Skills Development in Higher Education and Employment

by Bennett, Neville; Dunne, Elisabeth; Carre, Clive; Society for Research into Higher Education

• ISBN13: 9780335203352
• ISBN10: 0335203353
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-07-01
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

The last decade has seen radical changes in higher education. Long held assumptions about university and academic autonomy have been shattered as public and political interest in quality, standards, and accountability have intensified efforts for reform. The increased influence of the state and employers in the curriculum of higher education is exemplified by the increasing emphasis on so-called core or transferable skills; an emphasis supported by the Dearing Report which identified what called 'key' skills as necessary outcomes of all higher education programs. However, there is little research evidence to support such assertions, or to underpin the identification of good practice in skill development in higher education or employment settings. Further, prescription has outrun the conceptualization of such skills, little attention has been paid to their theoretical underpinnings and definitions, or to assumptions concerning their transfer.

Thus the study reported in this book sets out to gain enhanced understandings of skill acquisitions in higher education

Author Biography

Clive Carre is Research Fellow in the Centre for Research on Training and Learning at the University of Exeter.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	vii
Acknowledgements	ix
Generic Skills in the Learning Society	1	(22)
A Conceptualization of Skills and Course Provision	23	(10)
Beliefs and Conceptions of Teachers in Higher Education	33	(17)
The Practices of University Teachers	50	(22)
Student Perceptions of Skills Development	72	(27)
Employer Initiatives in Higher Education	99	(21)
Employers' Perspectives on Skills and their Development	120	(24)
The Graduate Experience of Work	144	(20)
The Challenges of Implementing Generic Skills	164	(14)
Appendices	178	(20)
A Details of modules and departments within the four institutions	178	(3)
B Teachers -- final interview schedule	181	(2)
C Student focus group interview schedule	183	(1)
D Employers' interview schedule	184	(2)
E Format for log record sheets	186	(1)
F Work experience skills	187	(4)
G Case study of a training programme	191	(7)
References	198	(8)
Author Index	206	(2)
Subject Index	208