Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability
The Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability is a scholarly forum for the dissemination of research and evidence-based practice on teaching and learning for graduate employability, i.e., career development learning within curricula. We are a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) focused journal. The Journal is currently: • Indexed by Scopus (2018 onwards) • Indexed by Informit – Humanities & Social Sciences Collection (2010 onwards) • Indexed by CrossRef (2010 onwards) • Listed in the ARC ERA 2018 Journal list.
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Reflecting on graduate career pathways develops employability skills
Providing students the opportunity to explore their career options is fundamental to career planning particularly in generalist degrees with a variety of employment destinations. We utilised career information about university alumni to underpin a learning activity where undergraduate students worked in small teams to analyse career pathways of graduates from their own STEM or Health degrees and identify patterns and strategies utilised by others to achieve graduate employment. Students presented their observations and lessons learned in a group presentation and individual written reflection which were assessed as part of a broader subject. In this study we thematically analysed students’ written reflections from two consecutive cohorts in 2022-2023 to investigate what students learned from analysing the pathways and how this may have impacted their perceptions of employability. Students reported multiple learnings from the activity including that relevant work experience can lead to graduate employment, transferrable skills can be developed in a variety of roles and experiences, and multiple pathways can lead to a particular type of role. The learning activity also positively influenced students’ perceived employability with individuals reporting reduced anxiety and increased confidence about achieving their career goals. This paper provides evidence of the value of embedding career development activities and self-reflection in curriculum to enhance employability skills. We recommend the use of alumni career stories for raising awareness of career possibilities and strategies utilised by more experienced peers to bridge the gap between study and professional employment.
Copyright (c) 2026 Caroline Taylor, Fiona Bird, Christopher Bridge https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Exploring the value of values: Does higher education need to abandon a ‘skills transferability’ focus in favour of ‘values transferability’?
Higher education institutions (HEIs) in Australia have responded to their environment – driven by government and industry - and cultivated a skills focus when it comes to employability of its graduates. However, this has led to criticisms of a ‘job factory’ with minimal thought given to longer-term lifelong learning orientations and at the core, the students themselves and their values. With a quasi-field experiment design, using both phenomenology and surveys, 15 undergraduate and postgraduate students were exposed to a range of experiences exploring the role of values in career choice and career development. Findings reveal that students appreciate the focus on values as a currency of the employability equation. Five core themes arose out of the research: amplified career awareness; entrepreneurial thinking; anxiety; educational purpose; and understanding personal values. These findings pose questions for HEIs: whether to incorporate a discussion on values as part of employability; how to achieve this in a manner which reaches all students; and when is best to do so. Participants unanimously felt that the penultimate year of study is the ideal time to have a conversation with students not based on skills transferability into the workplace, but values transferability.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jeffrey Naqvi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Developing allied health collaborative practice capability for contemporary healthcare landscapes: serendipitous and deliberate
Collaboration is key for success across multiple industries, including healthcare settings. In order to prepare students for contemporary and future healthcare landscapes, there is scope for higher education to embrace development of a range of capabilities for collaboration, including those that might be less visible and hard to measure. Using practice theories as a lens, this research explored collaboration in healthcare landscapes as ‘collaborative practice.’ Our research focussed on the preparation of allied health students for collaborative practice. As key contributors to collaborative models of healthcare, allied health professionals comprise a wide range of health professions, come from diverse origins and have a relatively flat hierarchical structure. This qualitative research informed by philosophical hermeneutics explored perceptions of allied health academics and students as people deeply entrenched in higher education and its role in enhancing employability. Our research found that capabilities for allied health collaborative practice are currently being deliberately and serendipitously developed. Deliberate development occurred across teaching strategies of case and problem-based learning and simulation-based scenarios. Serendipitous development largely occurred as part of work integrated learning (WIL). Use of practice theories highlighted how capabilities for collaborative practice, including the less-visible capabilities, can be more intentionally developed in allied health higher education. Educators and WIL supervisors are invited to reflect on their own practice and the roles they play in intentionally developing these capabilities with and for students. Further, including capabilities for collaborative practice as part of allied health registration and practice thresholds may help bring them into focus.
Copyright (c) 2025 Isabel Paton, Narelle Patton, Anne Croker https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Internship experiences in exercise and sports science: A comprehensive analysis of learning outcomes and professional development
This study investigated the educational outcomes and professional development of undergraduate exercise and sports science students through curricular internships. Analysis of data from 1,247 internships conducted between 2015-2020 at a large Italian university across diverse settings (fitness facilities, rehabilitation clinics, educational institutions, and sport organisations) revealed significant improvements in students' practical competencies, theoretical knowledge application, and professional identity development. Quantitative analysis demonstrated statistically significant increases in competency scores across all placement settings (p<0.001), with exercise post rehabilitation contexts showing the highest improvement in clinical reasoning (Cohen's d=0.89). Qualitative analysis identified four key themes influencing internship effectiveness: mentorship quality, alignment between academic preparation and practical demands, reflective practice opportunities, and professional networking. The tripartite relationship between students, university tutors, and industry supervisors emerged as central to internship effectiveness, particularly when characterised by regular structured communication and shared learning objectives. These findings suggest that structured internships with integrated reflection and assessment constitute a crucial transition phase in professional development, bridging theoretical knowledge and applied practice. Recommendations include standardised competency frameworks, mentor training programmes, and technology-enhanced collaborative assessment to maximise the educational value of exercise science internships.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ferdinando Cereda https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Understanding students’ perceptions of generative AI: Implications for pedagogy and graduate employability
As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms workplaces, understanding how future graduates engage with AI technologies is crucial for enhancing employability. This study investigates higher education students’ familiarity with and perceptions of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in their learning. Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and incorporating personal innovativeness in information technology, we examined factors influencing students’ adoption of GenAI. An online survey was conducted between April 30 and May 11, 2024, with 233 students from a college in northern Israel completing the questionnaire. Results revealed significant positive correlations, supporting the study’s theoretical framework. Personal innovativeness was strongly related to TAM variables. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward use and behavioural intention to use the technology were each significant predictors of actual GenAI use. Gender and field of study influenced adoption, with both males and students studying information systems and economics showing higher usage rates. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to integrate TAM with personal innovativeness and demographic factors to assess student engagement with GenAI. The findings provide a theoretical and empirical foundation for understanding student responses to new technologies in higher education. The identified gender gap and field-based differences suggest that tailored approaches are necessary to enhance student engagement with GenAI tools. Overall, the findings imply that teaching practices should include scaffolded, inclusive strategies that foster GenAI literacy, adaptability and ethical awareness. Such approaches may strengthen students’ preparedness for AI-enhanced workplaces and support higher education’s role in assuring graduate employability.
Copyright (c) 2025 Clara Hope Rispler, Michal Mashiach-Eizenberg, Gila Yakov https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
From uncertainty to clarity: A career plan task empowering first-year university students
This study explored the development and implementation of a Career Plan assessment task within an undergraduate degree. The task was designed to support first-year university students in exploring and positively developing their professional identity and confidence in achieving their career goals. Embedded within the curriculum, the assessment required students to complete five structured steps: Source, Analyse, Identify, Develop and Reflect. Through these steps, students identified, explored and demonstrated their self- and career-opportunity awareness, recognised and developed their employability skills and career aspirations, and clarified their sense of purpose for their future career direction. Evaluation of this task highlighted its positive impact on students, revealing growth in their confidence and professional identity. The structured nature of the task provided a clear framework for career planning, equipping students with practical skills and fostering a deeper understanding of their career aspirations. Overall, the findings demonstrate that this career planning intervention was both effective and highly valued by students, supporting their vocational development and career readiness during their transition into university life.
Copyright (c) 2025 Brooke E Harris-Reeves, Andrew Pearson, Helen Massa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Graduate perspectives of workplace preparation and skill development in undergraduate human nutrition programs
Earlier work has explored perspectives of undergraduate nutrition students, academics and employers regarding career-development initiatives. This study aimed to identify nutrition graduates’ degree expectations and understanding of career outcomes, explore perspectives of skills and attributes important in developing career readiness, and assess the emphasis placed on development of these skills during the degree. Graduates (2015 – 2020) from one on-campus and one online undergraduate human nutrition degree at an Australian university were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey and optional follow up interview in July 2021. The survey collected quantitative and qualitative (short form) responses that were analysed descriptively, with open-ended responses subject to inductive content analysis. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically. Fifty participants completed the online survey and seven participated in interviews. The university-defined graduate attributes considered the most important in developing career readiness were oral communication, creative problem solving, application of skills and adaptability, autonomy and initiative, and planning and organisation. Forty-four per cent of graduates felt career-readiness was developed during their undergraduate nutrition studies, with critical inquiry and research skills developed the most. Industry experience, food skills, education resource development, clinical skills, knowledge of software, and dietary data collection and analysis were considered essential for a nutrition professional. Placements, work experience, authentic case studies, simulation and problem-solving activities were strategies seen as fostering career-readiness. These views echo those of students, academics and employers. Universities should incorporate authentic, industry-based learning activities within explicit career development curricula to support the development of work-ready nutrition graduates.
Copyright (c) 2026 Adrienne Forsyth, Anjana Reddy, Donna Reid, Ashley Ng, Deanna Horvath https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The accounting revolution unveiled: Ghanaian academics’ perspectives of the fourth industrial wave’s disruptive power
This article presents the results of a study conducted to examine the influence of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) on the accounting profession, focusing on the viewpoints of accounting academics in Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, collecting primary data through interviews. The data were then thematically analysed. The study reveals that 4IR technologies have become increasingly feasible for organisations of all sizes in Ghana, in the preparation and communication of financial information. However, the study suggests that the use of 4IR technologies is not expected to lead to significant job redundancies within the accounting profession in Ghana. To remain competitive, accountants should enhance their skills in information and communication technologies (ICT) through continuous professional development programmes, enabling them to overcome any challenges presented by the 4IR. The study also emphasises the importance of integrating various accounting technologies appropriate for the 4IR work environment into the curriculum of higher education institutions, and promoting innovative teaching and learning methods. This study provides valuable insights into the perceptions of accounting academics in Ghana on the impact of the 4IR on the accounting profession, offering recommendations to higher education institutions on effectively training accounting graduates to thrive in the 4IR work environment.
Copyright (c) 2025 Justice Zotorvie, Annelien van Rooyen, Christina Shuttleworth https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Graduate teachers’ sense of belonging anchored in experiences of preservice internships and employability
Within initial teacher education (ITE), there is a complex and dynamic relationship between the theoretical content delivered within university settings and the practical components experienced within schools. Strengthening the nexus between the two represents the ongoing work of teacher educators and an ongoing challenge for pre-service teachers. Extended teaching internships (e.g., of 12 months duration) provide opportunities to develop pre-service teachers’ knowledge through classroom application. These extended professional experience components are justified through how they facilitate entry into the profession and support graduate teachers’ traction within the early career phase – an outcome commonly referred to in Australian policy and public discourse as being ‘classroom-ready’. This mixed-methods research presents findings from an examination of a year-long internship. Through surveys and interviews, graduates shared their experiences and perspectives of what they gained from their involvement. Drawing on conceptual tools of community of practice and pillars of the Framework of Conditions Supporting Early Career Teacher Resilience, the analysis identified participants’ sense of belonging and employability as regular and significant outcomes of the internship. Participants reported feeling a sense of belonging to their internship school colleagues and to teaching, explaining this as an influential factor to graduate employment, early career traction and pathways that carried them beyond the early career phase. These findings have implications for the priorities and outcomes pursued through extended internships, especially during a time where employment-based internships are burgeoning. Further long-term research is needed to understand the extent of impact of extended internships on career trajectories and continuity.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sandi Fielder, Dr Chad Morrison, Professor Susan Ledger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Using student conferences as a form of authentic assessment to develop and enhance transferable communication skills in quantitative and data-driven disciplines: Evidence from a postgraduate public health program
Globally, the volume and availability of data has grown exponentially over the last few decades. In turn, workforces are looking for graduates to be well versed in working effectively with data, with the skills needed to work both efficiently and creatively within data-driven environments. This has been reflected within the context of higher education through the increased demand for specialist training and development in quantitative and data-driven (QDD) disciplines – particularly within postgraduate study. Graduates are expected not only to possess technical skills, but also ‘softer skills’, including multifaceted communication skills to communicate complex concepts with non-expert audiences. This paper considers how the environment of a student conference might amplify the authenticity and meaningfulness of oral presentations as an assessment format, while helping QDD students to develop and enhance their transferable communication skills. Following the introduction of an additional assessment to a postgraduate public health program, surveys were carried out with staff (n=11) and students (n=31). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results showed that the student conference environment assessment was meaningful for students and supported their communication skills development through the authentic delivery of oral presentations. The conference environment helped students build confidence, with 88% (n=22) finding it useful to practice presenting to peers, and 100% (n=26) feeling more confident about their work. This study, thus, illustrates a transferable and implementable approach for educators wishing to integrate a student conference assessment to develop students’ communication skills, particularly in QDD disciplines.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Sharon Greenwood https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Graduate perceptions of social media education: A retrospective analysis
Social media education encompasses the study and application of social media platforms and technologies. It also examines their broader societal impact. Social media pedagogy refers specifically to the teaching methods and instructional strategies used to deliver social media education. As an emerging discipline area within the Higher Education sector there is a scarcity of research devoted to its delivery, particularly within Australia. Underpinned by Human Capital Theory (HCT), our study addresses this gap by examining the perceptions of 100 university graduates who studied social media at an Australian regional university. The research identifies strengths and weaknesses in the design of social media curriculum to better prepare graduates for the workplace. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using live, multi-streaming social media videos. The interviews were recorded and broadcasted in real-time across Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Interview transcripts were analysed using Grounded Theory. Graduates identified time-management and teamwork skills learned through university group assessments as the most beneficial curricula approaches to their current roles. Digital advertising skills and networking were prominent themes in skills and knowledge graduates wished they had learned as part of their degree. Additionally, graduates highlighted the importance of gaining practical industry experience, through work-integrated learning opportunities, such as internships and industry projects, while at university to allow for a smoother transition to the workplace. This study provides valuable insights for scholars and practitioners into the perceptions of university social media graduates, highlighting the skills deemed essential to excel in digital and professions more widely.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Karen Sutherland, Dr Krisztina Morris https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Perceived professional identity formation and influencing characteristics among speech pathology students
While professional identity formation (PIF) is an important facet of employability and becoming a health professional, there has been little research on PIF among speech pathology (SP) students. This single group, cross-sectional study explored perceived PIF among SP students at a large, urban, Australian university selected via stratified sampling from a four-year undergraduate program. Using an established online self-assessment tool to measure perceived employability, the study reports on seven related constructs relevant to PIF. The self-assessment has previously been found to have strong validity and reliability and the subset used in this study likewise had strong validity and reliability. There were 84 participants and the PIF constructs were: self and program awareness (SPA); identification with commitment (IC); reconsideration of commitment (RC); self-esteem (SE); perceived program relevance (PPR); career exploration and awareness (CEA); and ethical and responsible behaviour (ERB). Descriptive and multivariate statistics were used to estimate the proportion of variance for year level and individual characteristics for each construct and overall PIF. Perceived professional identity increased from first to fourth year, significant only for SPA, IC and PPR constructs. Students aged over 25 years self-rated significantly higher on ERB than younger students, as did students studying part-time compared to those studying full-time. Participants not engaged in paid work had significantly higher SE than those who were working, as did students from low socio-economic status (SES) compared with medium or high SES students. No differences were found for other individual characteristics, although some group sizes were very small. Recommendations to enhance PIF include incorporating a range of reflective activities, assertiveness training and opportunities to explore ethical dilemmas within the curriculum.
Copyright (c) 2025 Abigail Lewis, Professor Denise Jackson, Professor Dawn Bennett https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Reflections on reflection: Supporting employability learning in the higher education context
Graduate employability remains a key talking point in higher education despite the contested nature of the construct and the myriad of factors that influence an individual’s capacity to gain employment. Universities are still positioned to produce graduates who can contribute to society and the economy through work. Students are similarly responsible for developing the knowledge and capabilities that will meet employer expectations and assure a successful career. This development process often involves students engaging in reflective practice. This paper reports on the efficacy of a structured, written reflective process implemented across an Australian research-intensive institution to support students to learn from experiences to develop their employability. Our study found value in the use of a formalised, stepwise approach to reflective thinking that helps students make and express meaning from learning opportunities. The findings suggest, however, that attempting to shoehorn the untidy business of reflective thinking into a standard linear approach does present some challenges. Despite these challenges, our examination of a sample of reflections using our process showed evidence of reflective thought. We found alignment with the experiential learning theories that framed the creation of our reflective process in the students’ expressions of their meaning-making endeavours. Our findings strengthen our advocacy of an anchor for reflective thought in a personally meaningful experience and the use of prompts around effect and action to guide students learning.
Copyright (c) 2025 Andrea Reid, Anna Richards https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Finding the joy in complexity: Privileging the practitioner voice in graduate employability
Copyright (c) 2024 Lauren Hansen, Bonnie Amelia Dean, Michael Healy, Deanne Gannaway, Barbie Panther, Jamie Mustard https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Critical considerations of career enrolment data: Challenges, limitations, and possibilities
The advent of Career Enrolment Data (CED) in Higher Education is an important development for graduate employability practitioners and other stakeholders seeking to understand, analyse and enhance students’ career readiness. CED, collected annually from all students in participating universities, requires students to self-report on their own career readiness, and is described as having ‘the potential to be a component of a standardised measure of learning gain in relation to student employability’ (Cobb, 2019, p.23). Reflections are offered by two graduate employability practitioners currently tasked with introducing CED to educators and recommending its use to support careers-focused components of their curricula. Drawing on different disciplinary backgrounds to inform their approaches, both practitioners are keen to explore opportunities to capitalise on the strengths of data insights. However, they advocate for a carefully nuanced and contextualised approach, openly acknowledging relevant limitations and risks when presenting the data to educators and other stakeholders. Drawing on one author’s background in psychology, it considers the process of self-reporting on which the data wholly relies, noting potential influences and biases that may be relevant. The second author offers a sociological perspective, using the concept of neoliberalism as a framework for engaging with concerns about an employability agenda driven by corporate and economic interests, and a culture of auditing sometimes associated with hardship for academics and a detrimental effect on pedagogy. While it should be noted that experts in CED such as Gilworth and Cobb take care to acknowledge limitations and risks (Cobb, 2019; Gilworth, 2023) this reflective account grapples with the challenge of ensuring that these important nuances are not lost as the context shifts from theory to practice.
Career enrolment data, career registration data, career readiness, employability, self-perception, neoliberalism, graduate employability practitioners
Copyright (c) 2024 Anna Branford, Luella C. Leon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Collaborative strategies for designing employability curriculum in a liberal arts context
In Australian higher education, the push for curriculum innovation to enhance graduate employability is crucial but faces contention and debate. While the importance of integrating employability skills is widely recognised, perspectives on how and whether to incorporate these as curricular objectives vary, especially in liberal arts programs. This paper explores a multidisciplinary academic team’s experiences of embedding employability units into the Bachelor of Arts and undergraduate Communication and Creative Arts degrees at one Australian university. It addresses the challenges of diverse disciplinary perspectives on employability, career education, and work-integrated learning (WIL), and the design for a diverse student cohort, including career starters, career advancers, and career changers from multiple disciplinary contexts. Utilising Tuckman’s ‘forming, storming, norming, and performing’ model, the paper evaluates the team’s dynamics, offering insights and guidance for academics and institutions undertaking similar curriculum innovation projects to enhance graduate employability. This case study highlights the institutional support necessary for fostering sustainable curriculum reforms and the positive effects of collaborative curriculum design on the professional development and teaching capabilities of the educators involved.
Employability, curriculum, collaborative curriculum development, work-integrated learning, arts, multidisciplinary, team development, peer-supported teaching practice
Copyright (c) 2024 Katrina Clifford https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Reconceptualising and supporting graduate employability practitioners for higher degree research candidates
Research supervisors and their higher degree research (HDR) candidates – including Master, Professional Doctorate, and PhD candidates – make critical contributions to research and innovation. In addition to providing research training, research supervisors have traditionally also acted as the graduate employability practitioner for their HDR candidates through preparation for work in academia. However, the effectivness of traditional HDR training models (such as the knowledge transmission, master-apprentice model for PhD training) are being reviewed in Australia and elsewhere due to changes in the contemporary employment environment. These changes include: fewer available academic jobs; increased desire of HDR candidates for non-academic careers; and implementation of government policies aimed at increasing the return on research investment, including by increasing alignment of graduate attributes with contemporary employer needs. Consequently, work-integrated learning (WIL) activities are being incorporated into HDR degrees to broaden HDR training beyond acquisition of research-focussed skills. For effective incorporation of WIL into HDR degrees, recognition is needed of the different types and roles of graduate employability practitioners required by HDR candidates, as well as improvements to training support structures, and evolved metrics for assessment of supervisor and HDR candidate success.
Higher degree research; candidate; master; PhD; professional doctorate; supervisor; employability; alternative doctoral training program
Copyright (c) 2024 Michael O'Connor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Integrating employability learning and career development learning: Insights into a business school approach
This practitioner reflection shares insights based on our seven-year journey pursuing an ambitious curriculum transformation espousing partnerships pedagogy within the School of Business (SOB) at Western Sydney University (WSU). With a significant proportion of first-generation and culturally and linguistically diverse students, employability is of strategic significance for WSU. The objective was to integrate employability and career development learning while addressing confidence and self-esteem deficits among graduates. Massification of the higher education sector, new universities, courses and pathways along with the competition among university graduates for employment all compound the issue. This challenging landscape required a unique approach to achieve a fundamental shift in learning and outcomes to prepare students for life beyond university. A massive curriculum transformation was endorsed and led by a cross-disciplinary team adopting partnerships pedagogy to transform the student learning experience. This reflection documents the practitioner journey involved in developing a program expressly targeting graduate employability for business students. Emphasis is on the experiences and challenges encountered while implementing a partnership-based approach to build, sustain, and cultivate graduate employability, through the development of industry networking experiences.
Partnerships pedagogy; employability; career development learning; graduate identity, university-industry collaboration
Copyright (c) 2024 Karina Wardle, Kay Geronikos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Bridging the gap: Graduate dispositional employability and the interconnected relationship between third space career and learning support services
This conceptual paper explores the dynamic interplay between university career development and learning support services. A distinct focus on enhancing dispositional employability of both staff and the graduates they support is discussed. Integral to successful career preparedness, the essential attributes of dispositional employability include openness to work change; resilience via a sense of control over career decision-making; an optimistic and proactive approach to seeking future opportunities; motivation in career self-management, and confidence in linking work and personal identity. Additionally, the paper also discusses how career and learning support services are positioned within the third space of higher education which is outside of administrative and traditional academic spaces. The significance of collaborating whilst maintaining distinct career development and learning advisory services is highlighted, so as to enhance graduate employability via effective connection of academic learning with career readiness. Investigations of the literature in the field lead to a conceptual model, the Maturity Model of Integrated Career and Learning Services (MM-ICLS), and recommendations that encourage collaborative peer support and capacity building for these third space staff, and congruent student support that will strengthen the dispositional employability of graduates and empower student success.
Dispositional employability, learning support, career development, third space, higher education
Copyright (c) 2024 Jennifer Luke, Cristy Bartlett https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Using image-reflections to support undergraduate students’ relational employability: A practitioner reflection
This practitioner reflection explores our integration of the Relational Employability Framework within the Health Research Project capstone unit of a Bachelor of Health Science degree. To address the historically low quality of student reflections, we incorporated image-based reflective activities to improve engagement and depth. These activities encouraged students to use visual media to examine their developing relational employability. We developed and implemented a series of tutorial activities designed to scaffold this process, aiming to foster deeper reflective practice and highlight its importance for career development and employability. Our reflections indicate that, while grades did not significantly increase, students showed enhanced critical thinking and engagement with reflective practice, suggesting the framework’s effectiveness in broadening awareness and enriching employability overall. We discuss the need for peer support among educators to sustain and enhance reflective practices in teaching-learning and conclude with thoughts on our ongoing efforts to embed and expand reflective practices in teaching approaches
Relational employability; health science educators; teaching and learning; visual media; reflective practice; undergraduate student reflections; career development and employability; curriculum design
Copyright (c) 2024 Ruth Wallace, Sally-Anne Doherty, Elizabeth J. Cook https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Student parents and carers need graduate employability support: Recommendations for employability practitioners
Universities and their employability-related staff must address the inequities that claim diversity as a disadvantage and a barrier to securing work integrated learning and graduate employment. With increases in equity groups enrolling at university there is a need to ensure access to employability opportunities. Graduate employability should be an accolade for students however it is not accessible, and ubiquitous for all. Student parents and carers are an invisible cohort that needs to be identified, and supported with their employability as they are a significantly growing population in higher education. This provocation will present the current landscape at university and offer three recommendations: the integration of career development learning and work experiences; data-informed systems and procedures; and collaboration and research into ‘employability for inclusion.’ This is required to build staff capability and organisational capacity and prepare our future workforce that is representative of today’s society.
Equity, graduate employability, higher education, student parent and carers
Copyright (c) 2024 Mary McGovern https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Creating group work-integrated learning experiences for non-clinical health degrees: A practitioner reflection
Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences, integral for equipping students with the skills and knowledge crucial for employment and success in their chosen careers, have traditionally been associated with accreditation requirements in professional programs. More recently, acknowledging the importance of WIL experiences in non-professional programs has grown. In this reflective paper, the experiences of the practitioner tasked with developing a new WIL capstone course for students in Health and Biomedical Science degrees are described. Grounded in social exchange theory, where interactions are viewed as exchanges aimed at maximising rewards while minimising costs, the intent was for student groups to engage with a range of authentic project experiences offered by industry, community, and academic staff (the WIL partners). Critical elements were the active involvement of a diverse array of partners and the importance of relationship building for the long-term sustainability of the project experiences. I discuss and reflect on the specific strategies employed to engage the WIL partners, inspiring them to collaborate and develop meaningful projects suitable for students pursuing various career paths. Additionally, I reflect on the invaluable experiences and feedback provided by our partners.
Work-integrated learning, WIL, employability, career readiness, career development, career skills, partnerships
Copyright (c) 2024 Natalie Colson , Louise Maddock, Mary-Ann Shuker, Sanger Georgina https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Facilitating and supporting employability in law: Reflections on the need for agile communication
There is an increasing focus on enhancing employability for students in higher education. Yet academics who facilitate and encourage opportunities to support student employability are often doing so with a quiet agility. This paper reflects on my first year coordinating a work-integrated learning program and the development of skills necessary for such roles in a tertiary law context. Grounded in the well-recognised literature on positive professional identity and contemplating the concept of ‘pracademic identity’, these reflections offer insights on the experience of traversing across multiple professional spheres to enhance employability for students. In particular, this reflection piece seeks to uncover and highlight the skills essential to roles facilitating employability for law students.
Employability, agility, communication skills, pracademic, law
Copyright (c) 2024 Kate Tubridy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Implementing employability strategy: Inspiring change through significant conversations
Higher education plays a key role in cultivating graduate employability, which is essential to meeting multiple individual, community, social and labour market needs. Universities prioritise employability through strategic goals and initiatives designed to foster work-ready graduates equipped with the skills, aptitudes, and knowledge needed to navigate self-determined career pathways. One core approach to delivering on the employability agenda is through work-integrated learning (WIL). Despite institution’s efforts to set targets to increase access to WIL for all students, there is little evidence on how these strategies are implemented, reported, and revised, particularly in resource-depleted environments. This paper illuminates how institutional directives can be enacted when transformative learning is centralised through relational, collegial conversations. It builds on Dean et al.’s (2020) paper to unpack how the WIL Curriculum Classification (WILCC) Framework has been executed through employability champions across the institution, who advocate for meaningful, contextually appropriate change that is co-designed with colleagues. These ‘significant conversations’ are the impetus for transforming students’ learning experiences and career readiness. The paper offers four vignettes to showcase how the WILCC Framework has been implemented and disseminated across local, institutional, cross-campus and international contexts through transformative engagement in relational dialogue. It outlines key recommendations for holding significant conversations to influence change and champion the employability movement.
Academic development; curriculum transformation; conversations; employability; work-integrated learning
Copyright (c) 2024 Bonnie Amelia Dean, Kate Tubridy, Michelle J Eady , Venkata Yanamandram https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Transdisciplinary employability practitioners: Engaging with skills for the future and redefining professional identity
In response to the need for graduates to tackle global, complex problems, higher education is increasing attention towards approaches that cross the boundaries of disciplinary thinking. However, while students can benefit from learning across disciplines, employability practitioners can also benefit. Transdisciplinary approaches can prompt practitioners to rethink career education, take charge of their professional development, and redefine their identity as borderless, ever-evolving transdisciplinary employability practitioners. Within this provocation, a transdisciplinary approach to learning is introduced and questions pertinent to the seven habits of a transdisciplinary mind are posed, intended to provoke converging perspectives on employability. By refocusing practitioners’ employability perspectives, higher education can enhance its capacity for career-led learning and transform the identities of those working within it.
Transdisciplinary, work-integrated learning, lifelong learning, boundary-crossing, employability, professional development, career learning, higher education
Copyright (c) 2024 Adrian Buck https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Employer perspectives on the importance of help-seeking as a key skill of higher education graduates
This study investigates the importance of help-seeking skills among higher education graduates as perceived by employers. Through semi-structured interviews with 16 employers across various industries in Australia, the research identifies help-seeking as a critical skill that enhances employability. An employee demonstrates effective help-seeking abilities when they appropriately request assistance to accomplish a task at work. Our research explores the nuance of what employers have in mind when they conceptualise help-seeking in their context. Help-seeking is underpinned by communication, self-efficacy, and problem-solving skills. The study suggests practical strategies for higher education institutions to incorporate help-seeking training into their curricula, as part of preparing students for complex work environments.
Copyright (c) 2025 Natasha Dwyer, Naomi Dempsey, Darren Brown, Anthony Watt https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Using 'Me in a Minute' to promote skills in articulating employability strengths
Evidence indicates that undergraduate students value the Me in a Minute video strategy as a mechanism for developing employability articulation skills. However, an in-depth analysis of students’ ability to create a Me in a Minute video that effectively articulates employability strengths has not been conducted. An assessed Me in a Minute module (assignment) was implemented in a third-year capstone subject within undergraduate non-specialist health science degrees to support students in developing their employability articulation skills. Module assessments included a preparatory mid-semester self-evaluation, a Me in a Minute video, and an end-semester reflection consisting of Likert-scale and open-ended responses. This study aimed to determine students’ ability to create an effective and professionally delivered Me in a Minute video, as well as student perceptions of their employability skills and the module activities. Student work (preparatory evaluation task, video and reflection) was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Mid-semester, students highly rated their discipline knowledge and skills, as well as their transferable skills and personal attributes. Analysis of videos showed that students had aptitude for drawing on relevant experiences but generally struggled to substantiate their claims with tangible evidence. Less than half of the videos were assessed to be professional artefacts. Despite these findings, students highly valued the module and felt the activities supported them in developing their ability to articulate employability strengths. In conclusion, the Me in a Minute video strategy is perceived positively by health science students, but further support is needed to help them develop skills in evidencing achievements and professional presentation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Louise Lexis, Brianna L. Julien, Minh Nguyen, Shannyn Genders https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The graduate employability cycle of learning: Preparation, practice, and presentation
Change in the workplace is inevitable, intensified by the rapid development of global markets and demand for highly skilled and adaptable employees. One response to this demand is for higher degree students to immerse in workplace experiences aligned to their course discipline to build their employability. In consideration of higher education and industry practices in Australia, our paper examined the phases of student learning and development before, during and after workplace experiences that contribute to graduate employability and signalling capability. Three progressive methodological approaches were adopted: a job advertisement audit, semi-structured interviews, and an online employability survey. Deductive and inductive coding was applied to organise themes from interview transcripts and survey data, using non-parametric statistics to analyse data. Findings revealed a three-phased Graduate Employability Cycle of Learning. The Pre-Condition Phase 1 encourages student exploration of the industry discipline and self against defined awareness factors to prepare for practical experiences. Phase 2 comprises the Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb, 1984) to validate the process of learning through practical experience. The Observed Signals Phase 3 identifies the experiential learning gained from practical experience and subsequent conversion into transferable graduate employability signals. Combined, the three-phased cycle guides theoretical knowledge and practical application of the employability signals, to assist job recruitment and selection, where employers can observe and recognise employable graduates who demonstrate their point of difference in the job market.
graduate employability, practical experience, higher education, industry, signalling
Copyright (c) 2024 Mary Grant, Clare Hanlon, Associate Professor Janet A Young https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
“Physically present, but emotionally present, too”: Graduates of Colour developing emotional intelligence as student employees
Despite a robust body of literature related to how institutions of higher education help prepare students for the workforce after graduation, little research has explored the lived experiences of Students of Colour as they reflect on their undergraduate employment as it relates to their development of marketable skills. Moreover, no studies have engaged with Graduates of Colour to understand whether they developed emotional intelligence as undergraduate student employees. To fill a considerable gap in the literature, this qualitative study, framed by Salovey and Mayer’s (1990) model of emotional intelligence, explored the undergraduate student affairs (student support) employment experiences of 12 Graduates of Colour (now professionals) to understand how they developed emotional intelligence to be more successful employees and leaders in their respective workplaces. The findings suggest Graduates of Colour developed all four tenets of emotional intelligence during their undergraduate employment experience, with direct impacts on their work in their careers. Implications for research and practice in universities are discussed.
Copyright (c) 2025 Christopher A. Burnett, Zach W. Taylor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
A Work-Integrated Learning Framework: the what, where and how of evaluating WIL
Through a case study at Deakin University, we present our approach for evaluating Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) during a pilot of a WIL Evaluation Framework (WEF). This paper focuses on our approaches and decisions relating to what, where and how to evaluate WIL, offering considerations for a sector-wide approach to WIL evaluation more generally. The findings from the pilot inform ongoing institution-specific WIL evaluation projects. We anticipate that our study will provide insight into the comprehensive processes involved in WIL evaluation, and the impact findings can make to inform WIL and employability strategies to supplement current sector-wide discussions on WIL indictors and measures of success for graduate outcomes.
Copyright (c) 2024 Karen Young, Sophie McKenzie , Jill Thomas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0