What are the project aims?

‘Employability and Disability’ is a National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) funded project, led by the Centre for Inclusive Learning Support at the University of Worcester, which will run from February 2009 until January 2010. It offers a sector-wide initiative that aims to reduce discrimination and enhance disabled graduates’ employability. It intends to achieve this by equipping disabled students with the skills to match employability competencies (Kubler et al, 2006), largely through enhancing academic and careers staff’s knowledge and understanding about the potential challenges that disabled students may face in developing such skills, and in offering possible solutions.

What do you mean by 'employablity'?

For the purpose of this project, employability is understood as "a set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes – that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy" (Yorke, 2005, p. 8).

Who are the key players?

The project features collaboration between the Universities of Worcester (the lead institution), Gloucestershire and Plymouth. Drawing on the wide experience of three National Teaching Fellows with recognised expertise in the field of disability, the project will build explicitly on the knowledge acquired through the creation of the existing heavily used resource SCIPS (Strategies for Creating Inclusive Programmes of Study). The project also has a group of high profile colleagues on its steering group who are highly experienced in the area of employability.

 

What will be the major outcome of the project?

A new web-based resource, usemyability, will be the major output of the project. We are currently engaged in research with employers, academic staff, careers staff and disabled students in developing the content for the resource which will go 'live' after June 2010.