Evaluating the efficacy of embedding employability into a second-year undergraduate module

Employability is a primary concern for many students who face a competitive job market in the aftermath of COVID-19. It is also a pressing concern for universities with governments increasing pressure on universities to deliver courses that bring value for money to the students whilst also positively contributing to the economy. To address these demands some universities and courses have embedded employability within their degree (embedded approach) whilst others offer employability teaching through career services separate from students’ courses (parallel approach). This article experimentally examines the impact of embedding employability within the curriculum on students’ career planning, knowledge, and confidence in completing common graduate selection tasks (i.e. application forms, psychometrics, interviews, etc.). A longitudinal pre-post experiment containing 64 second-year undergraduates found that students that received employability embedded within their course reported an increased sense of career planning, higher levels of knowledge and confidence on selection tasks and greater intentions to attain relevant work experience compared to those in a control group. These findings highlight the important role that universities can play in smoothing students’ transition into the workplace.