ABOUT US
ADMISSION
EXPLORE
STUDENT LIFE
VISIT

Graduate Employability

As a provider of both Higher and Further Education, Acquire Learning has a strong focus on Graduate Employability. By giving students the tools, skills and support they need to grasp potential opportunities, we help students prepare for the next chapter of their lives ensuring, they are successful in achieving their graduate goals and ambitions.

As part of our Graduate Employability programme, we also focus on the areas listed below:

  • Promoting and developing the employability and entrepreneurial skills of students through innovative techniques.
  • Managing and ensuring how employers are involved in the delivery and development of the curriculum

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) has developed a framework of essential skills vital to successful employability. This framework also covers a range of functional skills and personal attributes that can be used in any context including, but not limited to social, work and leisure, alongside promoting a positive approach to working and employment after education.

Primacy of the Learning Journey

Employability is about having the capability to gain, maintain, and obtain new employment if required.

For the individual, employability depends on:

  • The knowledge, skills, and attitudes they possess
  • The way they use and deploy those skills and knowledge
  • The way they present their skills and knowledge to employers

Acquire Learning is passionate about creating and maintaining strong links with local employers, who work with our teachers and tutors to provide realistic assignment briefs, guest lecturers, and take on placement students by recruiting them from the College. One of our core strengths is that many of our teaching staff and leadership team come from high-ranking positions within various commercial/industrial sectors. We believe that practitioners are highly beneficial to our students as they bring invaluable industry experience and knowledge to our teaching programmes.

Challenges for Student Employability

The main factors that impact student employability in the United Kingdom are:

  • Changes in technology
  • Demographic factors
  • The environment
  • Globalisation of education
  • Changes and expectations in society
  • Student Engagement

Acquire Learning College aims to embed employability in its culture and promote it among its learners and stakeholder through the following opportunities:

  • Industry in the Classroom – Speakers from industry/local employers are invited to share their experiences and industry updates with our learners
  • Work-based learning – Students are provided with placements and internships to receive real-life work experience while studying with us.
  • Employer involvement in Course Design – We engage with employers to obtain feedback and reviews on our courses which provides a valuable source of feedback on the choice of modules/content best suited to working environments.
  • Business Mentoring Relationships – By developing relationships with local employers, our learners gain practical experience and professional mentors from various sectors.
  • Business Incubation Centre – We provide workstations, printing, internet, counseling, and other on-campus facilities to help develop entrepreneurial skills and encourage them to start or further develop their business ventures.
  • External Visits – By arranging external visits to other higher education institutions, military airbases, and garrisons, our learners gain a true insight into the real corporate world and experience leadership and management in the workplace first-hand.

Alongside the above, Acquire Learning College also plans to incorporate the following processes within our Employability Policy in the coming years:

  • Use the Subject benchmark statements to identify generic/transferrable skills which students develop over a set time.
  • Involve employers as an external reference point within programme design and approval processes.
  • Learning and Teaching practices will be implemented following a professional evaluation when the tutor is a practitioner.
  • Recruit external examiners/assessors from various businesses, industries, or other relevant professions.
  • Chart the employment record for Acquire Learning College students who have become employed after completing their studies and obtain feedback from them and their employers.
  • Create a Student Alumni with a social platform for students to share their learning experiences.
  • Organise career guidance workshops by inviting managers/employers on campus and delivering career opportunities to students.
  • Employer-led Employability Workshops on Campus, Career Development Planning, and Academic Skills courses.
  • Student Academic Partnership (SAP) – Paid student internships through entrepreneurship societies, Alumni students mentoring current students, the passport to practice (online system), Team consultancy projects students solving real business problems for charities and local enterprises.
  • Business Launchpad – Train students to create business plans and make plans to obtain funding through various platforms.
  • Form links with other higher education institutions with a similar focus on graduate employability.
  • Company visits and Insight days are offered and advertised by employers who aim to recruit undergraduate students.
  • Work Shadowing – Students are provided with short-term, informal opportunities to spend time on company premises with no contract or expectation of making a working contribution as it is solely an observational activity.
  • Arrange employment-related workshops and seminars for students, such as CIPD recruitment and interviewing skills conferences.
  • Ensure students can access industry-standard learning resources and course content such as magazines, journals, and online publications.
  • Student Award – STAR (Students Taking an Active Role) recorded on HEAR. The award is subject to an assessment carried out by local employers to form a panel of judges.
  • Form a student union, regularly publish content on a student newsletter and blog, and create presentations on group projects relating to courses and modules.
  • Encourage Employer engagement such as requests for research, consultancy, collaboration, and enterprise activities; strategic partnerships and consortiums; advisory boards; requests for bespoke courses; career and guidance activities, sharing opportunities such as job vacancies, internships, and placements; job fairs; employer representation on the Board of Directors; engagement with professional bodies; formal membership of approval panels.