Abstract:
Background - The starting point for this project was the recognition that university
graduates need to be equipped for an uncertain and rapidly changing world and for
changes in the nature of work. While there is broad agreement over the generic
‘future-ready’ employability related capabilities graduates will need, there is less
consensus over how these attributes can be taught or developed.
Aims - The aim of this project was to discover, trial and disseminate effective and
efficient means of embedding ‘future-ready’ capabilities in advanced and research informed university courses.
The partnership - With the financial support of Ako Aotearoa, three universities and
one employer association formed a partnership to develop and deliver the project.
They were: the University of Auckland, University of Otago, Auckland University of
Technology and the New Zealand Association of Graduate Employers.
The studies
• Study 1 identified constraints which limited university lecturers’ capacity to
develop graduate employability. These related to time, course and assessment
requirements, legacy policies, student pushback, awareness, attitudes of
colleagues and institutional hierarchies. Teaching
staff had a narrower view of employability than is
found in the literature.
• Study 2 was a conceptual study, which drew on
multiple research literatures to develop a
pedagogical framework. The framework is designed to
inform the design of courses which seek to develop
students’ future-ready employability capabilities.
• Study 3 reports on interviews with university staff
who have a reputation for successfully developing
future-ready employability related capabilities in their teaching. A distinct
employability mindset was discovered. This study also confirmed the validity of
the framework. The framework was meaningful to and practiced by respondents.
They were able to make suggestions to improve and enrich the theoretical work.
• Study 4 assessed the extent to which the pedagogical framework could be
adopted by others. The results were positive in that attendees at workshops left
having applied the model and having developed detailed plans for achievable
changes to their teaching and courses
The outputs
• A project website (www.futurereadygrads.ac.nz) was developed to host
project resources
• Seven short and two substantial case studies were written
• Run sheets, material and guidance for six workshops were made available
• Guidance and briefing sheets targeting students, teachers and employers were
prepared
• The project was publicised at 21 events
Conclusion - The project fulfilled all its objectives and provides a valuable resource
for research-intensive universities meeting the challenges of embedding future-ready
employability capabilities within their courses.