Are employability and entrepreneurial measures for higher education relevant? Introducing AGILE reflection

This paper considers the relevance of current measures of employability and entrepreneurial (E&E) outcomes for evaluating the longer term value of a course of Higher Education (HE) study. HE stakeholders continue to discuss whether exit performance metrics engender positive or negative responses, with educators arguing that E&E outcomes should not focus heavily on hard skills, but a broader range of behavioural, attitudinal and mindset changes, claiming these provide greater longitudinal value for graduates. Through a critical review of literature and models, the paper explores; effectiveness of HE first destination metrics at capturing E&E outcomes; whether explicit links exist between these; and what role students have in developing a narrative of their own E&E outcomes? The discussion examines ‘atheoretical’ perspectives in E&E education and issues of generalisability due to contextual variability, yet identifies common key mindset dimensions which are incorporated into a proposed ‘AGILE’ learning tool for students to reflect and develop a narrative of their E&E related development against: Adaptable, Gatherer, Identity Awareness, Life-Long Learning and Enterprising capabilities. Thus it contributes an approach which HE stakeholders could consider the value of embedding within their own curricula, placing the onus on students to reflect, self-evaluate and record personalised ‘small-wins’.