Workplace skills

Advice on how to help students develop employability skills for the 21st century workplace, covering real-world experience and authentic learning that aids graduates in the transition to professional careers

Image representing an understanding of multiple viewpoints and perspectives

Encourage intellectual development in students to improve work readiness

By supporting students to become independent thinkers who can evaluate different viewpoints within specific contexts, educators better prepare them for employment, argue Jennifer Rose and Bill Moore

Jennifer Rose, Bill Moore

University of Manchester, The Perry Institute

A student painting on a canvas

Preparing students for careers in the creative industries

How interdisciplinary and experiential learning that is integrated into inclusive curricula can equip students for their future creative careers

Miaomiao Jia

University of Bristol

Programmer writing code on large screens

These AI tools can help prepare future programmers for the workplace

How educators can teach programming students to use AI tools to enhance productivity

Rohini Rao

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

change concept

Struggle, strength and growth: a holistic approach to embracing change

In preparing for their careers, students need skills to manage the demands that a changing world will place on their internal and external lives. These five stages aim to help them develop adaptability, resilience and psychological growth

Kathleen Chim, Lai Tsz Chui, Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

An explorer observes a flag flying atop a mountain made of books

Lessons from evolutionary biology to prepare students in an uncertain world

Universities are charged with developing the next generation for a future we can’t predict. Here are three lessons from evolutionary biology to make sense of a changing world – and three skills the workforce of tomorrow will need

Lakshmi Goel

Al Akhawayn University

Business students chatting in a classroom

Cultivating emotional intelligence in business education

Four strategies for fostering emotional intelligence in business students and preparing them for the workplace

Cecilia Primogerio , Camila del Carril

Universidad Austral

Architects work on a computer programme

How I pioneered a graduate apprenticeship programme in architectural technology

Launching a graduate apprenticeship programme has provided an alternative route to graduate-level education for mature, female and employed students. Here’s how to do it

Suha Jaradat

Edinburgh Napier University

Board game figures and dice

Let’s seriously game higher education to tackle the challenges ahead

The ‘tomorrow problems’ can be difficult for students for grasp. Vikki McCall advises harnessing the power of serious gaming to help them join the dots

Vikki McCall

University of Stirling

A university lecturer responds to a student's question.

Build a practitioner community to embed industry experience into your courses

Bringing industry professionals into your teaching roster brings a multitude of benefits. Lesley Pender shares insights on building a community of teacher-practitioners

Lesley Pender

University of Strathclyde

Illustration of female graduate in palm of robot

Is AI literacy an information skill?

To capitalise on GenAI’s strengths, and understand its limitations, students need to develop their research and critical thinking skills in practical, embedded and subject-specific ways

Emily Dott, Terry Charlton

Newcastle University

A group of business students brainstorming on bean bags

Empower the next generation with an inclusive approach to enterprise education

How to enable all our students, especially those from under-represented communities, to become entrepreneurs

Paul Dwyer

University of Westminster

A group of business students working together on a project

Best practice in building business clinics

Collective advice on setting up and running a successful business clinic from experts in entrepreneurship education around the world

Track Dinning

Liverpool John Moores University

A group of people work around a computer

How to prepare students for a global working world

As universities, we need to teach our students how to operate in a global online workplace – and facilitate their opportunities to do so

Richard Sant

University of the Arts London

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Partnership work as a catalyst for upskilling in key employment sectors

An example of how a business school can partner with public sector and industry bodies to develop products and services that help upskill and support practice-based education

Mike Brownsell , Kirstie Simpson

University of Chester

person using laptop in front of blackboard

AI as a catalyst for assessment innovation

University educators have an opportunity to rethink their approach to assessment, so that artificial intelligence tools support student learning without compromising academic integrity

Zheng Feei Ma, Antony Hill

University of the West of England Bristol

Business woman on her laptop in her living room

Ways to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset in students

Some practical tips to help nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs

Isabelle Ford, Hannah Willis

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Students working on a project together in class

Essential GenAI skills for marketing students

Educators from the University of Bristol demonstrate how to equip marketing students with the skills and knowledge to use AI ethically

Rushana Khusainova, Eleonora Pantano, Esther Kang

University of Bristol

Students sitting in a business placement meeting

A good practice guide for student business placements

Advice for university educators on setting up projects in which students work directly with external partners such as local businesses, based on a pilot initiative

Marek Hornak

University of Staffordshire

Middle-aged man smiling at laptop

What are students paying for when they learn online?

Understanding the time investment, industry input and subject matter expertise that go into creating quality online content should give learners a sense of confidence, write Mick Grimley and Lisa Burdes

Mick Grimley, Lisa Burdes

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

A health professional checks a patient's lymph glands

Taking trust to the next level in healthcare assessment

When educating health professionals, the role of trust is paramount. Here’s how we can link entrustment with student consensus grading and programmatic assessment

James Thompson, Amanda Maddern

The University of Adelaide

Young female engineer with wind turbines

Equipping university students to be leaders in addressing climate change

The world is hotter today than at any time in the past 100,000 years. Tripp Shealy offers educational strategies for universities to develop the leaders needed in the critical fight for a liveable future

Tripp Shealy

Virginia Tech

Book with symbols

Philosophy graduates are extremely employable – but they need degree programmes that show them why

Many students interested in studying philosophy at university will be concerned about its job prospects, so they require courses that demonstrate how to translate its skills into a career, writes Jonathan Webber

Jonathan Webber

Cardiff University

Student on a healthcare placement looking at x-ray

Where there’s WIL, there’s risk

As demand for universities to support work-integrated learning rises, so does exposure to potential pitfalls such as personal injury and reputational harm. What can higher education institutions do to mitigate the risks?

Clare Murray

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

Apprentice working on a building site

How Indian universities can address the country’s talent crisis

Higher education’s role in preparing students for real-world jobs includes forging strong industry partnerships, establishing pathways into apprenticeships and fostering creativity

Raul Villamarin Rodriguez, Hemachandran K

Woxsen University

A group of people work round a table

A guide to cultivating a start-up culture in academia

To foster a start-up culture in higher education, we need to encourage risk-taking, reward innovation and get ahead of the trends. Here’s how to get started

Sadaf Majeed

Dubai Medical College for Girls

Group of four racially diverse women

Students as co-creators in online learning

Offering students paid opportunities to be involved in generating and modifying online learning content could deliver novel experiences for learners, reduce academic workload and help close the awarding gap

Dean Fido, Gary F. Fisher

University of Derby

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Supporting mature students into creative careers

Helping mature students pursuing creative subjects to make the most of their university experiences shouldn’t be difficult. Here are some suggestions

Emma Lennox

Queen’s University Belfast

An illustration of business people sat on a growing plant

Three ways to embed career development learning more deeply in your curriculum

Embedding career development learning into curricular learning can be invaluable for students. Here’s how to integrate it more meaningfully

Anna Branford , Julian Lee

RMIT University

A teacher giving a lecture at the front of class

A new learning outcomes model to nurture future-proof skills

A new framework allows us to use a transdisciplinary lens when crafting learning outcomes to help students develop future-proof skills

Kay Harrison

University of Auckland

A doctor advising a patient

A blueprint for programmatic assessment in healthcare courses

A shift from traditional to outcome- or competency-based programmatic assessment began before the pandemic and has gained momentum since. Here are some ways to work towards it

Sreejith G

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Two researchers discuss their findings

How to collaborate with students on research projects

Students and academic staff collaborating on research projects offers many benefits for everyone involved. Here’s how to do it

Louise Owusu-Kwarteng

University of Greenwich

A teacher writing in her journal

Reflective practice 101

Why and how to incorporate reflective practice into your teaching and learning

Natalie K.D. Seedan

The University of the West Indies

Professor at the front of a class full of students

Four things you can do right now to improve your teaching

With a new term upon us, here are three practical strategies to enhance your teaching practice

Rebecca Wakelin

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Engineering student using virtual reality

How comfortable are your students with AI and VR?

To train tomorrow’s workforce, higher education institutions must assess students’ technological familiarity, their readiness to engage with advanced tools and their purposes for using them. Here are two ways to gather data

Meryem Yilmaz Soylu

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Students listen in a lecture hall

Everything you need to know about teaching cases

Teaching cases can help students apply their knowledge to a real-world situation and make learning interactive. Here’s how to use them

Kerryn Krige

The London School of Economics and Political Science

A student in the library holds a book

Find a balance with student-centredness

Student-centredness has become hugely popular in higher education over the past decade, but it has downsides as well as benefits. Can it truly be applicable across higher education, regardless of context?

Arina Ziganshina

Dubai Medical College for Girls

Students at an employability event at university

Empowering international students for global career success

Supporting our students to prosper and thrive is not only beneficial to them but also to the broader community

Alex Fenton, Trevor Omoruyi

University of Chester

sustainability concept

What work-based learners need from sustainability education

Flexible course design, reasonable time commitments and real-life practice are vital if universities expect to train the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs in sustainable development

Jonathan Muir

University of Leeds

Students in class working on a project together

Events-based authentic assessment that can boost employability

While demonstrating knowledge through exams has its place, how often do we use exam techniques and skills in our daily lives? Events offer a more authentic way to demonstrate and test professional skills

Becky Lewis, Colin McClure

University of East Anglia, Queen’s University Belfast

Members of Gen Z work in an office lounge

Universities need to act now to bridge the Gen Z gap

Many educators are still struggling to harness the talents of Generation Z and help set them up for employment. Just a few key business changes can make the connection, writes Salah Al-Majeed

Salah Al-Majeed

Al Akhawayn University

Business students discussing a case study in class

Eight fail-safe ways to build business students’ problem-solving skills

The volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) nature of business environments prompt employers to look for creative and agile graduates

Manju Meenakshy

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Blocks joined with string networking concept

How a strong network can enhance the PhD journey

Connections and collaborations can help PhD students (and their supervisors) cut through the isolation of research. Here’s how to leverage those links into employability

Meghan Casey , Andrew Barton , Madhu Chetty , Rose Ferguson

Federation University Australia , Australian Catholic University

A business student taking optional courses to enhance her employability

Optional extracurricular modules can enhance business students’ employability

This resource offers guidance on how to design and promote extracurricular courses that you can offer alongside academic ones to boost employability

Yue Jiang, Nimesh Salike, Eddy Fang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A PhD graduate in cap and gown stands with her back to the camera

Five ways to connect PhD students with industry

Developing industry experience is often the last thing on the minds of the PhD community, but nurturing partnerships between academia and industry can enrich the journey, believes Maria-Christina Vogkli

Maria-Christina Vogkli

The London School of Economics and Political Science

A woman shakes hand with a unseen person in an office setting

Innovative career services for a well-prepared workforce

How can universities enhance their student career support in response to the rapidly evolving employment landscape? Kelvin Cheng recommends three approaches to prepare students for better careers

Kelvin Cheng

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A holographic image of a brain emerges from a smartphone

Three key collaborations to foster digital fluency in students

While digital skills development is all-important for employability, no one can predict what the job market will look like in a decade. Instead, focus on digital fluency for well-rounded future employees. Jeni Brown and Nedelin Velikov explain how

Jeni Brown, Nedelin Velikov

The London School of Economics and Political Science

Young people work on laptops

Experiencing the workplace can help students’ career readiness

How to help your graduates step straight into the world of work? Give them a taste of it while they’re still students. Gaini Yessembekova and Liliya Tleukenova offer advice

Liliya Tleukenova, Gaini Yessembekova

Nazarbayev University

Architecture internship

Balancing career readiness and finances: the case for abbreviated internships

Internships give students professional experience, guide career choices and boost job market competitiveness. But what if students need higher-paying summer jobs or can’t afford three months in a far-flung city? That’s where abbreviated winter internships come in

Margarita McGrath

Virginia Tech

Black man looking at computer screen

What does it mean for students to be AI-ready?

Not everyone wants to be a computer scientist, a software engineer or a machine learning developer. We owe it to our students to prepare them with a full range of AI skills for the world they will graduate into, writes David Joyner

David Joyner

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A blue set of steps with a white arrow pointing upwards

Teach the skills required for a future we can’t yet imagine

Times are changing too quickly for any of us to accurately predict what the future employment market will look like. But we can still prepare our students. Hajer N. Sheikh advocates for a more agile approach

Hajer N. Sheikh

Dubai Medical College for Girls