ANU recently included more systematic embedding of careers education into curriculum as a teaching and learning target in its 2021-23 Mission Based Compact with the Federal Government.
Professor Maryanne Dever, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education & Digital), believes that employability is a shared responsibility across campus.
“Today’s labour market is complex and fast-moving. We need to engage students in a rich conversation about the connections between what they learn in our classrooms and where they want to go as future graduates, leaders and professionals. It’s important that together we help our students understand how the knowledge and transferable skills they develop through their studies build toward realising their career aspirations.”
But what can educators do to help prepare their students for the job market?
Connecting students to employers is critical, and ANU recently received the GUCDC China Career Development University Award for the third year in a row, recognising the campus-wide work to provide innovative career services, particularly for our large international student community.
College-based careers teams currently exist in the ANU College of Business and Economics and the ANU College of Law, supporting the specific needs of their discipline areas.
Professor Sally Wheeler, Dean of the ANU College of Law, emphasises the importance of the local team:
“This team is dedicated to helping [students] acquire job-ready skills and navigate the professional landscape. Enhancing [their] employability is a priority for us, and the Careers and Employability team is essential to achieving that goal.”
As the central service, ANU Careers offers a wide range of services to all current students and recent alumni including individual career planning consultations and access to the comprehensive e-learning platform Careers Toolkit.
Encouraging early engagement with either local or central careers teams is an effective way to start embedding career education in your course. First-year conveners, in particular, can make a positive difference to their students’ employability outcomes but all educators can contribute. Adding links to the careers website to your Wattle site is a great start. Exploring the services and supports on offer yourself, including through the Careers Toolkit, means that you will be well placed to recommend specific activities and development opportunities to your students.
The Careers Team also works with educators across campus to develop e-learning material and/or in-class workshops to enhance students’ career literacy – contact us at careers@anu.edu.au if you would like to explore how we can help you.
November 2021
Susanne Jones is the Acting Manager at ANU Careers.