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.

A tombstone in a graveyard with the words "rest in peace" carved into it

Is the dissertation dead? If so, what are the alternatives?

Dissertation alternatives, such as capstone projects and applied group-based projects, could better prepare graduates for their future careers. Discover what these might look like

Rushana Khusainova, Sarah Sholl, Patrick Harte

The University of Bristol, Edinburgh Napier University

A young entrepreneur works on an iPad

Every student can benefit from an entrepreneurial mindset

To develop the next generation of entrepreneurs, universities need to nurture the right mindset in students of all disciplines. Follow these tips to embed entrepreneurial education

Nicolas Klotz

Al Akhawayn University

Young Asian robotics trainee

Build foundations for university-industry partnerships in 90 days

Graduate employability could be transformed through systematic integration of industry partnerships. This practical guide offers a framework for change in Indian universities

Raul Villamarin Rodriguez, Hemachandran K

Woxsen University

A student at her laptop

Questions to ask when designing collaborative online learning experiences

Practical steps for designing meaningful online learning experiences with external collaborators that help students develop essential competencies

Bárbara Regina Granados Guzmán , Luis Gerardo Rojas Solorio

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Man and woman working on film editing

Is graduate employability a core university priority?

Universities, once judged primarily on the quality of their academic outcomes, are now also expected to prepare students for the workplace. Here’s how higher education is adapting to changing pressures

Katherine Emms, Andrea Laczik

The Edge Foundation

A science student struggles in a lab

The tough lessons that build resilience in forensic science students

To avoid causing students unnecessary harm when teaching sensitive topics, consider a trauma-informed approach. Carrie Mullen outlines how

Carrie Mullen

University of the West of Scotland

A student presenting in front of class

How to get your students writing stellar social policy analysis reports

Policy analysis equips social work students with the skills to critically assess, influence, and advocate for equitable policies. Read how to demystify the process

Adrian Man-Ho Lam, Mathew Wong Yee Hang

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

An illustration of a mortarbord balanced on a globe

The future of liberal arts may belong to the Global South

With American universities under threat from a hostile government, where will liberal arts education thrive? Perhaps it’s time for a reimagining

Abderrahim Agnaou

Al Akhawayn University

A team discusses at Post-It notes on a wall

Communication skills needed for public policy and how to teach them

Effective public policy requires clear communication and public engagement. Here’s how to equip future policymakers with the necessary skills

Lisa Lim

Nazarbayev University

Students sit an exam in a classroom

Test students’ understanding, not their memory

Exams have become more about students’ ability to recall answers to questions asked in past papers rather than testing their understanding of the knowledge they gained. Here’s how to challenge their cognitive ability instead

Apurav Krishna Koyande

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Young Asian female students giving presentation

Machine v human skills: what do we teach now?

Human-centred abilities such as curiosity, adaptability and self-reflection are rising in importance as AI threatens to automate routine tasks. Here are ways educators can prepare students for the workforce of the future

Lynda Wee

Nanyang Technological University

A plant being watered by a watering can

How to run a bursary scheme for your students with no admin support

How one lecturer launched and ran a career development bursary with no administrative support, using digital tools and smart workflows to keep the process efficient and effective

W. Victoria Lee

The University of Edinburgh

A business professional shakes hands

A guide to building lasting partnerships between students and industry

How can universities bridge the gap between students and their future employers? Bring real value to both sides with these tips

Amy Pyle, Dan Robinson

Loughborough University

Young man writing resume on laptop

Turning skills into stories: how longitudinal skills portfolios enhance student employability

Universities are adopting reflective digital tools to help students connect their learning to graduate skills. Here’s what they’re doing and why it matters now

Cat Bailey

Jisc

Two teachers at the front of a class full of students

‘Here’s what not to do’: a participatory method to develop interview skills

See what happened when educators used role plays to dramatically demonstrate poor interview practice, encouraging students to analyse and suggest improvements

Multiple authors

The University of East Anglia

Team of engineers working on an engine

How partnerships with business are evolving to support student employability

‘Intrapreneurship’, interdisciplinary degree pathways, student-led projects and early engagement are all ways universities can move industry collaboration from partnership to co-building

Saurabh Sinha

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

A logistics student working at her laptop

Active, applied and authentic learning: a model that builds skills and agency

Learn how the AAA model improved student engagement and learning outcomes in a logistics and supply chain programme, and how its principles apply across disciplines

Irfan Ul Haq , Hung Nguyen

RMIT University Vietnam

Group of students in a classroom

‘This is going to hurt’: taking the pain out of group assessment

Group assessment can be seen as unfair and unwieldy, but it also teaches essential skills such as teamwork and collaboration. We owe it to our students to frame it in a way that allows them to see its benefits

Sarah Sholl, Stephen Yorkstone

Edinburgh Napier University

Students in a lab

Workforce-ready, not left behind: inclusive work-based learning for sciences students

Many science students miss out on quality placements because of systemic barriers. Read five ways universities can embed equitable, work-based learning into non-accredited programmes and level the field

Shalinee Dhayal, Dominic Wiredu Boakye, Musarrat Maisha Reza

The University of Exeter

Two employees consider a screen filled with data

Let’s give students the skills to succeed in multiple careers, not just one job

The future is unpredictable. So instead of trying to future-proof our students’ degrees, let’s future-proof their mindset

Deborah Bartlett

Al Akhawayn University

A tablet with a floor plan being held

How we use GenAI and AR to improve students’ design skills

Guidance on using generative AI and augmented reality to enhance student creativity, spatial awareness and interdisciplinary collaboration

Multiple authors

Monterrey Institute of Technology, El Bosque University, San Sebastián University

Mortar board on US bills

The economics of belonging: a new way of thinking about student success

Rising costs of living and tuition mean that US university students may prioritise career and economic factors rather than self-actualisation as a reason to remain at a university

Richard Tomczak

Stony Brook University

Prometheus concept of technological innovation

Cultivating a responsible innovation mindset among future tech leaders

The classroom is a perfect place to discuss the messy, real-world consequences of technological discoveries, writes Andreas Alexiou. Beyond ‘How?’, students should be asking ‘Should we…?’ and ‘What if…?’ questions around ethics and responsibility

Andreas Alexiou

University of Southampton

An illustration of various skills

Seven questions to ask when reforming academic skills services

With academic skills services facing a perfect storm of challenges, many are under review. Here’s how to make sure your students’ needs are being effectively met, through seven questions

Steve Briggs, Ralitsa Kantcheva

University of Bedfordshire

Students working together in the library

How student-led research can build belonging and agency

A project that hired students as co-researchers to explore inclusion and connection resulted in higher levels of agency and belonging. Here, the academics behind the scheme share what they learnt

Jen Coleman, Vicki McDermott-Thompson

The University of East Anglia

A group of graduates in their gowns

The power of partnerships in preventing regional talent drain

How one university collaborated with another institution and local employers to address region-specific skills gaps and retain graduates locally – plus advice for others looking to do the same

Hanna Hopkinson

Nottingham Trent University

A group of students laugh together

For an agile future workforce, embed a liberal arts education system

A liberal arts education can help foster the adaptability and critical thinking skills today’s employers are looking for. Here’s how to adapt the model to your region

Abderrahim Agnaou

Al Akhawayn University

An illustration of hands untangling threads in someone's head

Graduate apprenticeship students are facing a perfect mental health storm

Graduate apprenticeships are booming, but the pressure of holding a full-time job while working towards a degree can take a toll on apprentices’ mental health. Here’s what universities and employers can do

Gary Gillon, Alan MacDonald

University of the West of Scotland

A young woman interviews for a job

Enhance students’ employability with career storytelling

Teach your students how to articulate their career narrative and communicate their skills to potential employers

Lucy Gill-Simmen, Maria Simosi

Royal Holloway, University of London

Two people interview a candidate, just out of shot

Prepare your students for the job market: part two

In the second part of this two-part series, find out how to coach your students to excel in interviews, from pre-meeting prep to a perfect thank you message

Julio Gimenez, Juan C. Palmer, Miguel F. Ruiz-Garrido

The University of Westminster, Universitat Jaume I

A woman putting a shirt on a mannequin next to clothes rails

Use a professional student wardrobe to tackle waste and increase employability

A student-led clothing wardrobe scheme helps students step into professional roles while reducing textile waste. Here’s how to set one up to support both sustainability and student success

Debra Easter

Nottingham Trent University

Fingers typing at a keyboard

Prepare your students for the job market: part one

How can you guide your students to make themselves stand out in a crowded field? In the first of a two-part series, discover six strategies to hone job applications to perfection

Julio Gimenez, Juan C. Palmer, Miguel F. Ruiz-Garrido

The University of Westminster, Universitat Jaume I

Traders at their computers celebrating

What on-the-job training looks like in the classroom for MBA students

Examples of authentic assessment methods for MBA students that align academic goals with dynamic real-world demands and equip students with job-ready skills

Harini K N

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Managers work at their computers

The power of short courses in transforming the workplace

What started out as a business research project into low productivity became a commercially successful short course. Perhaps it’s time to think outside the box and respond to what businesses need

Richard Saundry

The University of Westminster

A woman sits in a beanbag chair with a laptop

How to spark student start-ups

Universities are the ideal environment to turn ideas into businesses. Here’s how to encourage entrepreneurship and foster a start-up dynamic in your students

Robert Crammond, William Shepherd

University of the West of Scotland

A tutor talks to apprenticeships in a carpentry workshop

Graduate apprenticeships need link tutors – but who’s looking after them?

Academic link tutors are a crucial cog in the mechanism of graduate apprenticeships, yet they perform this role with little support. Here’s how to invest in them instead

Elaine Jackson, Gary Gillon

University of the West of Scotland

A student reading a newspaper

Teaching students how to spot scientific misinformation

Educators play a vital role in equipping students with the tools to critically evaluate headlines, interpret data responsibly and assess research methodologies. Learn strategies to help students develop these skills

Bradford Vivian

Penn State College of the Liberal Arts

Webinar image

Campus webinar: Prepare students with workplace skills of the future

Find out how to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet, with insight from experts at Campus+ institutions across the Middle East, Africa and Europe

Deborah Bartlett, Julio Gimenez, Rushana Khusainova, Abdelmoniem Sahal Elmardi

Al Akhawayn University, The University of Westminster, The University of Bristol, Dubai Medical University

Spotlight guide: Get students workplace ready

Get your students workplace-ready

With the shape of the future job market harder to predict than ever before, here’s how to prepare your students with transferable skills and digital literacy, ready them for job applications and strengthen your university career services

Campus contributors

Campus

Skills to build an AI learning assistant

What does ‘age appropriate’ AI literacy look like in higher education?

As AI literacy becomes an essential work skill, universities need to move beyond developing these competencies at ‘primary school’ level in their students. Here, Fun Siong Lim reflects on frameworks to support higher-order AI literacies

Fun Siong Lim

Nanyang Technological University

Using AI in careers services

How to make the most of AI in careers advice – and avoid the grifts

Careers services are perfectly placed to use artificial intelligence to help students transition into the workplace, both by developing expertise themselves and by training students to use AI tools in their recruitment journeys

Séan Richardson, Keiran Whitwell

London South Bank University

A group of people listen to a lanyard-wearing speaker

A comprehensive model for interdisciplinary teaching

Interdisciplinarity is crucial for preparing students for a complicated world. Adopting a dual focus on both faculty development and student engagement could be the way forward

Ana Corbacho

Universidad de la República

Knowledge exchange professional services career framework

How a career framework for knowledge exchange can foster a culture of professional growth

A career framework can provide pathways for personal and professional development. Here, Jane Shepard explains how one arts-based institution identified the skills required by professional services staff who help facilitate knowledge exchange

Jane Shepard

University of the Arts London

Measurement concept illustration

Assessment or measurement?

Authentic assessments and measurements serve distinct purposes in understanding student success in higher education. Here’s why equating the two can undermine the depth and quality of student learning

Heather Strine-Patterson

Virginia Tech

A computer programming student working on her laptop

Authentic assessment design for computer programming master’s courses

A four-step plan for more meaningful assessment that incorporates AI-assisted evaluation, group discussions and presentations

Thomas Selig, Ling Wang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

AI proficiency

Are you a jack of all GenAI?

Effective use of generative AI draws on a suite of skills that go beyond well-crafted prompts. Getting the best out of tech’s ubiquitous tool requires informed choices, field expertise, flexibility, diligence and a willingness to play

Einat Grimberg, Claire Mason, Andrew Reeson, Cécile Paris

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

Multiracial group of young people

Unlocking minority students’ potential with an asset model approach

How can we tackle the gaps in attainment and outcomes between racialised ethnic minority and white students? This resource shares best practice based on running positive interventions for black and South Asian students

Hemisha Harji, Gemma Francis

Loughborough University

Vibe Lounge event at Turner Sims at the University of Southampton

How civic arts programmes can make students feel welcome

Empowering students to co-create music events with peers can foster a sense of belonging in their university and city. Here’s how a student-community collective breathed new life into a 50-year-old venue

Jessica Santer, Carley Divish

University of Southampton

Students working on a project

Improving assessments through industry collaboration

How to build and maintain industry relationships and coordinate effective project-based assessments for MBA students

Maninder Singh

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Young Asian woman in a job interview

Providing the right resources for students who work alongside study

Student services and scholarships are among the support systems that can help students manage a job in tandem with their university education

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology