Paper presented at Higher Education Close Up, an international conference from 6-8 July 1998 at University of Central Lancashire, Preston. This conference is jointly hosted by the Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University and the Department of Education Studies, University of Central Lancashire and is supported by the Society for Research into Higher Education

Introduction

Higher education institutions must recognise that for many students the transition from education into employment is not a straightforward matter and in the past many students have been ill-equipped for this transition. During the 1990s, this issue has been exacerbated because of the considerable expansion in graduate numbers which has taken place within a relatively short period of time. Furthermore, the nature of graduate employment is changing; today it is only a minority of students who can hold any realistic expectation of employment in a position directly related to the discipline studied; this is particularly the case for those students whose focus remains within traditional academic disciplines. Whilst it is essential that the academic standards of particular disciplines or broader fields of study are not undermined it is also important to be realistic and to note that the academic knowledge gained will (for most students) never be utilised directly in any employment context. More and more, the academic qualification of the degree is merely a statement that the graduate has demonstrated the ability to perform to a particular level of academic competence and, perhaps more importantly, possesses the ability to learn.

Today's graduates are faced with a quite different employment challenge than that of earlier generations (which of course includes most of those employed to teach them whilst at university). Research conducted on behalf of the Association of Graduate Employers noted in 1995 that unemployed graduates felt "short changed" by higher education institutions which had failed to note that the "rules of the game had changed" and consequently (despite fulfiling the traditional goal of a "good degree") had not provided them with the essential skills for employment

Furthermore, it should also be recognised that even for those in work, the nature of employment is changing such that education (higher and otherwise) is the first step in a continuing programme of lifelong learning - much of which will subsequently be conducted in a workplace setting.

It is against this background that national debate has arisen about with what should universities and other institutions offer to their students. Since 1997, this debate has been fuelled by the report from the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (Dearing Committee) which has recommended that:

".... institutions of higher education [should] begin immediately to develop, for each programme they offer a 'programme specification' which .... gives the intended outcomes of the programme in terms of:

• the knowledge and understanding that a student will be expected to have on completion;
• key skills: communication, numerically, the use of information technology and learning how to learn;
• cognitive skills, such as an understanding of methodologies or ability in critical analysis;
• subject specific skills, such as laboratory skills."

A Strategic Framework

The University of Luton has always taken an overtly vocational focus to its academic provision and for some years has taken full account of the concerns which have been (more recently) expressed nationally by such as the Association of Graduate Recruiters and the Dearing committee. Not surprisingly, the University of Luton has for some time been taking the necessary steps to ensure that, in addition to being knowledgeable in the specific subject matter associated with a particular academic discipline or field of study, every student is fully equipped, at graduation, with the skills necessary for the very important transition into the world of employment.

The strategic decision to embed employability skills into each level of the undergraduate curriculum was taken by the University's most senior management team during 1994 (University of Luton, 1994) following debates which were initiated by University's Enterprise in Higher Education (EHE) project. EHE at Luton placed a major emphasis on the establishment and embedding of links between the University and employers local and national. The EHE programme provided numerous channels for the views of the University's employer partners to be fed into decision making processes; these partners strongly recommended that the students should develop their employability skills whilst with the University in order to ease, as much as possible, the often difficult transition from student to employee.

The senior management decision to embed skills was followed by an extensive period of debate across the entire institution which continued for almost two years. This debate did not centre on the necessity or desirability of developing the students' employability skills but rather concentrated on the development of practical mechanisms through which this decision might be operationalised within the more general University constraints of financial restraint for the benefit of the entire student population. It was essential that a means to embed (and preferably also recognise and celebrate) skills be created which did not totally take over the basic educational objectives which continue to be discipline / field of study based.

Key elements of the debate divided into two broad categories.

The first category concerned the skills curriculum:

• Which skills should be highlighted?
• How might the University recognise a meaningful skills progression
• from Level I through to Level 3?
• How might the University ensure that each (and every) student is fully exposed to each skill area?

• Should skills be assessed separately from the general curriculum.
• How should the skills be assessed?

Table 1

Table 2

Table 3

• Employability skills are grouped under four main headings:
  • Information retrieval and handling
  • Communication and presentation
  • Planning and problem solving
  • Social development and interaction
• For each skill area (above) the specific descriptions are phrased to take account of the progressive development of the students from Level I through to Level 3.
• For each level, the descriptions give details of the University's expectations in respect of the context of learning-, the degree of student responsibility for theirown learning, and the ethical frameworks within which learning is to take place.
• Similarly, for each level, the descriptions detail the University's expectations in terms of knowledge and understanding, analysis, synthesis and creativity, and evaluation.

The Process of Implementation

• Information gathering - to determine what skills provision was already in place ( although perhaps not formally recognised ) and to identify the " gaps ". The exercise was universal and involved almost every member of the teaching staff. The exercise of re-examination was itself a great awareness raising exercise and took the skills message to all areas of the institution. It is fair to say the teaching staff have viewed the skills initiative with a mix of opinions ( from overwhelming support through indifference to suppressed opposition ) but the consensus which has emerged is that the adoption of the skills initiative was generally good for the students whilst offering a very useful marketing message to be used in future recruitment of students.
• Once the information on the skills provision had been gathered and arrangements set in place to plug any skills gaps, there was a need to formally recognise, through validation, that the skills elements were present. This re-presenation of valiadated modules was a further step in the recognition of the importance placed by the institution on the skills initiative.
• After validation had taken place the module information provided to students to assist in their choice of which modules to study ( the so-called MOD-INF forms ) were each redrafted to specifically draw attention to the skills content. This was just one step in an improved flow of information to students about the importance of skills in the development of their future employment prospects.
• The information booklet given to students who register for a module have also, in most instances, been redrafted to draw attention to the skills components.
• Skills development is also brought to the students' attention during lectures, seminars and, perhaps most often, with respect to assignments. Whilst some lecturers have merely modified their assessments many are actively seeking to truly engage with skills in the way they teach. In all cases it is recognised as essential to not only explain to students the nature of the academic task but also place this into the context of why the task has to be completed and what skills are being developed.
• The skills initiative has become a central feature of the University's induction and initial training programmes for new academic staff and also within the on-going staff development activities for established staff.

The Operational Impact

Preliminary observations indicate that-.

• The lecturer is required to consider the mechanisms of curriculum delivery and in particular to decide the extent to which the skills elements are to be overtly obvious or whether these are to be achieved in a more discreet manner. (Many of the employability skills have always been a part of student life and have traditionally formed a hidden curriculum along side the subject based materials.) The authors observe that the skills initiative has provided a shift towards greater openness and stimulated a desire to develop teaching programmes and utilise methods which overtly utilise the students' skills.

• The students, in turn, become more aware of their role as learners rather than mere sinks for the information provided by the lecturer. Students take more responsibility for their personal learning and must maintain records of their activities as learners. The mere promulgation of the skills programme has helped to make students more conscious of the need to ensure that their personal experience of the University takes account of their intended future progression into employment. Overall, the recognition of skills contributes noticeably to the students' maturing process.

• Assessment in the context of the skills initiative brings a requirement to balance consideration of the expectations of the academic discipline with judgements made about the achievement of the employability skills. Care is needed with respect to the messages which pass to the students about what is being assessed - it is clearly not the intention for the student (for instance) to focus excessive attention on the "performance" aspects of an oral presentation to the detriment of the content aspects. The skills descriptions used by academic staff address this type of issue but there is a continuing need to ensure that students are aware of the need for appropriate balance and of the desired learning outcomes.

References

Association of Graduate Recruiters (1995) Skills for Graduates in the 21st Century Association of Graduate Recruiters. London.

Dearing Committee (1997) Higher Education in the Learning Society. Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education. The Stationery Office. London.

University of Luton (1994) Strategic Plan, 1993 -98 University of Luton, Luton. (See also subsequent annual editions).

Author Contact Details

                                                                             
Christine Steven                      Dr Stephen Fallows                     
Senior Teaching Fellow                Reader in Educational Development      
Faculty of Science Technology and     University of Luton                    
Design                                LUTON LUI 3JU                          
University of Luton                                                          
LUTON LUI 3JU                                                                
                                      tel    01582 489287               
tel 01582 7341 11 ext 2630            fax    01582 743237                
fax 01582 489103                      email stephen.fallows@luton.ac.uk      
email christine.steven@luton.ac.uk                                           

This document was added to the Education-line database 26 June 1998