The Language of Employability


Book Description

This book employs a corpus-based Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) methodology to analyse the language used by university careers services in the UK. Drawing on a corpus which includes the public-facing websites of careers services from 24 Russell Group and 34 Post-92 universities, the author highlights some of the potentially problematic 'common-sense' views and ideas that are currently promoted to students using these services. She argues that the language used by university websites promotes neoliberal ideology and encourages the denaturalisation of such language. This book will be of interest to linguists, sociologists, education scholars, and scholars who are otherwise interested in the notion of employability.




Language Investment and Employability


Book Description

This book provides a unique insight into negotiations around language investment for employability in the context of public employment services. Drawing on extensive ethnographical research carried out in Regional Employment Offices in Switzerland, the authors follow the stories of various job seekers. In doing so, they challenge the currently dominant assumption that investment in language competences leads to better employability. Arguing for a political economic perspective on these issues, this book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the connections between language and social inequality, as well as students and scholars of sociolinguistics and applied linguistics.




Employability for languages: a handbook


Book Description

Languages sit firmly in the skill-set of the 21st-century graduate. In an increasingly multicultural and multilingual job market, monolingual graduates are at a disadvantage: as the recent Born Global report (2016) notes, ‘multilingualism has now become the new normal’. The contributions in this collection are imbued with this idea and they demonstrate clearly and practically how languages are an aid to global communication. The aim of this book is to provide a space to bring together expertise and good academic practice for the benefit of educators and academic audiences. We therefore hope that the contributions in this collection will continue to inspire practitioners in the education sectors to embed employability skills into their curricula of studies, from as early as secondary school into higher education.




Education for Employability (Volume 1)


Book Description

Universities are expected to produce employable graduates. In Education for Employability experts explore critical questions in the employability agenda.




Innovative language teaching and learning at university: enhancing employability


Book Description

The second volume in this series of papers dedicated to innovative language teaching and learning at university focuses on enhancing employability. Throughout the book, which includes a selection of 14 peer-reviewed and edited short papers, authors share good practices drawing on research; reflect on their experience to promote student engagement, inclusivity, and collaboration; and foster a successful learning environment while developing employability skills. Whatever the language – or the subject we teach – there are a number of skills, behaviours, attributes and attitudes which staff and students should be aware of in order to enhance teaching and learning so as to maximise student potential and their employability prospects.




English Language Education for Graduate Employability in Vietnam


Book Description

This open access book examines the teaching and learning of English for employability in Vietnamese higher education. Its content is framed within one country to better examine the research issues within the influence of contextual factors. This book investigates how English can contribute to the development of students' employability capitals, particularly in the aspects of human capital, social capital, cultural capital, identity capital, and psychological capital. It presents employers' and employees’ perspectives of how and why English is increasingly important for career development. This book is a collection of discussions and viewpoints from teachers, students, and other stakeholders like employers, graduates, and course coordinators on current practices and their proposed improvements to prepare students for their future education, work and life. Based on empirical evidence, this book calls for repositioning English language education within the employability agenda to elevate its status and increase stakeholders' engagement. This book contributes to current debates on advancing the effectiveness of English language education in non-English speaking countries, as a response to internationalization and globalization.




Developing Graduate Employability Skills


Book Description

This book is more than a prescription for success in developing employability skills and provides guidance on topics of relevancy to the employment environment. This book is unique and distinguished from similar books in that it provides a hand-holding approach which is complemented by solid case studies emphasizing the perspectives of employers. In addition, the book focuses on a broad-based audience, starting from the grassroots audience of graduates. However, as the book progresses, the techniques provided address issues that relate to any job seeker, be it jobless or merely seeking change of employment. The audience will benefit from models such as Skills Audit, Interview techniques and the whole employment process from pre-interview preliminaries to completing a successful probationary period.




English Language Training in the Workplace


Book Description

Workplace English language training programs represent a corporate investment in language skills enhancement and human capital development. This book evaluates English language training programs in Chinese workplaces by examining a range of training effectiveness variables and identifying the factors that facilitate or hinder effective learning outcomes for workplace English training programs and explores the potential benefits of these programs. This book will benefit both companies that are developing their training and development strategies and private training organizations that are developing training programs for particular industry and business needs. It will also be an excellent resource for learners who are seeking business English communication skills opportunities and trainers who are refining their workplace teaching practice. This book reiterates the significance of business English communication skills development programs in terms of the benefits to economic globalization, human capital development, employability, sustainable livelihoods, and lifelong learning in China. Having conducted a policy evaluation at both the national and local levels, this book also informs policy stipulation for corporate employee language training schemes. Although this book primarily examines corporate experience in China, the findings and recommendations will have important implications for other countries in Asia and worldwide.




Graduate Employability of South Asian Ethnic Minority Youths


Book Description

Through a first-of-its kind qualitative exploratory study, Bibi Arfeen elucidates the multifaceted complexities and dynamics that contribute to successful higher education-to-work transition among South Asian Ethnic Minority (EM) youths in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s recent expansion of higher education has given rise to budding academic and career aspirations amongst South Asian ethnic minority youths hoping to achieve upward social and economic mobility. Yet, existing bodies of scholarly work have yet to conceptualise the key determinants that drive an adaptive transition for these youths. This book challenges the widely held assumption that an undergraduate degree is a panacea to job acquisition and security as transitions are actively shaped by larger social, cultural, and economic trajectories potentially influencing the capabilities of ethnic minority youths. In light of their lived experiences, this book foregrounds the voices of ethnic minority youths to gauge an understanding of their higher education-to-work transitions by placing the job-preparatory and job-seeking stages as the basis of the inquiry. Suggesting implications for institutional and public policymaking for the inclusion and empowerment of EM youths, this book will appeal to scholars interested in minority studies and graduate employment, EM youths, university administrators and counsellors, NGOs working with EM communities as well as policy makers.




Careers Education to Demystify Employability: a Guide for Profess Ionals in Schools and Colleges


Book Description

This book is an innovative alternative to traditional Careers guides, written for anyone creating or delivering a Careers programme to pre-18 learners. It creates a bridge between the concepts of Employability and Careers to highlight how learners can be supported to better understand those first few decisions about study and work . Informed by research and shaped by practice from Careers professionals and educators in pre-18 and higher education, these tried and tested frameworks use two new scaffolding concepts to draw all your activities together, where each idea and activity is underpinned by the principle of ‘Think like the learner’. The book will help you build on your existing work to enhance and get more impact from your Careers programme. This book: •Identifies five key challenges for learners on their Careers and Employability journeys •Maps the environmental issues around learning and work that affect learners •Redefines the personal Careers journey of each learner as a three-stage journey to engagingly encompass all your programme activities •Explores the interconnection between curriculum and Careers to demystify Employability •Bridges the gap between education and work to support learners in making an effective transition Offering clear ideas and principles, a range of easy-to-implement activities, and well-structured messaging for your learners, this book is essential for all Careers Leaders and Career professionals. Whether you use one idea or all of them, your learners will get more benefit from all that you are already doing to support and enable them to make effective Careers decisions and achieve their choice of future. “An essential read for all Careers Leaders, Careers professionals and teachers involved in the delivery of careers work in schools and colleges.” Jodie Boyd, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for the MA Career Development and Employability and PGCert Career Leadership, University of Huddersfield, UK "I warmly welcome Kate’s important contribution to cross-sector knowledge exchange. It provides access to valuable learning from research and practice in the HE sector in ways which are practically applicable for colleagues in Schools and FE." Dr. Bob Gilworth, Senior Lecturer in Careers Guidance, School of Education and Professional Development, University of Huddersfield, UK Kate Daubney is Director of The Careers Group, the federation of careers services of the University of London. She has worked in both pre-18 and higher education and advises on careers education and employability strategies around the world.