Search Results

Fundamental changes in the nature of UK Higher Education have led to an increased emphasis on the notion of Higher Education (HE) investment 'paying off' for individuals and society with graduate labour market outcomes increasingly being used to evaluate and demonstrate the value of this investment. For example, one of the four UK Performance Indicators (UKPIs) for HE is the employment of graduates (HESA 2016), some however, question the appropriateness of this as a goal of HE, arguing that there is a need for universities to emphasise the importance of university education beyond employability and 'pay cheques' (Redmond 2014).

This is not a new debate and given the increased cost, both economic and social, of HE to individuals and society, graduate employability is an increasingly high-stakes issue. We argue that the significant focus on labour market outcomes as a proxy measure of the value of higher education - by individuals, policy makers and institutions - makes a critical reconsideration of graduate employability timely. We examine existing conceptualisations of graduate employability and consider the value of applying alternative theoretical perspectives to provide a more nuanced approach to conceptualising graduate employability, allowing us to move beyond the dominant perspectives of graduate employability that over-emphasise individual agency.

Published abstract. Show less

This research aimed to explore the notion of career resilience as understood by careers professionals in universities based in the North East of England and Northern Ireland. It sought to examine how career resilience is defined and asked whether careers professionals have a role in its development and the challenges faced in its implementation. The research sought to explore the following questions:. How do careers professionals in Higher Education define career resilience? What strategies/practices/frameworks/activities are careers professionals using to develop career resilience in graduates? What are the challenges that careers professionals face in developing career resilience in graduates? Data was gathered using face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 22 Higher Education careers professionals in the North East and Northern Ireland.

The results highlighted that despite career resilience being cited as a key 'feature' in the landscape of the graduate labour market it remains highly abstract in application. Careers and employability professionals provided a range of definitions of the term suggesting an absence of a concrete understanding. Definitions of resilience from the individuals participating in this study included self-efficacy, confidence, ability to overcome obstacles and an ability to 'bounce back'. As such, careers professionals' definitions of resilience were framed within highly individualized narratives within higher education policy and practice. The findings highlight a number of challenges, concerning the support and development of career resilience within higher education. These challenges included the heterogeneous student cohort, the need for a holistic approach, the dominant narratives of successful employment outcomes and associated metrics of performance. The changing role of careers professionals in higher education was also noted. In conclusion, the findings of this project carry a number of implications for policy, practice and research. In particular, it has highlighted the need to consider how the wider context of higher education can support (or not) a range of stakeholders in the development of students' expectations of and preparations for labour market and their future careers. We illustrate the challenges of acknowledging routes and transition experiences that are counter to dominant notions of successful graduate outcomes.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

In a context where graduate applicants have similar levels of educational capital, this book investigates the other factors influencing graduate career trajectories in a time of too many graduates for too few jobs. Based on the life history interviews of graduates and framed through a Bourdieusian sociological lens, the author explores the continuing role that social class as well as cultural and social capitals have on both the aspirations and expectations towards, and the trajectories within, the UK graduate labour market. The author provides a critical examination of what is the supposedly linear and meritocratic relationship between higher education and graduate employment proposed by official discourses from government at both local and national levels. Through critical engagement with the empirical findings, the author poses questions for the effective continuation of the widening participation agenda.

Edited excerpts from publication.

The chapters are as follows: Introduction; Sociology of 'choice'; Setting the scene; Graduate employed; Non-graduate employed; Theoretical discussion: a wide-angle approach; Social policy implications: lessons to be learned; Conclusion; Appendix A: Respondent matrix; Appendix B: Graduate employment position by variable. Show less