Students better prepared for world of work
Higher education institutions (HEIs) are making good progress in helping students become more employable says the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) in an Outcomes from institutional audit paper published today.
The paper, Outcomes from institutional audit: Work-based and placement learning, and employability brings together information gathered from 59 QAA audits of institutions in England and Northern Ireland between December 2004 and August 2006. It reveals that an increasing focus is being placed on ensuring that students have the opportunity to acquire, as part of their programmes of study, a large range of skills relevant to employers. The paper shows a strong emphasis by many institutions on embedding employability skills in the curriculum and innovative approaches taken by some HEIs to develop links with local and regional business communities. It notes that such links can, in turn, lead to the further enhancement of measures to encourage employability.
There is also good news for students undertaking placements, with the paper citing evidence of the kinds of support that HEIs are providing for students both before and after placements, as well as during the period that they are engaged in work-based learning. The increased use of virtual learning environments has also led to improved opportunities for students to remain in contact with their institution while they are on placement.
Section 9 of QAA's Code of practice is concerned with placements, and a number of reports cited in the paper note explicitly the steps institutions have taken to ensure that policies and practices are in alignment with this section of the Code.
Ends
For further information please contact Susan Hogan, Communications Officer,
t: 01452 557074, e: s.hogan@qaa.ac.uk
Notes to Editors
Outcomes from institutional audit:Work-based and placement learning, and employabilit, can be found at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/institutionalAudit/outcomes/series2/PlacementLearning.asp
QAA safeguards the public interest in sound standards of higher education qualifications and to inform and encourage continuous improvement in the management of the quality of higher education. QAA is an independent body which reviews the quality and standards of UK higher education.
The institutional audit process has been revised for the next cycle of reviews. Details on the role of the written submission in the revised method can be found in the Handbook for institutional audit: England and Northern Ireland 2006 (paragraphs 62-65), www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/institutionalAudit/handbook2006/
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