ARTICLE #5 | 97
A CASE OF EMBEDDING EMPLOYABILITY IN THE CURRICULUM
job search strategy, and gain realistic expectations of employers’
needs.
It was surprising that most students had never really thought
about how they might evidence their skills, and some assumed that
employers would accept that having a degree was evidence enough
of their skills. Students found it difficult at first with evidencing skills,
but with some encouragement, support and feedback they became
more confident in how they might do this. Indeed, it came as a shock
to me to see the very poor quality of students’ first attempts at
evidencing their skills and their ignorance of the employability skills
outlined in module specifications. However, a really pleasing side
effect of this process was that it enabled students to see just how
much they had to offer and what they had achieved both within and
outside their programme of study. Some students also identified
career opportunities they did not have initially considered.
Evaluation
The module was evaluated through multiple sources, including
informal and formal feedback from students and peers, the external
examiner and the CIPD, during and after its delivery.
Students – The feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive
and they reported good progress with 90% passing the module
and 10% achieving a mark of 70% or more. Student feedback was
collated through group discussions, student representatives, staff
student liaison committees, and a questionnaire. A high proportion
of students agreed that the module was well structured and
coherent (mean 3.57), well presented (mean 3.71), maintained their
interest (mean 3.67) and was useful and relevant (mean 3.76). Some
students also commended the ‘practical nature of the module’ that
is ‘useful for employment’, and the ‘tutor’s ab