Interconnected learning between university and the workplace: a socio-cultural perspective of graduate employability in the UK

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Paul Orsmond ◽  
Stephen Merry ◽  
Kevin Reiling
Author(s):  
Sarah Speight ◽  
Natasa Lackovic ◽  
Lucy Cooker

In 2004 the University of Nottingham opened its branch campus, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). Degree-awarding powers for UNNC remain with the UK, but there is recognition that Nottingham must understand the specific context of its Chinese branch; provision therefore operates according to the principal of equivalence rather than of replication. This paper explores stakeholder attitudes towards the university's Nottingham Advantage Award. This is an extra-curricular programme designed to support students in the development of their 'employability'. Launched in the UK in 2008, it was piloted at UNNC in 2010-11 and is now nearing the end of its first full year of operation. Twenty-three interviews were conducted with staff and students at UNNC. These were analysed alongside interviews carried out in the UK and with reference to the research literature. This provided an understanding of the role of the Award overall and in the UNNC context. The study shows that while stakeholders hold broadly similar views in the UK and China, there are subtle differences of emphasis concerning the understanding of, and responsibility for, learning for employability. In addition, a group of China-specific themes emerged from the UNNC interviews that indicated recognition of the need to differentiate priorities and provision for each site. The paper concludes that the challenge for the Award at UNNC is to serve both global and local agendas and that it should strive to reduce the 'information asymmetry' existing between stakeholders to promote effective graduate employability.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuljit Heer ◽  
John Rose ◽  
Michael Larkin ◽  
Nidhi Singhal

Purpose – India has one of the more progressive disability frameworks in the developing world which tends to adopt western philosophies and principles (e.g. parent participation and advocacy) which to some degree mirrors the type of service delivery in the UK. The purpose of this paper is to adopt a cross-cultural perspective to explore caregiving amongst parents caring for a child with intellectual/developmental disabilities in India. Design/methodology/approach – Three focus groups were used to interview parents at Action for Autism (AFA) located in Delhi, India. The focus groups explored how disability is encountered within an Indian context. Findings – Two main themes were identified in the parents narratives which were “making the decision to get help” and “seeing disabilities in from a new perspective”. Family members played an important role in the decision to get help and acted as a platform for mothers to explore their own concerns. Seeing disability from a new perspective was a four stage process which included initially accepting the diagnosis and their child; regaining control through parenting skills training; witnessing positive changes in their children and themselves and reaping personal benefits as a result of their involvement with AFA. Research limitations/implications – The research is very small scale and focused on parents in a specific organisation, as a consequence the results cannot be generalised. Originality/value – The discourses of these individuals do provide a useful insight into the provision of services to children in India and provide a starting point for cross-cultural understanding of parenting children with disabilities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 102 (8) ◽  
pp. 566-570
Author(s):  
RM Koshy ◽  
EG Kane ◽  
C Grocock

Introduction The UK is an increasingly multicultural society. This change coincides with an increasing use of animal products in medicine and surgery and a change in the UK law of consent. The refusal of Jehovah’s Witnesses to accept blood products is well known, but the use of animal products in surgery is a neglected topic. As society becomes more diverse and medicine becomes ever more advanced, there is increasing potential for a mismatch between what is medically possible and what is acceptable from a religious perspective. Methods Surgical products were identified by searching the literature and contacting manufacturing companies. Literature was identified by using PubMed and OVID (MEDLINE). Religious views were established by contacting national bodies for each group. Findings The views of common UK religious groups and the constituent parts of biological meshes are summarised in tables intended to be used as a reference during clinical practice. On an elective basis, the Islamic, Hindu. Sikh and Jain leaders contacted had strong views on avoiding animal derived products. The Christian and Jewish leaders contacted did not. All religious leaders contacted accepted the use of mesh derived from human tissue. All products, including those of porcine and bovine origin, were acceptable to all leaders contacted if the procedure was performed to save life. The highlighting of this issue should prompt earlier consideration and discussion in the surgical planning and the consenting process with all final decisions taken by both the surgeon and the individual patient.


Author(s):  
Mark Christopher McPherson

Purpose This paper, which is part of a larger study, aims to discuss from an ethno-cultural perspective, the notion of self-identification and difference pertaining to first and second-generation South Asian male entrepreneurs. In essence, previous studies have not explored this dimension to any sufficient depth. Therefore, evidence is unclear as to how ethno-culture has informed entrepreneurial identity and difference. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a phenomenological research paradigm, 42 semi-structured interviews were conducted with first- and second-generation Sikh and Pakistani Muslim male entrepreneurs in Greater London. A typology of second-generation entrepreneurs is developed and a research agenda proposed. Findings First-generation respondents regard the UK as home and do not suffer from shifts in identity. These particular respondents identify themselves as Sikh or Pakistani Muslim or a Businessman. However, the second-generation identify themselves via three distinct labels. Here respondents stress their ethnicity by using Hyphenated British identities or hide their ethnicity behind the term a Normal Businessman, or appear opportunists by using ethnicity as a resource to espouse a true entrepreneurial identity. Research limitations/implications The research environment within the Greater London area where the respondents are located may not be as generalisable when compared with other parts of the UK. Originality/value This paper offers a unique insight into self-prescribed identity and difference noted among London’s ethnic entrepreneurs.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Cheng ◽  
Olalekan Adekola ◽  
JoClarisse Albia ◽  
Sanfa Cai

PurposeEmployability is a key concept in higher education. Graduate employment rate is often used to assess the quality of university provision, despite that employability and employment are two different concepts. This paper will increase the understandings of graduate employability through interpreting its meaning and whose responsibility for graduate employability from the perspectives of four key stakeholders: higher education institutions, students, government and employers.Design/methodology/approachThere are two stages to this literature review which was undertaken across bibliographic databases. The first stage builds a conceptual understanding of employability, relating to definition and how employability can be achieved and enhanced from the perspective of stakeholders. A structured search employing Boolean searches was conducted using a range of terms associated with key stakeholders. The second round of review drew on documentary analysis of official statements, declarations, documents, reports and position papers issued by key stakeholders in the UK, available online.FindingsIt reveals that responsibility for employability has been transferred by the UK government to higher education institutions, despite clear evidence that it needs to be shared by all the key stakeholders to be effective. In addition, there is a gap between employers' expectation for employability and the government's employability agenda.Originality/valueThis article highlights that solely using employment rate statistics as a key indicator for employability will encourage the practice of putting employers' needs above knowledge creation and the development of academic disciplines, with the consequence that higher education will become increasingly vocation driven.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-175
Author(s):  
Mariama Seray Kandeh ◽  
Mariama Korrca Kandeh ◽  
Nicola Martin ◽  
Joanna Krupa

Purpose Little is known about the way autism is interpreted and accepted among the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) populations in the UK. This report summarises a Symposium on autism in the UK-BAME community in 2018, organised by Autism Voice UK, Participatory Autism Research Collective and the Critical Autism and Disabilities Studies Research Group at London South Bank University. Design/methodology/approach The stance a family or community takes about a condition such as autism is influenced by their cultural background. The aims of the Symposium were to highlight different perspectives about autism in BAME communities and to preserve the cultural dignity of the community in supporting autistic members. Beliefs about autism, its diagnosis and acceptance of and support for autistic people from a specific cultural perspective of BAME communities must be cautiously interpreted by autism professionals because beliefs vary among different cultural groups. Findings Thematic analysis of feedback from participants yielded the following foci. Firstly, cultural, ethnic and religious sensitivities were important to participants who felt that these were often ignored by non-BAME professionals. Secondly, the need for collaboration to improve autism awareness within the community and understanding by professionals of the intersectionality between autism and identity in BAME families was prioritised. Thirdly, issues around feelings of stigma were common, but delegates felt that these were not well understood beyond people identifying as BAME. Originality/value An action plan was created which highlighted raising public awareness through community engagement, improvement of access to information for parents and culturally aware autism education for professionals and BAME communities.


2000 ◽  
Vol 110 (464) ◽  
pp. F382-F411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Smith ◽  
Abigail McKnight ◽  
Robin Naylor

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 263-284
Author(s):  
Danilo Rothberg ◽  
Joanne Garde-Hansen

From an interdisciplinary, communication and trans-cultural perspective, participation in water governance should include non-political activities and engagement. In Brazil, it is mandatory for decision-making bodies to include society’s active participation, a democratic principle that speaks to a concept of ‘hydro-citizenship’ that is currently being explored in the UK, wherein top-down water governance is giving way to community-led adaptation planning. The opportunities for social and cultural learning have been explored in our UK and Brazil collaborative research. We offer relevant insights about the value of story, narrative and memories as emerging components of resilience beyond collective, community or national political containers. We argue that a missing link in the literature is the one between narratives, social memory and environmental resilience as a personally shared culture water. These insights have the potential to address participation and governance gaps through recourse to a trans-cultural understanding of socially networked communication about water management.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-159
Author(s):  
Charlotte Faircloth

Many scholars, particularly in Anglophone countries, have observed that mothers and fathers are now expected to do much more explicit ‘parenting’ than in the past. This article draws on the case studies of Norway and the UK as examples of welfare states with different historical orientations to social coherence, equality and diversity as a means of examining the spread (or otherwise) of these ideologies. In particular, it considers theoretical concerns of risk, responsibility and trust, especially as they relate to our ideas of childhood and adulthood. In short, the article suggests that an intensification of parenting has the potential to have a corrosive effect on notions of social solidarity, and makes the case instead for a societal conception of raising children.


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