'We've got the WOW factor!'

When researching their degree choices students could be encouraged to examine the level of 'work readiness' as one of their desired selection criteria in either the university itself, or courses in particular. Liverpool John Moores (LJM) has no such worries on this front having taken the decision in 2007 to link up with some major companies in developing the WOW factor (World of Work skills) in their 421 courses.

The North West of England has always been a popular university destination for students from N. Ireland applying through UCAS,  with Liverpool being a particularly favoured location. It's fair to ask if the function of a university is to prepare their students for the world of work. Increasingly, however, politicians, parents and students would answer in the affirmative. In addition to offering students the customary diet of careers advice and work placements, LJM has spiced up its undergraduate courses with a healthy helping of WOW.

 LJM is one of the largest universities within the UCAS system with over 25,000students and a £160 million turnover. Now the university is convinced  that its students require some of those workplace skills sought after by employers - managing projects, thinking strategically etc. A number of well known organisations including Marks and Spencer, Littlewoods, and Shell have been co-opted to assess student skills through external accreditation.  The companies have promised to work with the university for at least three years to root this initiative firmly in the psyche of the university. It's now a combination of equipping students with the graduate skills that come as part of their degree programme and those world of work skills that employers demand.  All four hundred and twenty one degree programmes have been re-written to include work related skills and some experience for each student in the working world.

The Year 2010 will mark the first batch of students to emerge from this 'new order' clutching their degree scroll as well as a certificate to testify that they are ready for the work place! Their first destinations after qualification for the 2010 graduates should make for interesting reading.

The vice chancellor, Professor Mike Brown, declares that LJM graduates meet the stated needs of high quality employers while engaging a number of those employers directly in the process. The initiative happens to reflect Government priorities and, in time, will attract even more ambitious students to the university.

No doubt the university's direction will be adopted by many others in the years ahead given the emphasis on graduate skills and Government targets for higher education qualifications. Queens University's Degree Plus programme mirrors the Liverpool initiative with skills embedded into their undergraduate programmes as well as flagging up opportunities for the development of workplace skills outside the formal curriculum. Students can leave the university with their certificate in career management and employability as well as their degree. The University of Ulster courses have traditionally included this close working relationship with employers through their numerous vocational sandwich courses. For more information on graduate skills accruing from over 50 different undergraduate courses, I found the publication Student Employability Profiles from The Higher Education Academy to be particularly useful when working with sixth form students.Click here for more information

 Returning to Liverpool, LJM stands distinguished amongst its fellow universities.  The Liverpool initiative has come at a time when the issue of graduate employability is rising fast up the political agenda.  Different politicians and ministers have spoken about the important role that universities can play in helping to upgrade the skills of the workplace.Click here for more information