RESOURCES
Employability definitions
There are often several definitions of Employability at play. The sector as a whole has a poor record of implementing policy based on the literature and its recommendations. This is certainly true for the important difference between Employment and Employability, which are complimentary terms but engender major distinctions in aim, approach, and measurement.
| Employment | A graduate outcome. This provision is focussed solely on the preparation for employment and is measured by graduate destinations. |
| Employability | Relates to the teaching and learning of a wide range of skills and attributes to support continued learning and career development. This is achieved through the creation of a pedagogy for employability. |
These categories are separate but complementary. However it is important to be clear that ADE refer to Employability specifically in relation to the core curriculum.
Employability: tef definition
The differentiation between Employment and Employability is also supported in a key Metric: the Teaching Excellence Framework
| Employment and Further Study (SO1) | Students Achieve their educational and professional goals, in particular progression to further study or highly skilled employment |
| Employability and Transferrable Skills (SO2) | Students acquire knowledge, skills and attributes that are valued by employers and that enhance their personal and/or professional lives |
employment & employability activities
Yorke and Knight list 5 ways in which employability can be utilised. These provide examples of related activities in line with the distinction between Employment and Employability. When embedding employability you could explore combinations of all of these; curricular and co-curricular, if you don't already.
| Employability (Embedded) | Employability in the core curriculum, and Employability embedded through the whole curriculum. |
| Employment (Co-Curricular) | Work-based or work related learning in parallel with the curriculum, Work-based or work related learning interspersed within the curriculum, and Employability-related modules within the curriculum. |