Conference themes

The conference will follow the pattern of other QHE International Seminars and include a mix of keynotes, facilitated discussion sessions and parallel papers. The three discussion sessions will be at the heart of the event, and will revolve around the three themes of the Conference:

Theme 1: Embedding and integrating employability enhancement

The discussion will explore how the enhancement of student employability can be embedded into the curriculum in a way that integrates diverse elements of employability development and involves an array of actors involved in the enhancement process. It will consider designing curricula to enhance employability and who might be involved in delivering it. For example, how is skills development linked to work experience and career development planning? How do academics in faculties work with central providers such as student service departments and staff development units?

Theme 2: Pedagogy and assessment

This discussion will focus on whether there is a distinct pedagogy for employability. If so, what are its key features and how can academics engage with it? Does a pedagogy for employability require a new form of engagement with pedagogic principles or does it mean that academics just need to adjust the focus of their teaching?
Does a pedagogy for employability require a shift from a teaching focus to a student-learning focus? How, also, is employability development assessed?
Indeed, is it important for student employability to be assessed, given that experience shows that students focus on elements of their work that are graded? Is it important to summatively assess or is formative assessment more valuable? If we assess employability are we in danger of assessing a few selected skills in isolation, probably without giving students chance to develop any expertise prior to assessment, often over-assessing such things as team working? If we assess employability, how can we develop an holistic approach that reflects an integrated approach to employability enhancement? Without assessment how can we judge and communicate student employability?

Theme 3: Working with employers

This discussion focuses on ways of working with employers to enhance student employability. It addresses issues of what employers seek from graduates and whether the current processes in higher education are delivering it? Do academics and employers still 'talk past' each other or are there shared forms of communication about employability? Has mass higher education led to too many graduates? Are employers fully utlising a more educated workforce?
Is it the complexity and variation in university programmes that confounds employers and makes recruitment of the people they need more difficult than it used to be? Are employers continuing with 'same image' recruitment or are they seeking to enhance their organisations by diversifying recruitment? How can employers and higher education work together to ensure that there is no discrimination against non-traditional students?

Discussions will be chaired by volunteers asked in advance. See role of chairs.