The document discusses employability from the perspectives of students, employers, and careers advisers. It finds that: 1) Students define employability as the skills employers seek, like problem solving and communication, while employers also emphasize "soft skills" like work ethic. 2) Careers advisers can help develop employability, but 29% of employers feel they are not doing enough. 3) There are differing views on responsibility - 42% of students see themselves as responsible, while 60% of employers say it is students' responsibility and 42% of advisers see themselves as responsible.

1. Employability in 3-D

2. Methodology
Objectives: To find out what employability means to students, employers
and careers advisers and how prepared students are for the world of work
Total sample: 533 students, 98 employers, 129 careers advisers
Survey emailed out to a sample of students provided by UCAS and promoted via
the guardian students network, careers advisers via the guardian professional
networks and to recruiters from the AGR and the guardian’s own database
Survey conducted between 14th May and 20th June 2013

3. What is Employability?
Employability /ɪmˌplɔɪəˈbɪləti/ noun
The skills and abilities that allow you to be employed: There will no longer be jobs
for life, but employability for life.
Cambridge English Dictionary
Employability is a set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes –
that makes graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen
occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.
ESECT based on Yorke 2006
Employability is not just about getting a job. Conversely, just because a student is on a
vocational course does not mean that somehow employability is automatic. Employability is
more than about developing attributes, techniques or experience just to enable a student to
get a job, or to progress within a current career. It is about learning and the emphasis is less
on ‘employ’ and more on ‘ability’. In essence, the emphasis is on developing critical, reflective
abilities, with a view to empowering and enhancing the learner.
Harvey 2003
Source: Cambridge English Dictionary, Wikipedia

4. Employability in the news…

5. What does employability mean to students?
“The qualities that employers look for in terms of skills, experience and
“The qualities that employers look for in terms of skills, experience and
personality --work ethic and cooperation”
personality work ethic and cooperation”
“How employable someone is --measured by a certain set of skills of a
“How employable someone is measured by a certain set of skills of a
high level, including social, verbal, written, analytical, numerical, and
high level, including social, verbal, written, analytical, numerical, and
problem solving. Ideally they would also have some further education
problem solving. Ideally they would also have some further education
and relevant experience”
and relevant experience”
“To me it means having the qualifications required to be employed”
“To me it means having the qualifications required to be employed”

6. …but do employers agree?
“Understanding yourself, the sector and the role you are applying for
“Understanding yourself, the sector and the role you are applying for
and making your case lucidly”
and making your case lucidly”
“Someone that may still need training, but has the necessary
“Someone that may still need training, but has the necessary
understanding of how businesses work, how to conduct themselves in
understanding of how businesses work, how to conduct themselves in
the work place, a willingness to get stuck in , ,learn and grow”
the work place, a willingness to get stuck in learn and grow”
"Soft skills" are often lacking in new graduates. Graduates have often
"Soft skills" are often lacking in new graduates. Graduates have often
not had enough experience outside the academic world to be
not had enough experience outside the academic world to be
immediately useful to us as an employer. Graduates who have come to
immediately useful to us as an employer. Graduates who have come to
us from European universities normally have much more to offer then
us from European universities normally have much more to offer then
their UK equivalents”
their UK equivalents”

7. What skills make you more employable?

8. Key differences in opinion…

9. Discussion Point 1…
“What are the key skills that need
“What are the key skills that need
developing to ultimately improve
developing to ultimately improve
success amongst graduates, and
success amongst graduates, and
how can they be developed?”
how can they be developed?”

10. Employability advice & training
51%
51%
of students have used their university careers advice
service and 3% were not aware that their university offered
this service
29%
29%
of employers think that careers advisers aren’t doing
enough to help get students ready for employment
69%
69%
of students said that their careers advisory service
has been useful in supporting employability training

11. Discussion Point 2…
“The role of the Careers Advisory Service
“The role of the Careers Advisory Service
– how can the universities improve the
– how can the universities improve the
employability of their students by
employability of their students by
working both with the students
working both with the students
themselves, and employers?”
themselves, and employers?”

12. Who is ultimately responsible for improving
employability?
42%
42%
of students think that the responsibility for developing
employability lies with them
60%
60%
of employers think that the responsibility for developing
employability lies with students
42%
42%
of careers advisers think that the responsibility for
developing employability lies with careers advisers.
38% of them think it’s the students’ responsibility

13. Final Discussion Point
“What can be done by each group to
“What can be done by each group to
improve students’ understanding of
improve students’ understanding of
employability and ultimately to improve
employability and ultimately to improve
employment success rates?”
employment success rates?”