Employability is a widely discussed ‘outcome’ of university study, which is essentially about ensuring that students have the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to be successful in their future.
Employability and The University of Buckingham go hand in hand; we have consistently performed well in national rankings for graduate prospects.
In our Strategic Plan 2023-28, we commit to supporting our students to “build long-lasting careers by developing their skills and employability through integrated, co and extra-curricular training and workplace experiences”. Having joined Buckingham last December, I have recently developed an updated learning and teaching strategy, which includes an overarching principle to “do all we can to set (students) on the path to success, in and beyond higher education”.
Using student time more efficiently and effectively
At Buckingham, we empower students to study a degree their way and offer fast-track options, which include a four-and-a-half year medical degree (compared to five or six years elsewhere) and September and January starts. We also pioneered shorter undergraduate degrees – Buckingham is the ‘home of the two-year degree’ – which can ultimately save students time and money.
Students can also combine an undergraduate degree with either a foundation or postgraduate degree too, meaning they graduate with two qualifications in just three years and enter the workforce more quickly.
We are committed to innovation and regularly evaluate our teaching to improve, and respond meaningfully to student and stakeholder feedback. We also monitor how well our students move through and out of their studies.
Reviewing courses and curriculum with students as partners
I have recently undertaken a co-creation workshop approach to reviewing our course portfolio using Charrette workshop methodology I developed at the University of Portsmouth.
In the workshop, we considered (among other things) the embedding of employability skills within the curriculum, and now a review is underway to recommend how these skills may be embedded across all courses for students. Our Professional Skills Framework and Professional Development Portfolio were introduced three years ago and have been embedded across several, but not all, academic schools. We are now seeking a more cohesive approach institutionally.
Part of the discussions we are having are about how we prepare students for careers that will see them work and collaborate in groups with peers anywhere in the world. We are preparing students for fast-paced working environments where pre-determined objectives need to be achieved collectively in the workplace. This is what we teach our students to expect. Through small-group teaching sessions, students work together on projects and develop key employability skills such as teamwork, negotiation, conflict resolution, presenting and leadership.
Employability and The University of Buckingham go hand in hand. We are now seeking a more cohesive institutional approach.
Developing an enterprising spirit
Enterprise and entrepreneurship are embedded across the curriculum to inculcate an enterprising spirit and support students in building long-lasting careers.
Through our Buckingham Enterprise and Innovation Unit (BEIU) we have developed the university into a leading centre of experiential enterprise education, promoting and encouraging an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit in our students. BEIU has undertaken outreach with more than 5,000 school and college students, supporting the latest entrepreneurial talent in the UK, as well as our own students.
BEIU also supports innovation and enterprise in the Medical School. Students participate in novel Student Selected Components (SSCs) as an extension to the core curriculum and are supported to work on real-life projects. In one module, medical students identified critical challenges faced by hospital staff and developed an app prototype to resolve one of these challenges. Students were awarded funding to continue with the development of the app, and BEIU subsequently collaborated with Stoke Mandeville Hospital on two further clinical innovation projects.
In our Business School, employability is built into everything we do. As well as hearing from our 20 guest lecturers (businesses and entrepreneurs) during their degree, all students take a module called Preparing for Your Career, part of which helps students develop an attractive LinkedIn profile to boost their chances of success when applying for jobs. We also run a business simulation in which students get to work in competing teams running a fictional online retail company.
Supporting students and alumni
Day-to-day, our Careers and Employability Service supports our students as they prepare for the future. This includes exploring career and further study options, developing the professional skills and self-awareness that employers value, accessing employment, placements and work experience, preparing for success in a competitive graduate job market, and providing paid micro-internships via our B-Enterprising scheme.
Designed and run by our Careers and Employability Service in partnership with BEIU, B-Enterprising aims to provide employers with access to highly motivated students who will fulfil their short-term project needs, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives to businesses. Projects are undertaken on a part-time, flexible basis to fit around the student’s studies. Employers benefit by getting to know our students better through the process leading to employment.
This support is also extended to alumni, who can still receive careers and employability support long after they have finished studying. In fact, all our graduates have free access to our online careers portal, Horizons, where they can book an appointment with a careers adviser, access our graduate jobs listings, and view articles and resources to support their career management and development.
Enhancing graduate employability
All in all, we are on the cusp of a new dawn for employability at The University of Buckingham. Reflecting on what we have achieved in the last few years, we now want to embed what we see as the most successful approaches (supported by my own experiences elsewhere) across the university. We look forward to sharing more developments around our support for students with the IHE community.
Professor Harriet Dunbar-Morris
Prior to joining The University of Buckingham, Professor Harriet Dunbar-Morris was Dean of Learning and Teaching and Professor of Student Experience at the University of Portsmouth until December 2023. She has also worked for UCAS, the 1994 Group, and the universities of Bath, Bradford and Oxford.
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