Recognising What Students Already Do:
Giving Credit for Part-Time Work, Volunteering and other Experiential Learning
Many students arrive at placement or graduate interviews having accumulated substantial work and volunteering experience undertaken alongside their studies. Too often these experiences remain unrecognised by universities and under-valued by students themselves.
The session will examine the wide range of activities through which students develop employability skills, including part-time work, volunteering, side hustles and challenge participants: How can institutions better recognise, validate and help students articulate the skills and capabilities they are already developing through this work and voluntary activity?
Using examples from across the sector, including careers and employability initiatives, the session will explore practical, scalable and inclusive approaches to capturing and evidencing learning gained through student-led experiences. Particular attention will be given to recognising employability development arising from part-time work undertaken independently by students.
