Personal enquiry project: students' perceptions of world of work initiatives; does anybody know that they're out there?

Abstract

The influence of the current economic climate, and the inherent challenges that preside within it, mean that it is not enough for a modern graduate to approach the employment market armed with a good degree. It has become increasingly important that graduates have, and can evidence, employability skills. This had led higher education insitutions towards a culture of employability and as such Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) reponded with the implementation of the LJMU WoW ^TM (World of Work) initiative. Similarly, in 2005, the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at LJMU was recognised as a Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL); the Centre for Excellence in Leadership and Professional Learning (CELPL), and subsequently introduced a local approach towards formally addressing employability needs. This article considers the students' perspective of such LJMU employability initiatives, in order to see how well recognised and valued these are amongst the student population.