Introductory description

CE928-10 Employer Engagement and Labour Markets

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Introduction and overview.
The contexts in which employer/entrepreneur engagement work activities and support are undertaken.
The aims and goals of employer/entrepreneur engagement work
Relationship with career development theories (e.g. social learning, community interaction, systems theory, power theories).
Facilitating career and employability learning through employer/entrepreneur engagement and use of labour market intelligence.
Media influences and labour market intelligence.
Comparing and contrasting sources of labour market intelligence.
Understanding employer/entrepreneur, student, graduate and institutional needs.
Contrasting perspectives on graduate employability.
Internationalisation in relation to employer engagement and labour market intelligence.
Creating, recording and disseminating labour market findings.
Policies and practices to maintain appropriate levels of labour market intelligence.
Employer/entrepreneur engagement case studies (internal and external-facing focus).
Evaluation mechanisms at different levels (reaction, learning, transfer and impact criteria).
Integration of learning into existing practice and/or future working context.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Comprehensively distinguish a range of aims, roles and contexts relevant to employer/ entrepreneur engagement
• Critically evaluate sources of labour market intelligence (including AI) and relevant theoretical perspectives (include graduate employability).
• Carefully analyse employer/entrepreneur engagement practices and stakeholder needs.
• Creatively and systematically apply the knowledge listed above to enhance delivery or design new provision in at least one context.
• Carefully and thoroughly present material in clear written form by identifying, analysing and applying key texts and practices using appropriate and adequate structure, spelling, grammar, syntax, length and referencing.

Indicative reading list

Glerum, D. R., & Judge, T. A. (2021). Advancing employability: applying training evaluation to employability development programs. Career Development International, 26(3), 363-390.
Lauder, H., & Mayhew, K. (2020). Higher education and the labour market: an introduction. Oxford Review of Education, 46(1), 1-9.
Morrison, A.R. (2014) 'You have to be well spoken': students' views on employability within the graduate labour market, Journal of Education and Work, 27:2 179-198
Offer, M. (2001) The discourse of the labour market, in B. Gothard, P. Mignot, M. Offer and M. Ruff, Careers guidance in context, London: Sage. Chapter 5: 76- 92
Okay-Somerville, B. and Scholarios, D. (2014) Coping with career boundaries and boundary-crossing in the graduate labour market, Career Development International, 19:6 668 – 68
Robinson, S. L., & Buzzanell, P. M. (2024). Paradoxical career sensemaking among emerging adults. Communication Education, 73(1), 7-28.
Scandurra, R., Kelly, D., Fusaro, S., Cefalo, R., & Hermannson, K. (2023). Do employability programmes in higher education improve skills and labour market outcomes? A systematic review of academic literature. Studies in Higher Education, 1-16.
Tomlinson, M., McCafferty, H., Port, A., Maguire, N., Zabelski, A. E., Butnaru, A., ... & Kirby, S. (2022). Developing graduate employability for a challenging labour market: the validation of the graduate capital scale. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 14(3), 1193-1209.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

Comprehensively distinguish a range of aims, roles and contexts (including international) relevant to employer/ entrepreneur engagement
Systematically identify findings from labour market analysis and contrasting perspectives on graduate employability.
Critically evaluate sources of labour market intelligence (including international and AI) and relevant theoretical perspectives (include graduate employability).
Carefully analyse employer/entrepreneur engagement practices and stakeholder needs.
Creatively and systematically apply the knowledge listed above to enhance delivery or design new provision in at least one context.

Transferable skills

Carefully and thoroughly present material in clear written form by identifying, analysing and applying key texts and practices using appropriate and adequate structure, spelling, grammar, syntax, length and referencing.