Anyone with a responsibility for curriculum development or policy making within higher education who wants to advance learning and promote employability amongst their students will find this book absolutely essential reading.

This book focuses on a renewed interest in work based learning in higher education. Due to an increased emphasis on employability in the graduate population, supported by wider policy changes, work based learning is becoming an increasingly pressing issue in higher education. The authors detail innovations from a breadth of UK universities, where academics have creatively addressed changes in work based learning structure, pedagogy and support systems. These changes in turn recognise the impact of real-life learning experiences on student progression, on both an academic development and a personally transformative level. Encompassing a wide variety of topics, the examples within the book are supported by theory and carefully detailed practice pedagogy. This valuable edited collection will be of interest to practitioners and scholars of work based learning and higher education, as well as a useful practical guide for academic developers.

This book challenges the dominant ‘employability skills’ discourse by exploring socially connected and networked perspectives to learning and teaching in higher education. Both learning and career development happen naturally and optimally in ecologies, informal communities and partnerships. In the digital age, they are also highly networked. This book presents ten empirical case studies of educational practice that investigate the development of learner capabilities, teaching approaches, and institutional strategies in higher education, to foster lifelong graduate employability through social connectedness.

This book discusses the topic of graduate employability from the premise that in this era of ‘massification,’ economic austerity, and political uncertainties, higher education (HE) no longer guarantees a clear ‘work place advantage.’ Divided into three sections, the book offers theoretical and philosophical discourses on the ‘HE quandary,’ whilst taking into account – and critiquing - political, temporal, and national contexts. It culminates in an investigation into specific discipline areas. It offers insights into the way that institutions, decision-makers, academics, and professional support staff can work together towards ensuring that our graduates are able to cope with the varied demands and challenges of modern job markets. It harnesses arguments and reflections on the breadth and depth of the functions of HE, such as social transformation, promoting principles of social justice, and providing opportunities. It grounds these in a triadic model for enhancing student engagement and holistic learning, namely, the emotional, cognitive, and behavioural aspects. As an anthology, it is forward-gazing in terms of the sustainability debate, whilst still offering evidence-based, research-grounded, practical suggestions to readers looking for tips and tools of the trade.

Universities are expected to produce employable graduates. In Education for Employability, experts explore critical questions in the employability agenda: Who sets the standards and expectations of employability? How do students monitor their own employability? How can universities design whole curricula and university environments that promote employability? What teaching and learning strategies facilitate the development of employability? Responsibility for developing and sustaining employability lies with a broad coalition of the individual students, the university, alumni, the professions and industry and is accomplished through the intended curriculum as well as co-curricular, extra-curricular and supra-curricular activities, events and learning opportunities.

In these complex and challenging times, students, teachers and employers are all interested in the development of generic abilities as these typically make the difference between good and indifferent employees, successful and unsuccessful learners. This book explains why generic capacities have become so important and argues that the process of acquiring them is both lifelong and developmental.

India Higher Education Report 2020 critically analyzes the role played by the state, industries, and higher education institutions in the employment and employability of educated youth in India. The book discusses a wide range of topics such as employability skill gaps of higher education graduates; curriculum and skills training systems; formal and informal modes of skill formation; crisis of jobless growth in India; migration, education and employment; dimensions of gender, caste and education; general, technical and professional education; vocationalization; qualifications framework and skills certifications; curriculum and pedagogy in higher education for skill development; industry–academia linkages; entrepreneurship education and executive education; and sustainable employment. The book focuses on theoretical insights, empirical evidences and recent data on key issues and challenges of higher education graduate employment in a knowledge economy driven by the unprecedented expansion of higher education and increasing digitization. It offers successful cases of institutional responses, examples of policy and practices as also perspectives of different stakeholders such as employers, employees, teachers and students to present trends in the changing landscape of higher education and future demands of the job market for the youth workforce across sectors, subject disciplines and gender. This volume will be an important resource for scholars, teachers and researchers of higher education, public policy, political economy, political science, labour studies, economics, education, sociology in general as well as for policymakers, professional organizations and associations, civil society organizations, and government bodies.

Providing an analysis of the relationship between Internationalization and Employability in Higher Education, this book considers the perspectives of both students and employers to illustrate how to reach positive employment outcomes for all stakeholders. Through a wide range of international case studies, this book delivers some key messages, including: The articulation of the link between internationalization and employability; The need for higher education institutions to communicate the benefits of an internationalized higher education beyond the academy; The need to ensure equity of graduate outcomes through enhanced internationalization at home; The impact of immigration policy on national benefits of internationalization of higher education; International study as a route to employability for migration purposes and building knowledge-based economies. Considering the skills developed by students through mobility experiences, while exploring the need for enhanced internationalization of the curriculum at home, Internationalization and Employability in Higher Education will be a key resource for any higher education policy makers or university staff associated with careers, employment, and integrated learning. It contains important messages for employers and recruiters.

This text addresses both the issues and practicalities of key skills in higher education. It discusses the issues relating to the introduction of key skills, drawing on both the arguments and theory of why key skills should (or should not) be introduced. Case study material is included.