Integrating Employability Management Skills into the Tourism and ...

Integrating Employability & Management Skills into the Tourism and Entertainment Management Curriculum at Leeds Metropolitan University Presented by Stuart Moss Based on a paper by David Hind and Stuart Moss s.moss@leedsmet.ac.uk d.hind@leedsmet.ac.uk Leeds Metropolitan University • One of the largest universities in the UK, with over 52,000 students and 3,500 staff. • Two main campuses in Leeds (Headingley and the Civic Quarter) and one in Harrogate. • Regional university network (RUN) that involves fourteen partner colleges, from Newcastle to Nottinghamshire and from Grimsby to Belfast, with over 300,000 students between them. • Creating in the UK the equivalent of a major American state university system, which we term a Great North Uni. Leeds Metropolitan University Regional University Network Leeds Tourism @ Leeds Met • 15 members of staff. • 380 students studying from HND to PhD. • Active in research, consultancy & publication particularly within the area of sustainable and responsible tourism – home to the International Centre for Responsible Tourism. • Recognised as ‘excellent’ by the Sunday Times, August 2006. • Developing a new curriculum area for the University – Entertainment Management. The Challenge in Context • Historically little consensus on what ‘employability’ is. • More agreement of what ‘employability skills’ are. The Challenge in Context • Experience has showed us that this has been an undervalued subject area. • Poor attendances and low achievement in class. • ‘Knock-on’ effect on other modules. • Necessary to develop an integrated approach to employability skills delivery. Objectives • Make students aware of the employability skills that employers expect. • Provide structured learning opportunities for development of and reflection upon employability and management skills. • Encourage students to transfer their employability and management skills into work placements, and work based learning modules. Rationale ‘A survey of over 250 managers in the UK conducted by the Chartered Management Institute found that graduates whilst in the main were competent with Information Technology (IT) were lacking in basic communication and interpersonal skills, including teamwork, presentation skills, and problem solving‘ (DoctorJob, 2002, p.4). The Association of Graduate Recruiters ascertained that over half of graduates recruited into the workplace lacked team working and communication skills, as well as cultural awareness (BBC, 2006). Developing Employability Skills • Four stage process: – Making students aware and sensitive to the employability skills to be developed. – Practice – Feedback – Further practice postfeedback Developing Employability Skills • Integrating employability skills into the tourism and entertainment curriculum has involved: – Integrating employability skills development into the curricula of a number of modules. – Designing a module that specifically focuses on the development of employability skills – ‘Employability and Management Skills’. The Module - ‘Employability and Management Skills’ (EMS) • Move away from previously used module titles: – Personal and Professional Development (PPD) – Personal Skills Development (PSD) – Personal and Professional Skills Development (PPSD) – Professional Development (PD) – Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – Personal and Vocational Skills Development (PVSD) EMS • In designing the module three principles were acknowledged: – skills are developed through active participation; – students learn through feedback; – immediate feedback improves motivation and enhances learning. EMS • Delivered level one, semester one. • Designed around four broad themes that reflect the learning outcomes for the module: – learning and study skills; – communication skills; – career management skills; – group work skills. EMS Assessment One • CV (resumé) and covering letter. – Twelve advertisements for real jobs placed on WebCT. – Submitted at the beginning of week four class, then redistributed and marked via peer assessment. – Feedback in written and oral format. EMS Assessment Two • Interview skills. – Week 6 – Assumption made that CV and covering letter had got the student an interview. – Due to logistics it was not possible to conduct lengthy oral interviews. Instead, two strategies were devised. • Each student wrote answers to interview questions. • Each student was given another students responses and was required to peer assess. • Each assessor was asked to provide as much feedback as possible on the answers to the various questions. • In private with the tutor each student was asked orally one of the questions to give them an opportunity to communicate verbally a response. EMS Assessment Three • Theatre role play. – Distributed in week 7, performed in week 11. – Tourism examples include: • • • • White Knuckle Shirker Late check-in Club 18-70 Campsite challenge – Tutor feedback and grade given in week 12. Role Play: Late Check-in EMS Assessment Four • Assessment Day. – Week 13. – Tested the following areas: • • • • note taking skills; Harvard referencing skills; comprehension skills; academic writing skills. – The day started with a lecture (including a video) on a topic relating to their industry. – The students were required to take notes from both the lecturer and the video tape. – Students given a question to answer, using their lecture notes and notes they had previously taken. Integrating Employability Skills into the Entire Curriculum • Progress files. • Organisational management modules studied in Semester two of level one. • Placements and work based learning. • Personal and Professional Skills for Managers taught at level two. • Consultancy projects carried out at level three. Reflection • Innovative approach to integration and delivery of employability skills. • Benefits – improved grades and attendance. • Delivery method of employability skills. • Feedback to students. • Peer assessment has worked very well. • Commitment of the tutor essential. Reflection • Role play has helped put into context their employability skills. • Encouraging reflection has been challenging – but overall has been successful. • Feedback from students has been very positive. Conclusion • All university courses need to develop further the employability skills of their students. • Developing employability skills does not occur overnight – it is a life long process. • Students do not necessarily find skills development an easy process, it can be just as challenging as developing academic subject knowledge and understanding. • The course team needs to consider a variety of strategies for integrating employability skills. • The combination of these strategies will result in students developing skills that will enhance their employability. Bibliography • • • • • • • • • British Broadcasting Corporation. (2006) Graduate demand outstrips skills. [Internet] London, BBC. URL available from [Accessed 1st November, 2006] Dearing, R. (1997) Higher education in the learning society. Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education. HMSO, Norwich Doctorjob. (2002) Ill Communication. Doctorjob. Summer 2002, p.4. Hannam, K. (2004) Tourism employability and the European Social Fund, proceedings of the 2004 conference of the Association for Tourism in Higher Education Harvey, L. (2001) Defining and measuring employability. Quality in Higher Education, 7 (2), 97-109 Hillage, J. and Pollard, E. (1998) Employability: developing a framework for policy analysis. Research Brief 85, Department for Education and Employment Hind, D. and Moss, S. (2005) Employability skills. Sunderland, Business Education Publishers Ltd Knight, P. and Yorke, M. (2004) Learning, curriculum and employability in higher education. London, Routledge Lees, D. (2002) Graduate employability – literature review. [Internet] York, LTSN Generic Centre. URL available from: Accessed 1st December 2005.