The University of Aberdeen’s Careers Service and Centre for Learning & Teaching are to provide funding support to a number of projects which aim to promote and enhance employability within both the undergraduate and taught postgraduate curricula.
An award has been made to five members of University staff as part of the institution's Learning & Teaching Enhancement Programme 2008-09. The competitive awards, which have a changing theme, are designed to help staff involved in teaching and learning carry out innovative projects which are over and above normal course activities.
The Learning and Teaching Enhancement Programme aims to encourage new ways of supporting student learning with a view to enhancing their employment prospects following University.
Employability is a key issue in the Higher Education agenda and covers areas such as career management skills, work-related learning, transferable skill development, employer engagement and personal development planning (PDP).
In June members of staff were invited to consider ways in which they as an individual, or as a member of a discipline, School or College, might enhance employability in undergraduate or taught postgraduate curricula. This could involve the scholarly comment on a current innovation, the introduction of a new activity or undertaking a piece of relevant research.
This year, the projects awarded funding are:
- A student business plan initiative for taught postgraduates in conjunction with local IT Companies, led by the School of Natural & Computing Sciences.
- A proposal to simulate a consultancy environment and develop students' career management skills in the School of Geosciences.
- A project to enhance BEd communication and reflection skills during the curation of science exhibition displays, led by the School of Education.
- A proposal to explore and enhance the art of science communication in the School of Geosciences.
- A web-based initiative to support modern language students on their year abroad combined with research to investigate the student attributes requested by German employers in the School of Language & Literature.
The University's Educational & Employability Development Adviser Dr Joy Perkins said: "I'm delighted by the range of innovative projects from across the University, illustrating there are many possible approaches to embedding employability in degree programmes."
Dr Mark Young, Academic Director of the Centre for Learning & Teaching said: "The number of projects submitted indicates that academics see employability as a valuable, integral part of the student experience."
An event designed to allow the academics involved to disseminate the progress of the employability projects by the Centre for Learning & Teaching, will take place next year.
For more information on the services offered by the University of Aberdeen Careers Service visit http://www.abdn.ac.uk/careers/, email href="mailto:careers@abdn.ac.uk">careers@abdn.ac.uk</a> or call 01224 272109.