Introduction
This is part three in a series of four blog posts conceived by Tom Langston and Rugaiya Ally as part of Rugaiya’s work placement within DCQE’s Academic Development and Technology Enhanced Learning teams.
Tom and Rugaiya wanted to explore students’ feelings about higher education and their expectations about life at university, and therefore devised a set of questions to ask students about their experiences. Rugaiya then interviewed 14 fellow students from across the university faculties (with a predominant number studying in the Science and Business faculties) with most studying at Level 5. This series of posts constitutes a condensed summary of the thoughts and opinions of those 14 students.
In part one we investigated what areas of their course students found to be a strength and where they struggled with the progression through their course. In part two we explored student expectations of their courses and modules and what could be changed and what should continue. Here in part three, we examine students’ attitudes to their future careers, and how their taught modules helped them develop the life and employability skills needed to achieve their goals. Finally, in part 4, we will look at attitudes to university life in general.
Employability
The first question I asked was: How do you feel what you have learned on your course has helped you develop your career?
One student focused on how learning on their course helped in finding passion, even if they are still uncertain of which careers to go into:
“It has helped a lot, even though I’m not yet sure what I want to do. I know that I like psychology and I like being able to link it to different parts, e.g. art/design/business.”
Another student found that their continued desire for the course has shaped how they approach the career that they want, and it helped develop useful relevant skills:
“The fact that it has been a course I have always wanted to study and practice, and so it improved my physical and mental skills in the field.”
Some students developed extra skills and knowledge of their future careers:
“What I have learned has helped me develop my career in a significant way, most especially in business management and when it comes to decision making.”
Similarly, a Pharmacy student explained how their course helped them to interpret data and practical applications for the components that make up medicine:
“The information about drugs has helped me understand and interpret the excipients in it a lot.”
Many students develop their passion over the duration of their course, and what they expect for their career can evolve and change over time:
“The different modules I have undertaken exposed me to different kinds of knowledge and career paths. In my Sixth Form, I wouldn’t have considered taxation as a career path but after my second year I realised that I do have a passion for the module and, luckily, I do understand it well.”
The next question I posed was: How has your university experience in general helped you to progress into a career?
One student commented on how helpful the Careers and Employability team are in guiding students with extra information about the job market: “The placement team significantly helped me progress my career because of the guidance they were always ready to offer. They not only helped me with constructing a CV but the different techniques required to progress.”
However, while some found their placement to be a success, others had a slightly more challenging experience.
Another student mentioned how good and unique the University’s learning environment is in providing learning and teaching services with cutting-edge resources: “The University of Portsmouth provides hands-on simulation sessions, lab classes, dispensing sessions, and placement, which has helped me gain practical skills. As an international student, I appreciate that a lot, since in my country, there’s a lack of that.”
One student is now sure of what career path to follow, and this is possible due to the help of personal tutors and course lecturers: “During the first year, I was quite unsure what to do but now I have a bit of a clearer idea on what I want to do once I graduate. Talking with my tutor and lecturers when I was in my second year has helped me decide as well.”
Another student commented on the University’s alumni body, which is very helpful as you get support and guidance from people who are already in relevant careers or who have much relevant experience:
“The university has an alumni body that is accessible to all graduates for career advice, where I am given guidance on how to embark on my career.”
“It has opened a lot of opportunities I didn’t think I had.”
The third question I asked was: Did this course help you develop professional skills (e.g. written or oral communication, computer literacy, teamwork)?
Some students found the learning in their courses helped them develop important life skills, such as writing and communication skills:
“Yes, the course helped my writing skills, because it is part of the course itself, to be able to express legal concerns and other different actions.”
“DLLP, particularly presentations, have helped me improve my communication and problem-solving skills, and therefore, I’m looking forward to improving more as I progress into the course. Meetings with personal tutors is also a factor which has improved my communication as well as writing lab reports, which have improved my writing skills.”
One student pointed out how course group work helped them gain useful employability skills, such as team-working skills: “3 out of 6 of the total modules we did in the second year required us, the students, to carry out a presentation as a group. This helped me with my team-working skills and intellectual skills. This is because some of the presentations required us to present them to the class face-to-face while others required a lot of research in order to come up with a well-detailed business plan”.
The goal of a university is to provide a student with opportunities to progress both educationally and personally. These experiences will be the building blocks for their careers and it is often not just the taught content but the wide variety of skills that are developed over their entire university life that help provide a strong foundation for employability after graduation. As demonstrated through the feedback of the students interviewed, employability should not just be something undertaken in the final year, but a culmination of all the time spent at university.
Credit Image: Photo by Luis Melendez on Unsplash
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