ACAP analyses data aggregated in the QILT survey results and the Graduate Outcomes Survey ACAP. Disciplines additionally collect information of graduate destinations on an ad-hoc basis.
National data including the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) and the Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS) inform Curtin’s approach to employability. These surveys are administered annually to graduates of Australian universities via the GOS and employers who have an association with the University via the ESS. In early 2018, universities Australia conducted an audit on WIL activities in the university with the intention of linking the frequency and type of WIL to students’ employability outcomes.Curtin is fortunate that many staff across the university are nationally and internationally recognised as active researchers in employability and related fields. These staff remain connected with global and national consortia and willingly share their time and expertise. Curtin staff boast leadership representation on national projects and international collaborations.
The extensive involvement in scholarly activities and decision-making organisations ensures staff can provide support and guidance through a lens of contemporary practice. Below is a list of the national projects in which Curtin staff have worked or are working in a leadership capacity. ATN National Research Projects 2016-2017 1. Building Graduate Resilience for the disrupted future of the 21st Century. (2016-2017) 2. Expanding Work Integrated learning (WIL) possibilities: enhancing student employability through innovative WIL models. (2016-2017) 3. The EDGE PROJECT – Enabling and evidencing enterprise and entrepreneurship through work integrated learning (WIL). (2017-2018) OLT National Research Projects 2014-2017
1. Using online teaching threshold concepts in transformative professional learning curricula for novice online educators. Published 2017.
2. Improving work placement for international students, their supervisors and other stakeholders. Published 2017.
3. Volunteering to learn: enhancing learning in the student volunteering experience in Australian universities. Published 2016.
4. Enacting strategies for graduate employability: How universities can best support students. Published 2016.
5. Quality in Australian outbound student mobility programs: Establishing Good practice guidelines for international Work integrated learning in health sciences. Published 2016.
6. Building resilience in teacher education. Published 2016.
7. Building institutional capacity to enhance access participant and progression in work integrated learning (WIL). Published 2016.
8. Developing strategies to maximize industry contribution and engagement with the work integrated learning experience. Published 2015.
9. The impact of work integrated learning on student work-readiness. Published 2014.
Several research proposals have recently been submitted seeking funds for national projects in 2019. The EmployABILITY Initiative is led by a prominent Curtin researcher, Professor Dawn Bennett. Over 30 institutions are involved globally and the resulting dataset promises to be the most comprehensive potential for institution-wide adoption at Curtin. The ground-breaking approach to employability enables educators to embed employability thinking within the existing curriculum, enables students to shape their future work and career, and creates the datasets which will drive global research into students’ thinking about their studies and their future lives and careers.
The Future of Work Institute: https://campaign.curtin.edu.au/future-of-work-institute/
was launched at Curtin in 2018. This Institute promotes productive and meaningful work as essential foundations of a healthy economy and society. The focus is on how people contribute to and benefit from new knowledge and practices with a mission to support people and organisations in the digital age. The Institute plans to implement the following thematic programs: • Transformative work design • Work capabilities and motivation • Human systems integration • Public policy in the digital age • Data analytics for decision making • Work and ageing
The Future of Work Institute is located in the heart of the Perth CBD with strong industry relationships. In the future, the work of this Institute will inform Curtin’s approach to developing students’ employability capacities.
ECU grounds its approach to employability in a research informed approach and an active research profile in employability, led by the work of A/Professor Denise Jackson https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/business-andlaw/ staff/profiles/associate-professor/associate-professor-denise-jackson
The Graduate Outcomes Survey and the Graduate Destination Survey will be used to inform targeted interventions within courses and for cohorts of students. This work is expanding in 2018 using Tableau as the tool to manage the data.
Across the institution, initiatives and practices from the Student Transitions and Employability team and the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) are research-informed. The Learning Designers work with institutions provided data to inform the support they offer for curriculum design in university courses. CLT uses an approach to integrate employability into the curriculum, which is informed by several educational theories and approaches, including Personal Development Planning (PDP), Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), Integrative Learning, Career Development Learning (CDL), Experiential Learning, Transformative Learning, and Folio Thinking. These theories and approaches are embedded as underpinning philosophies in formal and informal curricular activities in higher education institutions worldwide. The premise to the approach is that a fundamental component of improving employability is to make all learning visible to students. This involves integrating the approach into the curriculum and taking a whole of curriculum approach with most units including tasks/activities/assessments aligned with employability elements and processes. The approach was designed to deliberately develop students’ ability to reflect on, portray, and articulate their learning, growth, and proficiency in their curricular experiences and outcomes (e.g. Course Learning Outcomes and career development learning) as well as activities which occur outside of the curriculum (in intentionally planned learning environments, such as WIL experiences, University-led leadership and volunteering experiences, etc., and in the informal learning environment, e.g. coaching, tutoring, part-time work, and other ‘life wide’ experiences).
Outcomes include explicit CLOs across the University; ePortfolios embedded across courses in most Schools; and a range of staff using integrative learning activities. Staff are encouraged to engage with and supported to undertake research to inform the design and delivery of curriculum. For example, the ECUlture conference provides staff and students with the opportunity to showcase innovation in the field of learning and teaching. It encourages scholarship in teaching and the demonstration of best practice, and facilitates the exchange of ideas. In 2018, the keynote sessions are focussing on student transitions and employability across the student lifecycle. Additionally, a round of Learning and Teaching Grants in 2018 were designed to support staff to engage with the revised ECU Curriculum Design Policy and to impact at the course, unit set or major level, with one category focussed on Designing systematic improvements to career development learning including WIL.
ECU utilises:
• Feedback surveys for qualitative information, informing CEA’s best practice
• Labour Market Info Portal
• Australian Bureau of Statistics Reports
• Good Universities Guide, specifically ‘graduate employment’ and ‘skills development’
• Industry contacts
• State Government environmental scans
• QILT
• Australian Jobs 2018 - https://australianjobs.jobs.gov.au/ (overview of industry and occupational trends in
the labour market). Used to provide guidance around job search and the skills employers value.
• Australian Labour Market Update publication: A quarterly publication produced by the Department of Jobs
and Small Business to aid the understanding of the labour market for those seeking jobs in Australia,
particularly migrants (international students). (www.jobs.gov.au)
The following are examples of some of the common sources of reference and benchmarking used;
o CDAA, CICA, AAGE
o Myfuture, Job Outlook
o Graduate Careers Australia
o OECD
o https://docs.jobs.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/australianjobs2018.pdf
o http://bcec.edu.au/assets/BCEC-Future-of-Work-in-Australia-Report.pdf
o http://www.fya.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/The-New-Basics_Update_Web.pdf
Griffith takes an evidence-based approach to employability, with a deep commitment to doing ‘what works’, based on research and scholarship, useful and timely institutional and sectoral metrics and measures, and ongoing evaluation of approaches and initiatives. Data currently used to inform Griffith’s approach to employability include: key performance indicator analysis around participation in, and efficacy of, initiatives; graduate outcomes survey results; and annual ‘student experience of program’ intra-institutional surveys that gauge career-readiness and quality of learning experiences relating to employability. A review lead by the Griffith University Employability sub-committee of the Learning and Teaching Committee in 2018 involved consultations with more than 200 Griffith staff; analysis of strategy, policy and practice across the university; and a contextual review of best research-informed practice across the sector. From the review findings, a total of 20 specific recommendations for action were drawn for improving Griffith’s approach to student employability.
The development of Kahurei has been informed by research. Other services relating to employability and career services have data points that are used in analysis and benchmarking, but how formal the research and application of this to inform further development is unclear. The University collects information on employability to inform international rankings (e.g. QS Employability ranking) and also to inform benchmarks and audits (e.g. QS Star). Lastly, the University is using Post-Study Outcome data (from the Ministry of Education/Tertiary Education Commission) to inform the Investment Plan process. Investment Plans are the mechanisms used by the government to make tertiary education funding decisions.
SAE’s definition of employability is based on Forrier & Sels (2003). Forrier, A., & Sels, L. (2003). The concept employability: a complex mosaic. International Journal Of Human Resources Development And Management, 3(2), 102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/ijhrdm.2003.002414
The design of the Transferable Skills Framework and its implementation is partly based upon the research of van der Heijden’s (1999 & 2002) Van der Heijden, B (1999) ‘The relationship between job-related factors and the development of professional expertise throughout the career’, Conference Human Resource Management: Confronting Theory and Reality, Rotterdam. Van der Heijden, B. (2002) ‘Prerequisites to guarantee life-long employment’, Personnel Review, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp.44–61.
Here at Swinburne, a team of academic and professional staff drawing on research have worked collaboratively to develop a professional purpose framework. Student Engagement in the form of focus groups were held during the months of June and July 2018. The purpose was to identify and explore student needs, motivations and expectations around their learning process and how the student insights can inform the design process. The focus groups informed the working group to understand the type of study and career decisions students are making before and during university and the factors shaping those decisions. The data has revealed the following insights;
• students desire industry exposure because of their need to understand the world of work and their place in it
• social networks play a crucial role in shaping the study and career choices students make
• students are at different stages of their self and social awareness, but harness industry exposure and their networks to build greater self and social awareness.
In determining the Professional Purpose Framework, the profession purpose working group conducted a research study which involved two concurrent studies. Study A used an empirical study to gauge the presence of the three domains of development in the curricula and Study B was to determine the presence of the Professional Purpose mindset (curious, collaborative, action, growth) with students reflecting on their career decision making.
Focus groups, workshops and in-depth interviews were conducted with academics and students.
In Study A outcomes, the Professional Purpose Domains which aligned with unit learning outcomes in the undergraduate and postgraduate courses were 1. Self and Social Awareness, 2. Navigating the world of work and 3. Building Networks and indicated that there was evidence of Professional Purpose domains of development in the current curricula.
For Study B, the data collected indicated that students exhibited two ends of continuum across all four mindsets. This mindset (a Professional Purpose mindset) we believe will assist students in developing behaviours such as: exploring relevant job options, setting career related goals, developing career relevant skills and abilities, accumulating experiences that ensure future employability and network building that will support a proactive career management and will enhance their employability after graduation. In conclusion from both studies, the notion of employability was expanded on to incorporate the development of a “Professional Purpose Mindset. Swinburne describes Professional Purpose as placing the individual as the driver of their development in pursuit of career related goals. A Professional Purpose Mindset reflects a person’s commitment to developing a professional future aligned to their personal values, professional goals and societal outlook. To this end Swinburne will offer an end to end experience where students will engage in both curricular and co-curricular activities to: 1. Develop and build an understanding of themselves and their place in the world; 2. Know how to build networks and 3. Help them know where they want to go in the future.
As already noted under 1.2, Swinburne have refreshed their Graduate Attributes. A comprehensive evidence- based paper ¹ was used for informing the Swinburne Graduate Attributes. The University engaged the services of Nous (Consultation group) as part of the research which formed the final version of the Graduate Attributes. The consultation process for this refresh took into account research from a wide range of sources with some notable inclusions being: -
• World Trade Organisation, World Trade report: Globalisation and trade, 2008
• Business Council of Australia, Being work-ready, 2017
• Deloitte Access Economics, Soft skills for business success, 2017
• Source: Labour Insight Jobs (Burning Glass Technologies), data from all job postings in Australia and New Zealand
This analysis of advertised job postings provided guidance as to baseline skills that employers demand from graduates. The further analysis of twelve occupational sectors showed that the demand for baseline skills is relatively consistent across sectors, with some minor expected differences.
___________________
¹Barrie, S. C. (2007,) ‘A conceptual framework for the teaching and learning of generic graduate attributes’, Studies in Higher Education, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 439-358
The UQ Employability Framework and approach is predicated on Experiential Learning Theory (Kolb, 1984) and Transformative Learning (Mezirow, 1991). UQ strongly encourages students to engage in a range of experiences both in and outside of the curriculum and to reflect on these experiences to realise their employability development. This experiential learning approach is formalised within Work Integrated Learning in the curriculum but the Student Employability Centre also provides workshops and the online EMPLOY101x - Unlocking your employability Massive Open Online Course allows students engaged in extracurricular activities to also reflect on their experiences. The effectiveness of this approach to students’ perceived employability development, and their confidence in articulating their employability has been monitored through evaluations, surveys and focus groups. Students have stated that:
“The (UQ employability) approach is useful in reflecting my daily life and drawing out things that can make me more employable.” (Study Abroad participant, August 2015)
“My personal employability has definitely been developed through participating in this experience and the employability approach. I am better able to articulate my employability and am becoming more confident in my ability to talk to professionals” (Career Mentoring participant, 2015 )
“It gives me a starting point for reflection and a process in which to identify the learning the resulted from it.” (Study Abroad participant, April 2016)
“I feel more confident to go away and evaluate my experiences to better prepare myself for sharing them with a potential employer” (Summer Research Program student, Jan 2016)
The UQ approach to employability also draws on the concepts of Career Narrative (McMahon, 2014). As part of the learning pillar, students are encouraged to develop their employability narrative i.e. understand how experiences that they have had at university have shaped how they approach their careers, and to develop a unique positioning of themselves as they engage with potential employers.
While employment rates are not an accurate representation of graduate employability the university looks to the annual Graduate Outcome Survey (GOS) and the GOS Longitudinal, and data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to identify trends in employment, and the graduate labour market. UQ also participates in the QS Employability Rankings annually. The results from these surveys can point to areas of activity that might improve student employability outcomes, and inform institutional and divisional KPIs.
The Student Employability Centre is currently developing a UQ Employability Dashboard to inform future decisions regarding allocation of resource, prioritisation, and impact of service delivery. This will also be informed by research being undertaken in partnership with Universitas 21 to identify data analytics that can evidence the impact of experiential learning and effective service delivery on employability outcomes for graduates. This will include consideration of how it might be possible to assess the impact of experiential learning on students’ self confidence in their own employability. Within UQ there is a community of practice of careers and employability experts across UQ, with discipline specific and generalist knowledge that can be harnessed to continue to consider, evaluate, and improve student employability.
A major research project funded by Graduate Australia Research is nearing completion. Developing and Supporting Student Employability [DASSE] (building on the recently published Developing and Supporting Student Leadership [DASSL] Framework (Skalicky et al.) This research is undertaken by the Student Leadership, Career Development and Employment Team.
The VU-forged definition aims to capture much of what has been written previously about graduate employability in Higher Education(1) whilst also recognising that employment contexts are rapidly shifting requiring graduates to have the ability to work across industries, organisations and institutions not yet conceptualised and to negotiate what will be predominantly non-linear career paths(2). The definition seeks to capture the dynamic nature of work, the development of relevant and transferable skill sets and the development of an evolving professional identity.
Employability as it is defined in the Strategy recognises the difference between it and employment however graduate outcomes data (obtained from the Graduate Outcomes Survey) prioritises full time and overall employment as the key success measure. The Strategy sets a target to increase Higher Education Graduate Employment Rate from 59% (2016 /2017) to more than 67% by 2019 and to increase Victoria Polytechnic’s graduate transition to employment or further study from 86.3% to more than 88% by 20192 as key indicators of success for the Strategy. Whilst these are important benchmarking tools, they cannot be the only measure of success for VU graduates.
References:
(1) Yorke 2006 –Employability in Higher Education: What it is – what it is not.
(2) Deloitte Access Economics – The future of work: How can we adapt to survive and thrive?
Yes, but more to do. Internal graduate surveys, QILT survey data and informal and formal industry feedback are collated for internal and external use to demonstrate achievement of the ICMS vision and purpose (see below). ICMS Vision: Australia's Leader of Career-Focused Education ICMS Purpose: Educating students for Personal Success in their Professional Life
To date, the data has been used to great effect for marketing purposes as ICMS has much to be proud of in this space i.e. 90% of students graduate with a job in their field and 100% of students graduate with industry experience. With the WIL Office moving into the Learning and Teaching Department from 2018, an analytical, learning and teaching based approach to the currently available data is underway. In addition, better data collection approaches are being implemented i.e. employer evaluations data of students on Industry Training. These approaches aim to better inform future employability approaches on measures such as student preparedness and the achievement of graduate capabilities.
Research, which is predominantly conducted or identified at individual unit/degree, convenor, Faculty, program or team level, informs our employability initiatives and practices. It is recognised that a more coordinated approach to other employability-related initiatives/activities across the institution is needed. The data that informs Macquarie’s employability practices comes from the scholarship and research undertaken by our staff and others – this is especially true with PACE which has a very well-evidenced approach (outlined below). The Careers and Employment Service also aligns with research-informed best practices (see below) and there are also several pockets of best practice in course design in the Faculties, informed by learning and teaching research that services skills development for employability. Other than the Graduate Outcomes Survey (available through QILT) and the International Student Barometer, we don’t have many measures of what characterises a high level of “employability” of a graduate (other than whether they are employed or not 4 months after graduation).
While such data is useful and relevant, we are seeking to complement it by developing and exploring other outcome measures. These include measures of key components of employability (such as students’ self-assessment of their professional capabilities, networking skills etc) as well as adopting a more nuanced approach to the analysis of employment data, e.g. number and types of jobs, self-employment, and alignment with field of study (which could be interpreted in several ways – working outside one’s field of study may indicate strong employability and the capacity to adapt etc).
PACE Research and Evaluation: PACE programming is continually evaluated and informed through implementation of the PACE Research and Evaluation Strategy 2014-16, the Theory of Change Framework, and PACE Evaluation Strategy 2015-2018. These strategic frameworks enable us to gather, analyse and share data in order to: gauge the extent to which PACE is achieving its goals; ensure the program is held accountable to its stakeholders (including students and industry and community partners); generate and exchange knowledge; and contribute to continuous program improvement and development.
A commitment to knowledge exchange and sharing of good practice has seen the formation of strong partnerships with several institutions, with PACE staff leading and participating in collaborative research projects funded by the (former) Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT), e.g. The Impact of Work-integrated Learning on Student Work- Readiness (with 12 other universities), Building Institutional Capacity to Enhance Access, Participation and Progression in WIL (with four other universities), and an OLT strategic priority grant to utilise an innovative co-creation methodology to co-develop curriculum with PACE International partners.
The Social Networks for Employability research project, funded by Careers Australia, is also being undertaken to explore the capabilities that university graduates require to develop and use online and offline professional networks effectively for career development. Researchers across three universities (Queensland Institute of Technology, Edith Cowan University, and Macquarie University) are exploring potential predictive value of social network constructs for graduate employability and career success. PACE staff have also taken up leadership roles in the Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) - the premier professional association for WIL practitioners and researchers in Australia - and holds affiliations with related entities including the World Association for Cooperative Education (WACE, on the Board of which sits Macquarie’s PVC Learning & Teaching).
To coincide with the full implementation of PACE across the Macquarie curriculum in 2016, the University hosted the National ACEN Conference which attracted over 200 WIL researchers, practitioners and professionals from across Australia and the world. In addition, a diverse range of collaborative research projects have established a robust evidence base to inform program improvement and development. One example is the coordinated and collaborative review of all PACE units, initiated in 2015 to promote a reflective approach to understanding and connecting what’s happening at Department, Faculty and institutional levels in curriculum/pedagogical development and delivery for PACE (Rowe et al., 2017)
PACE Evaluation Framework: The objectives of the PACE Evaluation Framework are to:
Ensure that PACE is accountable to internal and external stakeholders by producing credible evidence on outcomes for students (including Employability), partners, the University and the broader community.
Establish collaborative and reflective learning processes that are used to continuously enhance and develop the PACE program.
Develop sustainable evaluation activities by embedding data collection tools and processes into PACE program delivery.
Considering these objectives and the PACE program life cycle, a formative evaluation focuses on using data for program enhancement and development. The evaluation simultaneously examines PACE outcomes and processes to generate knowledge not only about whether PACE is effective, but also to explain the reasons why (or why not), explore any contextual factors that may be influencing program success, and identify areas to enhance the PACE program. Process evaluation assesses how well a program is being implemented by exploring activities and outputs (direct products delivered by the program) to inform improvements, design and decisions (Preskill & Russ-Eft, 2005). This identifies any program delivery issues that might affect the achievement of short and long-term outcomes. An outcomes evaluation seeks to understand the impact a program is having on the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of a target population (Preskill & Russ-Eft, 2005). Outcome evaluations are most appropriate for well-established programs where activities are being delivered as intended and stable outcome measures are in place. Data is collected sequentially and concurrently using a range of mixed methods. Wherever possible all data collection instruments are designed to collect data on PACE processes and outcomes to answer pre-defined evaluation questions.
Evaluation Methods: PACE Student Survey; Graduate outcome surveys; PACE Partner Data Collection; PACE Unit Review; Most Significant Change technique; PACE staff & University stakeholders’ data collection; Purposeful sample of case studies; PACE operational data
Outcomes Dashboard
PACE’s Research and Evaluation team has developed online outcomes dashboards to trial the dissemination of evaluation data at the unit, Faculty and course level. The dashboards have been developed using Qualtrics, an online survey software. The aim of the outcomes dashboards is to support continuous improvement in processes by providing unit convenors, Faculty teams, PACE teams and Executive stakeholders access to real time data. This data can be used to inform practice to improve program effectiveness, which as a result will enhance student and partner experience and outcomes. Currently the outcome dashboards contain quantitative and qualitative data collected via the PACE Student Survey (unit, faculty and program) and PACE Partner Survey (faculty and program).
Student Survey
The PACE Student Survey is completed at the beginning and end of the PACE Unit. At the beginning of the Unit, students are asked what they are hoping to do when they graduate, their previous work experience, expectations for PACE and current employability awareness, knowledge and skills. The survey at the end of the Unit asks students about their experiences of PACE (activity and Unit) and the impact on career readiness, active citizenship and professional networking outcomes. The PACE Student Survey outcomes dashboard displays the following data:
• Student characteristics
• Student expectations for PACE
• Feedback on the PACE activity/project
• Learner Experience of PACE (LEP) core unit items
• Changes in student outcomes as a result of PACE
• Value and satisfaction
• Graduate outcomes
Partner Survey
The PACE Partner Survey was developed and piloted with a small sample in the first semester 2018. It is completed by a PACE partner survey at the end of a PACE activity/project. It gathers information on:
• Partner satisfaction and outcomes
• Student competency and employability
• Preparation, processes and support for the PACE activity
• Areas for program improvement
The PACE Partner Survey outcomes dashboard displays the following data:
• Partner characteristics
• Satisfaction, testimonials and feedback
• Motivations for becoming involved with PACE
• Partner outcomes
• Partner’s perspectives on student competency and outcomes, including employability and employment
opportunities
• Supervision
• PACE preparation, processes and support
Research-informed Careers Programming
All Careers and Employment Service staff have postgraduate qualifications in Career Development and incorporate career theory in career consultations and workshops for students, for example, the DOTS Model developed by A. G. Watts (1977) that focuses on the following skills:
• Self-awareness (the ability to identify and articulate motivations, skills and personality as they effect career
plans);
• Opportunity awareness (knowledge of opportunities and the ability to research these);
• Decision-making (being able to weigh up personal factors to make a sound plan);
• Transition learning (understanding of how to seek and secure opportunities).
The Career and Employment Service collect data from students who utilise career workshops and events, online resources (CareerWise and MyMQ Career Zone) and book career consultations, to measure student impact, effectiveness and student outcomes (where possible). This data supports review of all Careers and Employment service programming. Data collected on the effectiveness of career workshops/teaching conducted by career development consultants within units and different degree programs is less consistent or formalised and varies by Faculty and consultant. In some units supported by career development consultants, questions are built into the learning evaluation mechanisms academics use for the unit/their teaching.
In a lot of cases, an understanding of relevancy/effectiveness is gathered anecdotally by the unit convenor. Faculty-based career development consultants provide annual Graduate Outcomes Survey results to the Faculty and to students within the units they teach, to highlight what roles/organisations graduates are going into, as well as the job search strategies they have used to find this work. This data also informs some of the content/focus of workshops (and experiential activities) provided both within and alongside the curriculum. The Student Experience Survey (SES) and IBS (International Student Barometer) data is also used for benchmarking purposes by the Career and Employment Service team. In addressing international students’ career development needs, the Career and Employment Service also undertook a study on Positive Career Outcomes and published its finding on Chinese returnees, the single largest international student cohort (Lin-Stephens, Doherty, & Uesi, 2015). This is the first study in the Chinese student literature to identify holistic, including ‘soft’ career outcomes and contributing factors, as opposed to the institutional benchmarks which focused on employment rates, salaries, etc.
Case studies: Careers in the Faculty of Arts
In 2017, The Faculty of Arts commissioned Deloittes Access to conduct research into the Value of Humanities. In particular, this report explores the impact/contribution of the arts to our society, how work and the skills required by industry are changing, graduate outcomes for Arts graduates in comparison to other disciplines/degrees and how the skills an Arts graduate develop are perceived (and their relevance) beyond University. A draft of this report has been circulated and discussed with a range of graduate employers, to gain their feedback on humanities graduates, their attractiveness to industry and how as an institution we could address this to help Arts graduates better understand and articulate what they have to offer to improve their competitiveness and employment outcomes. Further work is still to be done to finalise and formally launch this report, as well as a series of round tables with industry planned to obtain further feedback and industry input into degree program development.
The 2016 draft university-wide Employability Framework was researched and benchmarked against other university practices and then reviewed by School-based employability champions before it stalled. Careers and Employability base workshop and appointment approaches and recommendations on research conducted to monitor national and international university sector employability practices and research that tracks industry trends and best practice.
The following data are currently used:
• Graduate Outcomes Survey: Used to monitor national and institutional trends on graduate employment. C&E track degree and discipline trends compared to national trends to identify courses that have opportunities for improvement. Student comments on what the university did and didn’t do well to support their transition into graduate employment are used by C&E to target units and academic staff to partner with to introduce improvements. E.g. Psychology programs now include first-year Careers content, presentations by alumni and a structured approach to recommending a second-year elective unit called Professional Development for the Workplace which provides a structured format and support for students to plan for employment options at the end of 3rd year or after their Honours year. • Industry research including ABS, AAGE, Graduate Careers Australia, Foundation for Young Australians, Job Outlook, general industry research reports graduate employer surveys, NSW Law Society’s Law Graduate Tracking Survey
• Employer focus group research. Informs C&E teaching content for embedded employability workshops. • Employability research reported in national and international journals, conducted through national associations such as ACEN, NAGCAS, RUN Conferences and WIL Benchmarking Committee, AGCAS, Career Leadership Collective.
• C&E research the impacts of the Bright Futures Alumni-Student Mentoring Program on student employability development and use this research to inform program development. Unfortunately, due to lack of staffing resources, this program may have to end in 2019.
• SCU student surveys to assess how students want their SAFF funds spent, identify C&E as the top overall priority (2013, 2016 and 2018). These results inform funding allocation decisions.
Examples of School-based research include:
Direct student feedback on employer responses and reactions to recommended application techniques are actively sought by some Schools, e.g. Nursing and Midwifery programmes used this information to evaluate the effectiveness of new assessments and embedded C&E content 2015-2018. This C&E partnership with Nursing has resulted in significant improvements in unit feedback surveys, feedback from recruiters, student self-efficacy and a graduate employment rate of over 95% in 2017.
Schools and other departments also use a research-based approach. E.g. The role of community-engaged learning and volunteering in developing student employability is heavily researched by SCU Engagement and informs their processes and practice in offering extra-curricular opportunities. Research from accrediting and employer bodies for Schools such as Education and Health is also integrated into degree programs.
• Schools such as the School of Business and Tourism (SBaT) benchmark units which include employability activities. SBaT also uses industry feedback on students’ internship performance to inform curriculum design.
The School of Law and Justice (SLJ) participated in the national ‘Effective Law Student Supervision Project’ (OLTC Teaching Fellowship, Giddings, 2013-14), which informs curriculum for the SLJ’s work integrated learning units, LAW00123 Law Placement and LAW20001 Paralegal Placement. Current research and scholarship on clinical legal education is informing a project to establish a student-run law clinic.
The School of Environment, Science and Engineering (SESE) has had a long-term project that uses the Environment and Sustainability threshold learning outcomes (Phelan, L., McBain, B., Ferguson, A., Brown, P., Brown, V., Hay, I., . . . Taplin, R. (2015). Learning and teaching academic standards statement for environment and sustainability. Retrieved from http://environmentltas.gradschool.edu.au/about/about-the-project/). In the survey they ask hosts of interns to identify the skill level of a new graduate using descriptors that have been developed by Department of Industry Innovation Climate Change Science Research and Tertiary Education & Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (2013) “Core skills for work developmental framework”. The hosts then rate the performance of the student they have just supervised. The results so far show that students meet or exceed the expectations of the hosts.
The Strategic Information and Analysis Unit provides the following data for staff to draw upon:
- Graduate Outcome Survey (GOS) for MEE: Graduate Outcome Survey (GOS) for Marketing and External Engagement purposes
- Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS): USC analysis of graduates' responses to the national Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS). Includes destination and labour force outcomes and further study activities by USC, program, program type, attendance type and demographics
- Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS): Benchmarking Recent graduates responses collected via the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) detailing destination and labour force outcomes as published on Australian Government Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website (www.qilt.edu.au)
- Good Universities Guide Star Ratings Report:Time series report of the Good University Guide Ratings. Includes USC characteristic and USC ratings, with comparisons to other Queensland universities, based on: Overall experience, Teaching quality, Field of study 5 star ratings.
A range of individual academics are using employability research to inform their projects https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/vision/learning-and-teaching/grants-awards-and-fellowships/recipients-of-internal-learning-and-teaching-grants-and-awards (2016 & 2017 funding outcomes are particularly relevant to this question). As mentioned in 1.2, these projects are occurring in isolation so there is limited sharing of underpinning research, or of outcomes.
Yes, but it is scant and UWA has only started doing it mid year. In addition, the University has made attempts to support employability through research as demonstrated by its uptake of the Universities Australia Work Integrated Learning Audit completed earlier this year. This data was collected through the Strategy Planning and Performance. The Universities Australia WIL benchmarking project gave us a baseline starting point to capture who is doing WIL across the entire institution. While this was a starting point, there were issues with the data collection process. The data was collected in a short period (4 weeks) and collected by several individuals whereby the process relied on their interpretation of WIL. Furthermore, the University has released a definition of WIL at the end of 2017 however this definition is vague. Once the data was collected it was utilised by the Educational Enhancement Unit (EEU) Strategy team to develop the basis of the WIL Summit held in June 2018. Some of the findings suggest that a more definite definition of WIL is required, a WIL strategy group to be formed, existing policies and procedures on WIL should be examined and clarification to be offered as required. Based on these findings, the EEU team has put forth its recommendations. Hence, UWA has now created a WIL Strategy Working Group and will be actioning the recommendations through this group. As part of this initiative, UWA has engaged an external consultant to audit the current state of WIL placements and provide recommendations.
In addition, research and interviews are being conducted on a UWA Learning and Teaching Position Paper on WIL which is to be released in 2019 . Embarking on such research provides a UWA context and further allows the University to make informed decisions.
The Employability strategy was informed by the research literature, and data collected by the Office for Employability and Graduate Success. The University has also conducted a localised employability research project in 2018 and data is currently being analysed. All of our employability related 21C curriculum initiatives have a clear and solid grounding in educational research. However, we need to work with the Office of Quality and Performance to make sure this data is valid, consistent and can be used across the institution to update and inform our Employability strategy.
We currently do not have an institutional approach to employability, although developing employability skills are embedded within the WIL framework which was informed by literature. In addition, the institution has undertaken a National WIL project investigating the capabilities required by hospitality organisations for graduate roles. The findings from this project have been used to further inform WIL units and provide students with current data on the capabilities they require.
At an institutional level, there does not seem to be a cohesive research-informed approach to employability. However, there are areas of good practice. Career Development Advisors working in the University’s Careers Service are nationally certified and use current research-based pedagogy in their provision of Career Development activities to students. At a discipline level, the VetSet2Go project embedded into the universities veterinary programs is research informed (https://www.vetset2go.edu.au/project-overview ). Other research informed employability related projects occurring across the university include the Building Resilience in Teacher Education (BRiTE) project (https://www.brite.edu.au/ ) lead by Murdoch academic Associate Professor Caroline Mansfield and the Volunteering to Learn project http://www.murdoch.edu.au/projects/volunteeringtolearn/ lead by Murdoch Academic Dr Megan Paull.
The central careers service currently uses CareerHub data on student engagement with the various programs and services and is looking at using the Graduate Outcomes Survey data to inform career development learning embedded into the curriculum from 2019.
There is no institutional approach to employability.
There are pockets of practice informed by research, including Program Health Checks and analysis of QILT data. There is an implicit protocol that program areas use data, however, there are no institution wide protocols to manage this. The Careers and Employability team provide careers services using an evidence based approach underpinned by research and theory.