Employability Skills of STEM Student Ambassadors > Project Outputs > Student Case Studies - Valuing Employability Skills

Project Outputs > Student Case Studies - Valuing Employability Skills

The below case studies from the Employability Skills of STEM Student Ambassadors project illustrate how 8 student ambassadors who took part in the employability skills training devised by the project benefitted in a variety of ways, including:

Understanding how to illustrate transferrable skills
Putting the skills training into practice
Establishing where else, and how, they can develop their employability skills further
Enhancing their confidence
Considering their graduate options

A case study from a project worker is also included, focusing on how universities benefit from involving students as trainers in employability skills programmes.

(1) Employability skills training can guide students' understanding of how to illustrate transferrable skills

Sara Parfett

Sara Parfett, a second year biology student from the University of Bath, has found that a combination of the skills she had developed as a student ambassador and the training she has had through the employability skills project have improved the way she will approach demonstrating her transferrable skills for job applications and in interviews.

Case Study (1)

(2) Students can put learning from employability skills training into practice in the immediate and long term

Stephanie Moore

Stephanie Moore is a first-year biochemistry student at the university of Bath who has already been applying what she learned from her activities as a Student Ambassador and from the employability skills training as she applies for part-time work to support her in her studies. And she feels sure that the training is helping her to secure interviews.

Case Study (2)

(3) Early employability skills training can help students make the most of university-based development opportunities

Rebecca Pickering

Employability skills training is valuable to students at all stages of their university career. For first-year civil engineering student Rebecca Pickering, the training offered an opportunity both to understand how to demonstrate her skills on a CV and to identify areas that she would like to work on. This has prompted her to look into other training and development opportunities offered by the university.

Case Study (3)

(4) Working as a Student Ambassador helps students gain valuable employability skills

Matthew Bennett

Being a student ambassador is a valuable opportunity for university students to identify and develop important employability skills. Plymouth student, Matthew Bennett’s experiences running a summer school for Chinese students helped him gain employability skills that he is sure he will be able to use in job applications and interviews.

Case Study (4)

(5) Involvement as a Student Ambassador improves students' confidence in employing transferrable skills

Daniel Shelton

As one of Plymouth University’s Student Ambassadors, Daniel Shelton was able to make the most of an opportunity to work as a team leader for the university’s “Uni Taster” summer schools.

Case Study (5)

(6) Students find particular value in employability skills training tailored to their Student Ambassador experience

Andy D'Urban-Jackson

Biological sciences student Andy D’Urban-Jackson found employability skills training tailored to the experiences of Student Ambassadors was particularly valuable.

Case Study (6)

(7) Employability skills training is of immediate value to students as they consider graduate options

Aisling Burrell

Amongst their activities, Student Ambassadors at the University of Exeter offer tutoring sessions to students at a nearby school. Student Ambassadors work in teams of three to provide a series of six sessions with the aim of supporting the school students to raise their aspirations, inform them about training and education options and help them make good decisions about their own futures.

Case Study (7)

(8) Student-led employability skills training creates valuable development opportunities for participants

Ryan Mulligan

As well as offering a direct training opportunity to students, the employability skills workshops can be used and adapted by students to produce a sustainable programme of peer-to-peer learning.

Case Study (8)

(9) Universities benefit from involving Student Ambassadors in the development of employability skills programmes

Value to HEIs

Employability skills are an increasing area of focus for higher education institutions and most now offer a variety of courses for students to develop their skills. For Liz Simmons, Admissions Progression Officer at the University of Bath, the employability skills training developed with funding from HE STEM was a valuable addition to this programme and brought some unique elements that Liz feels were particularly useful.

Value to HEIs

Staff involved

Emma Stephenson
Project lead, University of Exeter

Claire Dimond
Graphic Science

Jayne Stanyer
Plymouth University

Karl Devincenzi
University of Exeter

Liz Simmons
University of Bath

Paul Hartley
Devon Education Business Partnership

Richard Prest
University of Exeter

Rowanna Smith
University of Exeter