Integrating term-time working into graduate employability development strategies

Government at the time of this project was seeking to improve graduate employability. With work placements for undergraduates struggling to keep up with the expansion in student numbers, term-time working can potentially provide a significant source of employability skills. In recent years, reflecting changes such as the imposition of student fees and ending of maintenance grants, an increasing proportion of students are working. At Northumbria University, for example, research shows that around 60% undergraduates take a job during term-time. Our project builds on previous research into Students in the Labour Market, undertaken by the Northern Economic Research Unit (NERU), and based on interviews with students and employers. For this project, a sample of employers were interviewed with regard to student employability issues. The views of employers were also sought regarding developing more formalised links (i.e. with particular degree course programmes) in relation to student termtime working, as a means of pursuing employability (and other) outcomes. The paper reports on a survey of activity related to employability in other English universities, and incorporates these findings in its discussion of the way forward on this issue.