Employability is increasingly recognised as a central outcome of higher education, with growing expectations on higher education institutions (HEIs) to produce graduates who are both work-ready and adaptable to a rapidly changing labour market. Professional body accreditation signals alignment between academic programmes and the evolving knowledge and skills required by industry. However, despite membership benefits, there is limited understanding of perceptions at postgraduate taught (PGT) master’s-level concerning how students view accreditation in relation to their employability and if this varies by degree subject. This study aims to address this gap. This paper presents findings from qualitative thematic analyses of focus group discussions which were conducted separately with marketing (n = 7) and life sciences (n = 13) students whose master’s programmes are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and the Royal Society for Biology (RSB) respectively. While some different sub-themes were identified between the two cohorts, three common themes were distinguished: motivations, accreditation journey and positioning. The credibility of accredited programmes was noted as a key motivator behind choice of degree programme. Awareness of and engagement with professional bodies were highlighted as key elements in the accreditation journey. Several causes of disengagement were also identified. Participants emphasised the format, frequency and timing of communication regarding membership and hearing success stories of alumni from accredited programmes as being key to disseminating the benefits of accreditation to students. These findings are formulating our ongoing research to develop a framework to enable educators to best position accreditation to benefit student employability.

Authors:
Noreen Siddiqui, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Carolyn Loveridge, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Hui Chen, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Prarthna Clare, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Carolyn Loveridge is currently a Lecturer of Life Sciences at the Univeristy of Glasgow, United Kingdom. Her current scholarship interests are in academic conduct and integrity; assessment and feedback; curriculum design and development and academic identity.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

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