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By Keith Pond and Amanda Harrington.

Executive Summary

• This BMAF funded research report sets out to review the use of models of employability development in business education in the UK. 
• Building on the strong foundation of HEA reports and reviews from 2006 / 7 the report recapitulates key themes in the literature up to 2011. 
• The report finds that there are a number of clear and well designed models of employability and that various other agendas exist (New Vocationalism, enterprise etc.). 
• The literature often focuses on individual “champions” of employability and curriculum design and highlights placements, PDP and pedagogic innovation as elements that populate the employability hinterland. 
• A qualitative interview methodology is used to build ten case studies that are illustrative, rather than representative, of the sector. 
• We find that the overall picture of employability development in UK business education is one that is patchy. We conclude that a coalescence of institutional support and focus, curriculum integration and stakeholder support are key parts of the employability whole. 
• Penetration of employability models appears also to be patchy with some examples of excellence but far more of good intentions that have yet to come to fruition. 
• As HEIs enter a new funding environment within which graduate employment offers salvation from debt it will be interesting to see the role employability plays

The full report can be downloaded below.

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