An overview of the Leicester Award for employability for the British Sociology Association conference hosted by CLMS, University of Leicester

1. “The highest reward for a person’s
toil is not what they get for
it, but what they become by it”.
John Ruskin

2. The Leicester Award for Employability Skills
• What we are doing at Leicester
• Experiential learning and reflection
• Q and A
• (If we get time) the wider picture AGCAS survey

3. What do you already know?
• Leicester Award for Employability
• Birmingham PSA
• Nottingham Advantage
• York Award
What do you think of the term employability skills?

6. Concrete
Experience
Active Reflective
Experimentation Observation
Abstract
Conceptualisation
Reference: Kolb D.A. (1984) 'Experiential Learning experience as a source of learning and development', New Jersey: Prentice Hall

8. Core Unit Experiential Context
Capabilities audit Extracurricular activity
Development plan Supportive training
Reflective blog Final oral presentation
Career management
task

9. Why do this?
What experience do
you have of working
in teams?
Team working
Networking
IT Skills IT Skills
Communication
IT Skills
Team working Team working
Team working
Team working Networking
Work
Communication Team working
Placement

10. “The strong link between narrative and meaning
making has the potential to extend the impact of
reflective practice beyond the development of practical
skills and knowledge into a deeper examination of
professional purpose and identity”.
Winter, D (2012). Narrative techniques in reflective practice. Journal of the National
Institute for Career Education and Counselling, 28, 21-29

11. Reflective blogging focus groups
• Motivation through personalisation, and frequency of use.
• The use of a structured approach to the posts.
• Reinforcement of skills learnt, by reflection.
• Continued specific use after the award.
• Behaviour change

12. “I think it made me realise that I had, had experiences, I think
like without it,…if I hadn’t reflected on what I had done as a
captain, I think I would have just thought ‘I lead a walk’, where
as actually, I lead a walk, I had to plan everything before it, and
to plan it I had to organise my time efficiently and then…so
when we were on the walk we got lost, so I had to solve that
problem, and someone was taken ill and I had to decide what to
do with them, and then, this car park was closed, so I had to
flexible and go somewhere else….so I think if I hadn’t been
writing about what I had done, it wouldn’t have clicked with me
that I had had a vast experience from it”
Leicester Award Student

13. “Reflection enables individuals to make sense of their
lived experiences through examining such experiences
in context”
Eby, M. (2000) Understanding professional development. In Brechin, A., Brown, H. and
Eby, M. (eds) Critical Practice in Health and Social Care pp. 48–72.London: Sage.

14. Reflection
• What themes have emerged from todays conference that are
relevant to your work?
• How would you describe your relationship with
employability, and why?
a) A quest
b) A confrontation/challenge
c) An exploration
d) Other
• Any questions?

15. Keep in Touch
www.UoLLeicesteraward.wordpress.com
Zara Hooley
Leicester Award Coordinator
Career Service
University of Leicester
ZH34@le.ac.uk
Twitter @ZaraHooley

16. AGCAS Task group
2010/11 survey headlines
67 institutions responded
67% Awards run by Careers Service
61% had less than 250 students participating
50% of the awards were endorsed by employers

18. Skills Audit