Enacting strategies for graduate employability: How universities can best support students to develop generic skills

Abstract

This project responded to growing social and economic demands for higher education graduates who can negotiate rapidly transforming employment contexts. It was based on the premise that higher education institutions have responsibility for helping students gain the skills, knowledge and personal attributes required of them in the initial stages of their careers. The project emerged from the understanding that despite evidence on what is required by employers, the existence of graduate attributes statements, and a large body of scholarly literature, many graduates are not optimally work ready (Fullan & Scott, 2014). The project was implemented in parallel with two other commissioned projects on graduate employability. Recognising that the number of part-time, casual and/or multiple job-holding workers has never been higher and that traditional forms of employment are increasingly rare, this project focused on disciplines with ill-defined or difficult-to-enter graduate destinations. These included music and dance; biomedical sciences and biotechnology; professional and creative writing; and computer science. In contrast to the employer focus of the other projects, the team focused on students, graduates and academic leaders.