On deciding on my research question and establishing the data I needed to extract to get the information that I wanted while undertaking primary research (making enquiries with UAL colleagues as per phase one of my plans), I looked to put action into place, starting with research to support my intent. I started to investigate whether this work or research had been done before.
My investigations led me to articles that centered on the connections between employability and social justice, but nothing justly reconciled the values and ethics within HC to the engagement of industry in student-led knowledge exchange.
Articles from universities agreed that industry engagement within High education was paramount in increasing the employability aspects of students and graduates. However, there was a lack of transparency in the way in which institutions ensured that their industry engagement was supportive of their ethics and values. Or were even prepared astutely for industry engagement and social justice, within an academic environment (montrose42, 2019).
SSAT is a membership organisation that espouses FE, HE and academic institutions from across the UK and globally that are committed to achieving deep social justice, offering insights into academic policy, research and practice. As I assessed the significance of the relationship between career education and industry engagement, I noted SSAT structures’ work on social justice using the concept of four themes, developed by Professor David Hargreaves.
Significantly, the four themes of Deep Learning, Deep Experience, Deep Support and Deep Leadership (Hargreaves, 2008), include the need for careers information advice and guidance (CIAG, mentoring and coaching, and employer engagement and encourage institutional support in these important areas, personalising activities with relevant resources.
As stated previously, I invite a variety of professionals from the industry to LCC to contextualise employability topics, which results in relevant and personalised career education through industry engagement. According to SSAT “personalising learning is the heart of social justice”, deducing that personalising, professionalising and guidance make opportunities more accessible to all, but particularly the most disadvantaged or marginalised. (SSAT, n.d.).
When I posed the research question, for my ARP to academic professionals within my network of institutions, e.g. Sheffield University, the topic generated excitement and interest as it was a perspective that had never been considered within their employability strategies. like UAL, their codes of conduct for professionals who engaged with students were very vague, open to nepotism and didn’t lend itself to reconciling the values of the institute and industry sectors.
My primary research was showing that the conduct of industry was being presumed rather than officially signed off, with “checks” or training, throughout HE. My thoughts: Was I embarking on a new territory? Was this an area that needed to be considered within strategic plans and frameworks for safeguarding stakeholders? And….. what about the professional’s experience throughout engagement? Do they not need to be prepared in some way?
| Research Methods so far….. | Description |
| Primary | KE Colleagues, Creative Shift Colleagues, C&E Central team, Transforming and Activating Placement (Sheffield University) |
| Secondary | Articles: Parliament publications, SSAT |
Reference
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmeduc/writev/632/m19.htm – Accessed 11/11/2023
SSAT. (n.d.). About SSAT. [online] Available at: https://www.ssatuk.co.uk/about/#:~:text=Our%20Purpose-
[Accessed 25 Dec. 2023].
Hargreaves, D. (2008). The Deeps in Action. [online]
Available at: https://webcontent.ssatuk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/14142830/09-The-deeps-in-action-David-Hargreaves.pdf.
montrose42 (2019). Careers Guidance and Social Justice.
[online] Montrose42 Blog. Available at: https://montrose42.wordpress.com/2019/08/02/careers-guidance-and-social-justice/
[Accessed 11 Nov. 2023].
Christie, F. (2021). Delivering Social Justice; a collaborative
strategic approach. [online] Career guidance for social justice. Available
at: https://careerguidancesocialjustice.wordpress.com/2021/02/05/delivering-social-justice-a-collaborative-strategic-approach
/ [Accessed 11 Nov. 2023].
Reid, E.R. and Kelestyn, B. (2022). Problem representations of employability
in higher education: using design thinking and critical analysis as tools for
social justice in careers education. British Journal of Guidance &
Counselling, pp.1–16. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2022.2054943.