Academic principles versus employability pressures: a modern power struggle or a creative opportunity?

Abstract

This paper considers both the difficulties and the opportunities created by the mounting political pressures on UK universities to increase the ‘employability’ of undergraduate students. Using the subject of criminology as an example, the paper considers tensions that can be created when practitioners are brought into the academy to contribute directly in the curriculum. The paper advocates that whilst such difficulties cannot be underestimated, academic engagement in this agenda can be beneficial. Using a brief example it will be argued that creative use of practitioner discourses not only empowers students in their career planning but can be used to facilitate student understanding of the links between critical theory and practice. Consideration is also given to the argument that staying out of the debate risks the marginalisation of academic influence.

Keywords:

• student employability
• criminology
• curriculum
• discourse analysis

Notes

1. Whilst there is also a ‘longitudinal DLHE’, which looks at graduates over a longer period of time, this only uses a relatively small sample across universities.

2. The definition of graduate employment covers one of the following: expertise deriving from HE and subsequent employment experience; the ability to play strategic or managerial roles; high-level interactive skills.

3. This is described as ‘basic understanding of the key drivers for business success including the importance of innovation and taking calculated risks and the need to provide customer satisfaction and build customer loyalty’ (CBI 2009).