Connect Benefit Series: Student Success - Employability

Conducted by a research team at Oxford Brookes University, the publication ‘Employability: a review of the literature 2016-2021’ aims to identify specific impact and evidence in relation to employability in HE, predominantly since the most recent Advance HE literature review from 2016.

In this introductory blog, project lead Dr Roger Dalrymple shares some reflections on the experience of reviewing this fast-moving field.

The review by Oxford Brookes University focuses on peer-reviewed journal articles on employability within higher education which present and/or discuss evidence of 'what works'.

The research team, led by Dr Roger Dalrymple, Associate Dean: Student Outcomes, also comprised Dr Andrea Macrae, Principal Lecturer, Stylistics and Student Experience;  Dr Maia Pal, Senior Lecturer in International Relations; and Dr Shirley Shipman, Principal Lecturer (Student Experience) and Programme Lead (Law).

In this episode, Dr Andrea Macrae and Dr Roger Dalrymple discuss the findings of the 2016-21 employability literature review, with particular emphasis on measurement of different employability interventions and employability development.

In this episode, Andrea Macrae and Roger Dalrymple discuss the aspects of the literature review focusing on entrepreneurship and work-integrated learning.

In this episode, Andrea Macrae, Roger Dalrymple and Dr Maia Pal discuss the aspects of the literature review focusing on critiques of employability.

In this episode, Dr Maia Pal and Dr Shirley Shipman discuss the aspects of the literature review focusing on inequalities and differential opportunities of employability.

In this episode, Dr Catriona Bell, Advance HE's Head of Membership (Scotland), is joined by Dr Jacqueline Brodie, Dr Issra Pramoolsook and Ruth Puhr to share their insights on employability from an international perspective. 

During this October 2021 webinar, authors from Oxford Brookes University discussed the context, themes and key findings of their recent Advance HE publication Employability: A Review of the Literature 2016-2021.

With consideration to the publication Employability: a review of the literature 2016-2021, these summits offered colleagues an opportunity to reflect on recent innovations in teaching practice and employability support within Higher Education. Recognising the crucial role that universities play in preparing students for activities post-graduation the summits identified core components, considered new methods, and helped shape the eventual update to the Framework for Embedding Employability in Higher Education. The summits identified how employability, as a core thematic strand, aligns to different areas identified by the sector as critical for enabling student success, ensuring any future iteration of the Framework Series is not considered in isolation.