Student Led Curriculum for
Experiencing Employability
Julie Prior
Dr Karen Fitzgibbon
Lesley Long
© University of South Wales
Session Overview
 The Employment Experience module
 Ensuring all students get some experience
 Different perspectives of employability
 Module activities
 Student feedback
 Our reflections
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The Employment Experience
Module
 Context
• Revalidation of the Business Management Degree
• Employers’ perspective
• Competitive advantage
 Why level 6?
• Link to placement experience
• Prepare students for graduate recruitment and
selection processes
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Work Experience Routes
Sandwich Year
Learning
Through
Employment
• Traditional
placement year
in industry
• Minimum of 30
weeks
• Critical
Reflections on
Learning in the
Workplace
• Recognition for
current and
relevant work
based learning
• Students
already working
part-time in
graduate level
positions
Employment
Experience module
• Compulsory
final year
module for all
other students
• Mix of lectures
and workshops
• Minimum of 30
hours work
experience
20 credit module at level 6
Activity
What does the word
‘employability’ mean to you?
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Student Perspectives
Employer perspective: A graduate in Business
and Management typically will:
Rees C, Forbes P & Kubler B. (2007) Student Employability Profiles A Guide for Employers. 2nd revised edition. York: HEA.
Module Activities
 Exploring employability skills
(employability game)
 CV critiquing
 Deconstructing graduate job
adverts.
 Identifying key application
criteria
– essential and desirable
– best methods for assessing
them
 Application sifting
 Mock interview questions
 Mock interviews
 Mock assessment centre
activities
–
–
–
–
In-tray exercises
Problem solving in teams
Negotiation exercises
Psychometric testing
 Live discipline based
Assessment Centre – run by
employers
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Problem Solving Activity
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Student Feedback
 “Feel the module is really effective in helping us understand
and prepare for employment.”
 “Felt we understand what employers want now, still but need
more help in developing some of these skills.”
 “Made us think about things that we hadn’t really focussed on
before.”
 “Keep doing the group work – I liked the groups being mixed
up so you didn’t work with your friends, it forced you to work
with different people and we liked it.”
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Enjoyed the ‘head space’ that
such a practical module gives us.
It’s a module
about you and for
you – really good.
Liked that we put
our learning into
practice.
Module is not assessment driven, you feel valued for attending
and there is value for you in attending.
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Lessons Learned
 Anticipated students would understand the
importance of employability
 Restructuring of activities
 More ‘scene setting’ of each activity
 More focus and guidance for students on
reflection
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Questions?
Julie Prior
[email protected]
(01443) 482884
© University of South Wales