< backDeveloping employability skills through employer engagement in foundation degrees.

 case_study_ccnorwich.pdf

This project was well-timed in that it occurred at the same time as the Hotel School at City College Norwich (CCN) was considering a major change in its academic offering. Specifically the case study enabled the author to evaluate the development of employability skills on the Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Foundation Degrees at CCN. The duration of the research saw a major curriculum change in the School from a two-year HND programme, with a six month work placement, to a two-year work-based Foundation Degree, with enhanced emphasis on work-based learning (WBL) and developing employability skills. Employers, students and tutors were consulted on ‘payback criteria’, developed in a previous project, in an attempt to find a useful way of assessing interactions with industry. Students were also surveyed separately using a self-completion questionnaire designed to evaluate the development of employability skills. The survey identified an increased emphasis on personal qualities of reflectiveness, emotional intelligence and critical analysis by the students. Other skills identified as being increasingly important were self-confidence, self-awareness, teamwork, negotiating and decision making. The research has helped inform the development of Foundation degree modules and, in particular, two work-based learning modules. This case study includes examples of teaching and learning materials and considers future developments in the way Foundation degrees will be operated within the Hotel School at CCN.

Vicki Hingley 
Hotel School, City College Norwich.

Use the above link to see the full case study report.