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Employability via Higher Education: Sustainability as Scholarship pp 3–23Cite as

Introduction

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Abstract

This edited collection is the result of a call for chapters made in early 2017 which sought to collect, collate, and connect research across a wide variety of disciplines and jurisdictions, on the topic of graduate employability in times of austerity.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    I am very grateful to all of the authors for their time and efforts in contributing to this book: their deep commitment to their students, to their respective universities, and to the aims of Higher Education, is abundantly clear. Many thanks are also due to Astrid Noordemeer and Yoka Janssen of Springer, for their patience and support throughout the duration of this project. I am very indebted also to Professor Jan Jedrzejewski (English and Comparative Literature) of the School of Arts & Humanities, Ulster University, for his kindness in agreeing to pen the Foreword to this edited collection.

  2. 2.

    On austerity measures within the UK generally see https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2015 (accessed 17.09.18); https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/North%20West%20Final%20Report_2.pdf; https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/01/austerity-cuts-2015-12-billion-britain-protest; and http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/north-of-england-northern-powerhouse-george-osborne-cultural-wasteland-museums-are-hit-by-austerity-a6926321.html (accessed 18.10.18).

  3. 3.

    On the notion of ‘learning gain’ see further http://www.hefce.ac.uk/lt/lg (accessed 12.09.18).

  4. 4.

    See further Cooper and Whyte (2017) on austerity; and Wolf (2002) and Goddard (2009) on the notion of upward social mobility. See also however the argument and observations of McKenzie (2015) on how within disadvantaged communities ‘strong, resourceful, ambitious people…are ‘getting by’ often with humour and despite facing brutal austerity.’

  5. 5.

    Goal 4 (2016–2030) is to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.’ See further, Palmer (2015) Introduction: The 2030 Agenda, Journal of Global Ethics, 11:3, 262–269.

  6. 6.

    See further Kamvounias and Varnham (2006), Cummings (2017), Swenson (1995), Palfreyman (2010). See also Siddiqui v The Chancellor, Masters & Scholars of the University of Oxford [2018] EWHC 184 (QB) for an interesting, if alarming, case on the ‘contractual’ nature of HE outcomes (examined in more detail in the Conclusion chapter).

  7. 7.

    See further https://studentsunionucl.org/sites/uclu.org/files/u84290/documents/dsa_cuts_briefing1.pdf (accessed 10.02.19).

  8. 8.

    Matching ‘the supply of graduates with available jobs’ is difficult (The Economist, 2015); in 2015 the proportion of unfilled vacancies for the average employer within the UK was however in the region of 5.4% (AGR, 2015).

  9. 9.

    Certain important aspects of HE learning and teaching (which can have a direct bearing on employability and academic success) have not been included in this collection e.g. issues arising from student plagiarism or malpractice, grade inflation, classroom or work placement behaviours, and online etiquette. The growing importance of strong and consistent pastoral care support (which, for example, can cover everything from studies advice and basic well-being tips, to acute issues of poverty, debt, unsafe housing, mental or physical ill-health, unmet disability needs, or sexual assault) should not be underestimated. The potential, indeed highly likely, impacts of such crises upon student engagement, exam success, and perhaps their eventual employability, will be obvious to anyone who has ever been tasked with attempting to improve things for their students.

  10. 10.

    S Kushner, ‘A Return to Quality’ Evaluation (2011) 17(3) pp 309–312 p 311.

  11. 11.

    PRME Principle One, available at http://unprme.org/the-6-principles/index.php (accessed 12.11.18) See further http://www.unprme.org/about-prme/the-six-principles.php and https://www.unglobalcompact.org/library/319 (accessed 01.10.18). See further the Principles for Responsible Management in Education (PRME), a United Nations-led initiative, tied to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). PRME participants (e.g. universities) agree to uphold the Six Principles, not least ‘to share and learn from each other, and to continuously move toward fulfilment of its purpose.’ See further Waddock (2010); and King (2001).

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    Alice Diver

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Diver, A. (2019). Introduction. In: Diver, A. (eds) Employability via Higher Education: Sustainability as Scholarship. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26342-3_1

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