|
Title:
|
ONLINE EMPLOYABILITY WORKSHOPS A PILOT TEST |
|
Author(s):
|
Kathleen Houston |
|
ISBN:
|
978-972-8939-28-1 |
|
Editors:
|
Kinshuk, Demetrios G Sampson, J. Michael Spector, Pedro Isaías, Dirk Ifenthaler, Radu Vasiu |
|
Year:
|
2010 |
|
Edition:
|
Single |
|
Keywords:
|
Student engagement, employability, career management, online learning. |
|
Type:
|
Short Paper |
|
First Page:
|
259 |
|
Last Page:
|
262 |
|
Language:
|
English |
|
Cover:
|
|
|
Full Contents:
|
click to dowload 
|
|
Paper Abstract:
|
Student and graduate engagement with employability and career development initiatives and courses is regularly reported to be problematic by many university career services and academic departments (UK HE Career Professionals 2010). While post university employment destinations ought to be paramount to students and graduates, evidence suggests that uptake of the opportunity to attend employability and career management courses and workshops, within or additional to main undergraduate or postgraduate study, is invariably meager. This may seem surprising, given the challenges of a rising graduate unemployment in the UK, global labour market and economic challenges. Although some learning opportunities are enthusiastically opted for by the more motivated and switched on students/graduates, a greater proportion of students may find themselves lamentably un-work ready or not Future Fit (CBI 2009) by national or international employers. This paper will highlight an innovative initiative piloted by the University of Central Lancashire to increase student and graduate engagement with learning for career. A programme of online workshops, alumni/graduate to undergraduate career mentoring and live forum question sessions has succeeded in attracting students to employability learning. The use of Adobe Connect technology, the creation of a student responsive and student-centred learning space and the access this offers to local or global students and graduates through the main campus site, associate campuses in China and elsewhere in the world, has been acknowledged. The feedback indicated that the online workshops were extremely effective and relevant. Initial indications from this pilot project are discussed in this paper, the particular format of the online learning model is disseminated and recommendations for future development of this online learning medium proposed. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
