After having a discussion about my previous blog post about employability of students, my line manager informed me that the university was changing its stance on this topic. She had attended meetings where employability was being discussed and said there is a new focus on this. Educational secretary Damian Hinds (2019) said “I want universities to be brave and ask themselves if they’re running courses that really help students gain the skills they need for the workforce of tomorrow – if they’re not they should improve them or end them. But if universities think other options like apprenticeships or technical education are a better fit for a student, they should give young people that advice rather than put them on a course that isn’t providing what they need for a bright future.” Just a few months later the Government released their “Rethink. Reskill. Reboot” poster campaign. One poster featured a Ballet dancer with the slogan “Fatima’s next job could be in cyber. (She just doesn’t know it yet) along with reports that funding to art courses that were deemed low value could have their funding cut by 50%.
After looking through UALs Creative Attributes framework and the 22/23 Strategy, it is clear this focus of employability has become a major focus, maybe due to the UK government making these statements. This is a positive change that I feel I can support to the fullest. We work so hard to teach skills and knowledge about our subjects areas and embed UALs core values within the curriculum. But it is our students who are the next generation that can make changes for the better. Be innovative, improve sustainability, champion climate justice. But for them to really make a change, they need to be employed in their creative industries to do this. The number of times I have been told in 5 years that we are here to get students a degree and not a career was demoralising. The next time I here this, I will say “our students will have the careers they want and go on to build a better world.” and I would like to be involved with the “Redesign our curriculum, in partnership with staff, students and external specialists, to improve vocational opportunities, and our graduates’ skills and employability.”Guiding policy 1 (2023)
I have unknowingly (until the PG cert) adopted a narrative pedagogical approach in my workshops. Telling relevant stories and experiences in industry in hopes to make the processes memorable and prepare students for industry practices. Getting them excited about the future careers that they will have and give them the skills and knowledge required to succeed in it.
References.
Hinds, D (2019) Education Secretary calls for an end to low value degrees. Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/education-secretary-calls-for-an-end-to-low-value-degrees (Accessed 15/03/23)
Swain, M (2020) The government’s attitude to Fatima and the arts will put them on the wrong side of history – they just don’t know it yet. available at https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/cyberfirst-advert-rethink-reskill-reboot-fatimas-next-job-coronavirus-arts-b992467.html (Accessed 15/30/23)
University of the arts (2023) Our Strategy 2022-32 Guiding policy 1. available at https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/strategy-and-governance/strategy/guiding-policy-1 (Accessed 15/03/23)