Enhancing graduate employability a study of stakeholder perceptions of employability policy and its translation into university strategy
The extent to which universities should prepare graduates for the workplace has been a particular focus of policy impacting across higher education over the last 20 years as a result of a number of factors: changes to ways in which higher education is funded in the UK and the subsequent cultural shift towards students being perceived as consumers of degree courses; ease of access to the results of metrics by which universities can be compared; the pace of technological change in the workplace and the impact that this has had on the requirements of employers when recruiting graduates. Various reports have focused on attempting to distil the key qualities and skills that employers are looking for when recruiting graduates. How such skills related to employability can or should be enhanced as part of a degree experience are the source of debate at a policy level and amongst academic staff. In the midst of this perceived cultural shift in higher education it is important to explore the perspectives of key stakeholder groups: individuals working at policy level, academic staff, students and employers. This study explores these issues in a particular setting, BSc Music Technology oriented courses. Such highly vocational degrees offer an opportunity to investigate perceptions in the context of courses that typically highlight the development of skills and attributes carefully aligned to the requirements of employers. Following a qualitative methodology, this research investigates the perspectives of stakeholders through semi structured interviews, focus groups and a survey. One of the key findings of this study is that there is a disconnect between espoused policy which emphasises ever greater integration between industry and higher education and the reality as experienced by academics, students and employers. The findings highlight the need for improved channels of communication and in particular, the value of informal interactions.