Embedding employability and transferable skills in the curriculum: a practical, multidisciplinary approach

• Published in: Higher education pedagogies Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 247 - 266
• Main Authors: Valero, Maria De Rodanas, Reid, Tom, Dell, Ghislaine, Stacey, David, Hatt, Jo, Moore, Yvonne, Clift, Sally
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01.01.2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Alignment (Education); College Curriculum; Curricula; employability; Employment Potential; Engineering Education; Experiential Learning; Foreign Countries; Graduate Students; Interdisciplinary Approach; Job Skills; Job Training; multidisciplinary; Skill Development; Soft Skills; STEM; Transfer of Training; United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)
• ISSN: 2375-2696; 2375-2696
• DOI: 10.1080/23752696.2020.1816846

This paper discusses a practical, multidisciplinary approach used to embed employability skills in a new postgraduate (PGT) Engineering course at the University of Bath. Informed by relevant professional bodies, key transferable skills were identified and embedded in the curriculum with discipline-specific content. Students worked on a series of hands-on activities in which they integrated and applied principles and methodologies from various areas (linguistics, information, etc.), complementary to their technical expertise, as in the working environment. This was facilitated by a multidisciplinary team comprised of Academic and Professional Services staff at the University of Bath. The organisational context and rationale for the approach presented, including the practical implementation and initial outcomes in the new PGT course, are provided.