

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Employability and Good Learning in Higher Education

As a key performance indicator in university quality assurance processes, the retention of students in their studies is an issue of concern world-wide. Implicit in the process of quality assurance is quality improvement. In this article, we examine student retention from a teaching and learning perspective, in terms of teaching and learning approaches that have an impact on students' decisions to continue with or withdraw from their studies. The major need is to engage students in their studies, and in this article we discuss ways that student engagement can be facilitated through the teaching and learning programme in higher education currently.

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Improving Student Retention in Higher Education

It has become a received wisdom that the completion of a work placement as part of a sandwich undergraduate degree is of positive benefit both to graduates and employers, particularly in an era that stresses the economic contribution of higher education through developing graduate employability. This benefit is twofold: first, work placements positively contribute to the development of generic employability skills; and second, placements provide a ‘head start’ for graduates at the outset of their careers. This article explores the value of a work placement in these two areas for a cohort of business and management graduates who completed their undergraduate studies in 2003, drawing upon both longitudinal quantitative and qualitative data. Whilst the qualitative data provides a positive assessment of the benefits of a work placement, the quantitative data suggests a more complex relationship between work placements, skills development and labour market outcomes.

The impact of work placements on skills development and career outcomes for business and management graduates

It has frequently been claimed that work experience can contribute to higher educational standards in schools and in higher education and contribute to the development of a flexible, highly-skilled and enterprising labour force. This potential was endorsed by the Dearing Report on higher education, although there is little research evidence about the contribution of work experience to the higher education curriculum. This article reports on four empirical studies of work experience in higher education, which suggest that work experience is related to a more positive view of the learning experience and to higher employment rates. However, retrospective views of graduates tend to be more positive than those of current undergraduates and there appear to be distinct subject variations in the impact of different types of work experience. It is argued that the potential is more likely to be realised where work experience placements have six characteristics of good practice and where the higher education curriculum consistently encourages students to reflect well on their own learning.

Transforming Work Experience in Higher Education

Work Experience: Expanding Opportunities for Undergraduates

Art and design, in the UK, is an area dominated by female students and yet, as graduates, they consistently earn less than males. Research, drawing on information provided by nearly 2000 art and de...

Alison Blackwell

Papers

Transforming Work Experience in Higher Education

Work Experience: Expanding Opportunities for Undergraduates

Gender Bias in Incomes of UK Art and Design Graduates

Brooding

Transforming Work Experience in Higher