A class act? Lecturers’ views on undergraduates’ employability

Abstract

AbstractThis article details the findings of a study into lecturers' perceptions of undergraduate employability. The investigation employed interviews with the staff on a BA (Hons) in Education Studies course at a post-1992 university. The aim was to examine staff beliefs regarding their students' potential employability in the business and finance sectors. The staff believed the degree offered students the opportunity to develop 'transferable' skills that could potentially make them employable in business and finance, thus helping the students develop 'absolute' employability. However, some interviewees also believed the students may encounter class-based disadvantages in the labour market with the result that aspects of the students' 'relative' employability were beyond their capacity to intervene. In light of growing policy pressure upon higher education professionals to 'deliver' increasingly employability-driven curricula, it is concluded that further research is needed into staff perceptions of their roles and capacities within this area.Keywords: employabilityhigher educationsocial class