Employability Skills:
some modules do have them!
PCUTL Group Project
Diane Harris (PGMDE)
Sherran Milton (SOHCS)
Fiona Morgan (INSRV)
Lisa Wallace (MEDIC)
The Project Team
• Diane Harris
– Dental Nurse Tutor. Registered and practiced as a dental
nurse for over 25 years
• Sherran Milton
– Operating Department Practitioner. Worked as Senior
Clinical Staff & Education Officer in national post
• Fiona Morgan
– Worked in industry for >20 years with a number of
multinational companies
• Lisa Wallace
– 18 years of medical research experience at two major U.S.
Universities
Employability
“A set of attributes, skills
and knowledge that all
labour market participants
should possess to ensure
they have the capability of
being effective in the
workplace – to the benefit
of themselves, their
employer and the wider
economy”
EMPLOYERS:
CBI Education and skills survey 2011
70% of employers want to see:
• Development of
employability skills made a
top priority – embedding
skills in the curriculum.
• University students doing
more to prepare themselves
to be effective in the
workplace.
WELSH GOVERNMENT:
Higher Education Strategy
Employability is a
key outcome of
the HE experience
STUDENTS: Investing for careers
Current students (11/12)
Fees:
£3,400
Student loan:
£5,000
3 year debt
>£25,000
New students (12/13)
Fees:
£3,500 (Wales)
£9,000 (England)
Student loan
£5,500
3 year debt:
>£27,000 (Wales)
>£43,500 (England)
CU Graduate Employability and
Enterprise Skills Strategy
• Employability and Enterprise-related skills
provision articulated across all curricula and
communicated to students;
• New academic programmes designed and
existing programmes revised with an
employability and/or enterprise dimension
incorporated.
Teaching staff
• Key in communicating strategy
– Building skills development into modules
and courses
• Need clarity:
– Unclear on what these skills are
– Range of different terms and lack of
consistency in University documentation
EMPLOYABILITY
SKILLS
DESCRIPTORS
FORMS OF ASSESSMENT (Examples)






Preparing a CV
Final year projects
Self assessment
Action plans/setting objectives
Portfolio development
Personal development plans











Negotiate team ground rules
Project manage group work
Peer review
Allocate roles/responsibilities
Motivate and support team
Evaluation
Appraisal docs
Job applications
Course assignments
Clinical logs
Testimonies
 Learning contracts
 profiles
Self Management





Time management
Flexibility
Resilience
Self-starting
Appropriate assertiveness
Team working





Respecting others
Cooperating
Negotiating/persuading
Contributing to discussions
Awareness of interdependence with others
Business and
customer
awareness
 Basic understanding of the key drivers for business success
including:
› the importance of innovation and taking calculated risks
› the need to provide customer satisfaction and build customer
loyalty
• Awareness of professional codes
and practice guidelines
 Case studies and scenarios
 Quality and risk assessment/
management
 Audit/survey of practice or
satisfaction
 Analysing facts and solutions
 Applying creative thinking to develop appropriate solutions






Case studies
Ethics committees
Role play and scenarios
Games and puzzles
Models
Final year projects
 Guidance materials
 Clinical audit tools/guidelines
 Questionnaires
 Application of literacy
 Ability to produce clear, structured written work
 Oral literacy – including listening and questioning







Demonstrate telephone skills
Present and debate issues
Give and accept feedback
Gather Information
Critically assess material
Listening/body language
Persuading and negotiating
 Note taking
 Critical literature review
• Discussion
 Manipulation of numbers
 General mathematical awareness and its application in practical
contexts (eg measuring, weighing, estimating and applying
formulae)








Understand concept of a number
Handle fractions and decimals
Calculate rates and percentages
Work with ratios and proportions
Interpret data
Numerical problem solving
Understand basic finance
Use spreadsheet software
 Drug calculation software
 (safe medicate, authentic world)
• Use of Excel/SPSS
• Practice tests
 Basic IT skills including familiarity with word processing,
spreadsheets, file management and the use of internet search
engines,
 Complete ECDL or equivalent
 Present information in a variety of
IT formats
 Systematic searching
Problem solving
Communication
and literacy
Application of
numeracy
Application of
information
technology
 Readiness to accept
responsibility
 Readiness to improve own
performance based on
feedback/reflective learning
SKILLS (Examples)






Protocol development
Induction material for new students
Practical observation
Audits
Peer review
Attitude scales
 Develop :
› information leaflets
› Procedural documents
› Policy position statements
› Research proposals/funding applications/ethical
approvals
 Contribute to professional bodies or specialist groups
•
•
•
•
Poster presentation
Oral presentation
Debate
Present to camera
 Developing presentations
 Producing assignments in word and
submission via turn it in
 Negotiating on line library tools i.e. literature search
 Using Learning Central appropriately
 Using e learning materials
Employability skills: a set of attributes,
skills and knowledge…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Self-management
Team working
Business and customer awareness
Problem solving
Communication and literacy
Application of numeracy
Application of information technology
All underpinned by a positive attitude
Stage 1
Employability skills
Stage 2
Descriptors
GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTERPRISE
SKILLS STRATEGY
2010 - 2015
EMPLOYABILITY
SKILLS
DESCRIPTORS
SKILLS (Examples)
Self Management





Time management
Flexibility
Resilience
Self-starting
Appropriate assertiveness
Team working





Respecting others
Cooperating
Negotiating/persuading
Contributing to discussions
Awareness of interdependence with others
Business and
customer
awareness
 Basic understanding of the key drivers for business success
including:
› the importance of innovation and taking calculated risks
› the need to provide customer satisfaction and build customer
loyalty
Problem solving
 Analysing facts and solutions
 Applying creative thinking to develop appropriate solutions
Communication
and literacy
 Application of literacy
 Ability to produce clear, structured written work
 Oral literacy – including listening and questioning
Application of
numeracy
 Manipulation of numbers
 General mathematical awareness and its application in practical
contexts (eg measuring, weighing, estimating and applying
formulae)
Application of
information
technology
 Readiness to accept
responsibility
 Readiness to improve own
performance based on
feedback/reflective learning
 Basic IT skills including familiarity with word processing,
spreadsheets, file management and the use of internet search
engines,
FORMS OF ASSESSMENT (Examples)
Questions to the group
• Was your partner from a similar discipline?
• If not, were you able to reach a consensus in
your response?
• Is it already in your module/course?
So what’s in it for you?
EMPLOYABILITY
SKILLS
DESCRIPTORS
FORMS OF ASSESSMENT (Examples)






Preparing a CV
Final year projects
Self assessment
Action plans/setting objectives
Portfolio development
Personal development plans











Negotiate team ground rules
Project manage group work
Peer review
Allocate roles/responsibilities
Motivate and support team
Evaluation
Appraisal docs
Job applications
Course assignments
Clinical logs
Testimonies
 Learning contracts
 profiles
Self Management





Time management
Flexibility
Resilience
Self-starting
Appropriate assertiveness
Team working





Respecting others
Cooperating
Negotiating/persuading
Contributing to discussions
Awareness of interdependence with others
Business and
customer
awareness
 Basic understanding of the key drivers for business success
including:
› the importance of innovation and taking calculated risks
› the need to provide customer satisfaction and build customer
loyalty
• Awareness of professional codes
and practice guidelines
 Case studies and scenarios
 Quality and risk assessment/
management
 Audit/survey of practice or
satisfaction
 Analysing facts and solutions
 Applying creative thinking to develop appropriate solutions






Case studies
Ethics committees
Role play and scenarios
Games and puzzles
Models
Final year projects
 Guidance materials
 Clinical audit tools/guidelines
 Questionnaires
Communication
and literacy
 Application of literacy
 Ability to produce clear, structured written work
 Oral literacy – including listening and questioning







Demonstrate telephone skills
Present and debate issues
Give and accept feedback
Gather Information
Critically assess material
Listening/body language
Persuading and negotiating
 Note taking
 Critical literature review
• Discussion
Application of
numeracy
 Manipulation of numbers
 General mathematical awareness and its application in practical
contexts (eg measuring, weighing, estimating and applying
formulae)







Handle fractions and decimals
Calculate rates and percentages
Work with ratios and proportions
Interpret data
Numerical problem solving
Understand basic finance
Use spreadsheet software
 Drug calculation software
 (safe medicate, authentic world)
• Use of Excel/SPSS
• Practice tests
 Basic IT skills including familiarity with word processing,
spreadsheets, file management and the use of internet search
engines,
 Complete ECDL or equivalent
 Present information in a variety of
IT formats
 Systematic searching
Problem solving
Application of
information
technology
 Readiness to accept
responsibility
 Readiness to improve own
performance based on
feedback/reflective learning
SKILLS (Examples)






Protocol development
Induction material for new students
Practical observation
Audits
Peer review
Attitude scales
 Develop :
› information leaflets
› Procedural documents
› Policy position statements
› Research proposals/funding applications/ethical
approvals
 Contribute to professional bodies or specialist groups
•
•
•
•
Poster presentation
Oral presentation
Debate
Present to camera
 Developing presentations
 Producing assignments in word and submission via turn
it in
 Negotiating on line library tools i.e. literature search
 Using Learning Central appropriately
 Using e learning materials
Conclusion
Defined and clarified employability skills.
Made clear their importance to:
• Students
• Employers
• Cardiff University.
Produced a practical output:
• A simple tool to help staff who are developing
and revising modules.
Work on the grid will continue as a Module 2
project.