Developing students’ employability skills in HE: A cross-university collaboration – Research and Knowledge Exchange Awards 2024

Before moving into academia, I practised as a solicitor for 10 years. As part of my role, I supervised trainee solicitors and particularly enjoyed seeing them progress in their careers. This experience inspired my move into academia, and I’ve not looked back since!

I feel very privileged to have opportunities to work with students, student researchers, academics, professional services colleagues, and external organisations on collaborations around employability - one of the best bits of the job is supporting others with their professional development!

On joining Leeds Law School as a Reader last year, I took on Module Leadership for a core, first year, Legal and Employability Skills module involving 315 students. Across the HE sector, it’s become increasingly important for institutions to develop innovative employability programmes given pressures around increased marketisation, related metrics, reduced resourcing, technological developments, and an emphasis on graduate outcomes.

To help meet this challenge, I brought together, and led, a team including colleagues from Beckett Careers, Library Academic Support, Wellbeing, Experiential Learning, alumni, and employers in redesigning and rolling out this module.

This new iteration embeds research-led teaching and engages students in a comprehensive programme to develop their self-efficacy and transferable skills and experience. From day one, tutors encourage students to engage in activities including speed networking, mock solicitor/client interviews, and simulated assessment centres.

As part of the project evaluation, we secured funding from the University’s Teaching Excellence Scheme to develop deeper understandings around what works, what doesn’t, and what’s possible in terms of supporting students’ employability. We drew on the creative research method of Listening Rooms (Heron, 2020; Parkin and Heron, 2022) to collect the data, and then analysed it in collaboration with key stakeholders to co-create recommendations for future practice.

This project has been a really great opportunity for me to get to know colleagues who are similarly passionate about supporting students with their skills development and employability, and combine our collective experience in further developing a holistic approach.

Feedback from fellow collaborators includes:

“We love to work as a team with academic staff: it strengthens the messages we wish to send to students, and students have the opportunity to learn crucial skills at an appropriate time, in context.” (Academic Support); and

“This collaborative approach has developed a more inclusive curriculum. Drawing on Career Readiness data to provide tailored employer engagement opportunities has created strong foundations in preparing students for the next stage of their employability journeys.”  (Hannah Beever, Beckett Careers)

In terms of the student perspective, one of the student researchers, Zara Khan, reflected how the project "gave me the opportunity to network with stakeholders and learn transferable skills. The experience made me step out of my comfort zone, especially the Raise Conference in which I presented in front of a panel of academics. I have thoroughly enjoyed this."

An alumnus involved in the analysis commented how the project “provided a unique opportunity to delve into students’ perceptions” and “highlights the importance of integrating student voices into educational innovation to ensure any changes are targeted to improving student engagement and outcomes”.

In summary, this project has: generated broader, richer data to complement module evaluations; brought together multiple perspectives as an evidence base for developing future employability initiatives; developed richer understandings of employability through its innovative use of Listening Rooms; built a community of practice across, and beyond, the university; and encouraged evidence-led, employability-related initiatives to enhance the student experience.

I’m currently working with colleagues to explore potential opportunities for scaling up this pilot, both across the university and with external institutions.

Dean of Leeds Law School, Professor Deveral Capps, is “delighted that the Law School has played a pivotal role in bringing together student researchers, colleagues from across the university, alumni, and employers to co-develop, drive forward, and evaluate this innovative and impactful employability programme that embeds the student voice in such a meaningful way.”