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University of the Arts London

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2017)

Research Papers

Wittier, cleverer and more ambitious: Moving beyond a standardised approach to skills audit exercises

Published 2017-01-26

  • Hannah Breslin

Hannah Breslin
University of the Arts London

Abstract

This article focuses on understanding the challenges students face when identifying and articulating their skills. Situated within the context of Careers and Employability, it explores how students can identify and articulate their learning when accessing professional and creative opportunities beyond university. It describes activities that consisted of desk research and action research, with the former focusing on a literature review in the field of career development. The small-scale action research phase consisted of three activities (an online pre-workshop questionnaire, a two-hour seminar-style workshop and a paper-based, post-workshop questionnaire) resulting in several firm conclusions about the challenges students face when identifying their skills. This action research also provided an insight into how students can be supported to overcome these challenges. These findings feed into the delivery of a new skills audit exercise, designed to encourage students to author unique and discipline-specific skills profiles.

Keywords

employability, skills, attributes, knowledge, professional development, skills audit

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Author Biography

Hannah Breslin

Hannah Breslin is an artist and educator, who works as a Student Employability Practitioner within Careers and Employability which is part of the Teaching and Learning Exchange at UAL. With a background in fine art and a creative practice spanning 10 years, Hannah undertook the PG Cert in Academic Practice in 2015/16 to explore the intersection between pedagogy and employability. Hannah combines her creative background and teaching interests to support students and graduates to discover their full potential beyond their time at UAL.

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