On your marks, get set, go!-lessons from the UK in enhancing employability of graduates and postgraduates

Abstract

Employers expect graduates and postgraduates to demonstrate their education through more than good grades. Learning activities that develop subject skills during formalized programmes of undergraduate and postgraduate study also develop employability skills, if the curriculum is suitably aligned, and developmental planning is supported. Only little extra provision is required, but all development needs to be explicitly signposted to the learner, and the curriculum should be developed in consultation with employers. This review aims to raise awareness of current issues in the context of enhancing employability that arise from an increased global competition on the job market and the expectation of the Higher Education sector to produce work-ready graduates and postgraduates that are well equipped to adapt to a quickly changing work environment particularly due to transferable skills. In the context of lessons from the UK, these current issues and employability are discussed, and approaches to Personal Development Planning that prepare students for lifelong learning and that enable communicating and evidencing achievement are addressed. Issues specific to postgraduates, how actual work experience should be maximized as well as other career influences such as learned societies and social networking are highlighted.

Keywords: PDP; career; curriculum; graduate attributes; skills; work experience.