Careers education case study (3): Embedding careers education within a three-year business studies degree at a research-focused university
Lancaster University’s BSc (Hons) Business Studies course includes a core module with careers education embedded across all three years. This module was developed jointly by academic and careers service staff to provide targeted careers intervention and employer involvement with a view to increasing student numbers in work experience and in ‘positive’ graduate destinations.
Rationale and objectives
The development was driven by the understanding that employability and effective learning are closely aligned (Yorke & Knight, 2004) and the belief that the most effective learning and positive outcomes would be achieved by enabling individual students to reflect and develop over years rather than weeks. After much discussion, it was decided that the learning objectives for careers education could be achieved without formal assessment.
Key objectives for the module include: raising student awareness of the need for work-relevant skills; preparing students for the graduate selection process and the expectations of employers; and equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed for life-long career management. Critical to achieving these has been enabling students to engage with the ambiguity and uncertainty of the business environment and fitting subject understanding into the broader context of student learning.
Programme structure
- Year 1 focuses on the graduate labour market, employer expectations, self-awareness and the action planning process using a mix of lectures, workshops, one-to-one PDP work and employer visits, business games and case studies.
- Year 2 focuses on organisational roles and opportunities with exploration of networking, decision-making and job search strategy. It incorporates employer visits and one-to-one networking.
- Year 3 focuses on the graduate selection process and job applications with an intensive two-day programme incorporating mock assessment centres, practice psychometric testing and mock interviews.
For further information on this case study, please contact Louise Briggs, Employability Enterprise and Careers Manager at Lancaster University Management School.
What are careers education case studies?
These case studies have been compiled by members of the AGCAS Careers Education Task Group, building on the good practice developed in the Careers Education Benchmark Statement. They aim to show the diversity of practice and how careers education is developing as a discipline within HE. We hope they will inspire other practitioners to share their experience by drafting case studies that we can publish during 2009. If you have any comments about this section, or would like to submit a short case study summarising your own experience, please contact Iwan Griffiths.
Read all case studies in the series.