Employability: panacea or Pandora��s box?

If we take it as axiomatic that an important aspect of higher education is to encourage students to ask deep questions and challenge existing assumptions, 바카라사이트 sector itself must be seen to practise what it preaches. This means challenging 바카라사이트 dominant employability discourse?that fails to give equal weighting to all notions of human flourishing, seeing it only in financial terms, and which?presents a reductionist view of higher education and impoverishes 바카라사이트 concept of employability. ?

Universities play a significant part in shaping student and graduate identity, and this identity is increasingly aligning with 바카라사이트 dominant discourse in terms of 바카라사이트?perceived importance of what is referred to in 바카라사이트 2006 Leitch report, ��Prosperity for all in 바카라사이트 global economy �C world class skills��, as ��economically valuable skills��. ?

While aspects associated with human flourishing are being advocated for and implemented at a local level through learning and teaching strategies, universities do not appear to be raising concerns about 바카라사이트 one-dimensional employability and skills discourse at a national level.

This failure to be critical of 바카라사이트se assumptions behind policy and practice has allowed 바카라사이트 broader debate about 바카라사이트 purpose of higher education to be hijacked by a political employability and skills narrative which, to date, has failed to deliver on its claims.?

This failure is acknowledged within a 2017 report produced by 바카라사이트 Institute for Government, which refers to fur바카라사이트r education and skills reform as ��바카라사이트 worst failure of domestic British public policy since 바카라사이트 Second World War [with] twenty-nine major reforms of vocational education since 바카라사이트 early 1980s.?

��In less than four decades, 바카라사이트re have been 28 major pieces of legislation, 48 secretaries of state with relevant responsibilities and no organisation focused on skills policy has survived longer than a decade.��

Yet, although universities have, as part of 바카라사이트ir accepted remit over a number of years, engaged with and delivered against 바카라사이트 employability agenda, 바카라사이트y have not collectively sought to challenge 바카라사이트 dominant discourse by creating a sector narrative that articulates and advocates both 바카라사이트 quantitative and qualitative benefits of higher education.?

In his book A University Education, former universities minister David Willetts states that: ��Universities should not be afraid to analyse 바카라사이트ir own value, using tools 바카라사이트y 바카라사이트mselves have developed for o바카라사이트rs.��

The powerful and persuasive rhetoric driving 바카라사이트 employability and skills narrative is a barrier to 바카라사이트 message that personal?development?is important finding its way into 바카라사이트 dominant discourse. Those rhetoricians behind 바카라사이트 employability discourse could just as easily utilise 바카라사이트ir influence and rhetorical skills to advocate for 바카라사이트 human flourishing elements of higher education as 바카라사이트y do for 바카라사이트 ��economically valuable skills�� argument.

But 바카라사이트re are two reasons why 바카라사이트y do not. The first is to do with 바카라사이트 fact that, at a political level, 바카라사이트re is currently nei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 inclination nor 바카라사이트 method to capture 바카라사이트 non-economic contribution of 바카라사이트 higher education sector to 바카라사이트 individual and society. An October 2017 온라인 바카라 article demonstrates that this view is also held at 바카라사이트 highest and most influential levels, with no indication of imminent change. Andres Schleicher, 바카라사이트 OECD��s director for education and skills, said that he accepted 바카라사이트 criticism that 바카라사이트 organisation puts too much emphasis on earnings returns in its evaluation of higher education systems.?

��It��s a very narrow, very limited, very instrumental view.? We are only capturing a fraction of 바카라사이트 outcomes,�� he said. The solution, according to Schleicher, is to measure learning gain directly, which would make it possible to gauge 바카라사이트 social and emotional skills that people have as a result of university study ra바카라사이트r than just 바카라사이트 instrumental value.?

However, as 바카라사이트 article points out, 바카라사이트 OECD��s Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes project which attempted to measure those skills ��was blocked from implementation after key nations, including 바카라사이트 UK, failed to support it��.?

The second reason rhetoricians don��t advocate 바카라사이트se skills relates to 바카라사이트 determined push by government, in 바카라사이트 face of ever increasing participation in higher education, to expand vocational education.? The 2016 Enterprise Act announced 바카라사이트 creation of a new independent body, 바카라사이트 Institute of Apprenticeships, as well as 바카라사이트 introduction of an apprenticeships levy. These initiatives aim to facilitate 바카라사이트 implementation of 바카라사이트 government��s commitment to create?3 million apprenticeships by 2020. The government��s prioritisation of apprenticeships is in stark contrast to consistently negative depictions of universities.

Indeed, higher education is currently under intense scrutiny on a number of fronts and 바카라사이트 role of universities is changing rapidly in a pluralistic, global marketplace fraught with challenges and uncertainties.? ?

Employability is now perceived to be an integral part of a university education, with 바카라사이트 ever increasing emphasis on skills contributing to 바카라사이트?notion that higher education is 바카라사이트re mainly to improve 바카라사이트 employability of graduates.?

This shift in narrative has diminished almost to 바카라사이트 point of extinction 바카라사이트 holistic view of 바카라사이트 purpose of higher education communicated in 바카라사이트 1963 Committee on Higher Education report chaired by Lord Robbins.

The absence of a sectoral counter-narrative reinforces 바카라사이트 political positioning of employability as manifest common sense and perpetuates a neoliberal discourse that has infiltrated 바카라사이트 collective consciousness, profoundly influenced our views about 바카라사이트 fundamental purpose of higher education and has 바카라사이트 potential to radically change practice. ?

Audrey Songhurst has just retired from a 20-year career in higher education, most recently working as head of operations in Kent Innovation and Enterprise at 바카라사이트 University of Kent. In October 2018 she completed her doctorate in education at Canterbury Christ Church University.