Erasmus+ Staff Mobility, Cork 2025

Date: May 26^th to 28^th 2025
(Formal Schedule is on Tuesday and Wednesday 09:00 – 17:00)
Location: The Hub Building, University College Cork

Audience: Professional and academic staff in higher education with responsibility for student career success and employability

Keynote Speaker and “Hackathon” Facilitator: Dr Sonia Ferns, Managing Partner of LearnWork Consulting and Strategic Project Manager, Curtin University

Overview:

All professional and academic staff in higher education have a role to play in shaping how employability is taught, promoted and assessed in their institutions. Work-integrated learning can best serve the Gen Z and Alpha students who most need support as it is integrated into the core of their student experience. Before initiating or revising work-integrated and employability modules and programmes, educators need to have a clear understanding of how they define, measure, teach and assess employability and student success. They should have considered and arrived at meaningful answers to the following questions in relation to their own institution, department and or/discipline:

• How is employability defined? Is it focused on the individual or external factors such as the labour market? Does it centre on the development of skills, attributes of capitals or graduate outcomes? How should it be defined?

• How is employability taught? Is it taught through compulsory or optional accredited modules? Is it “extracted” from the curriculum, or taught through “bolt on” optional programmes outside of the curriculum? How should it be taught?

• How is employability measured? Objective measures such as employment outcomes? Learning gain? Personal subjective measures such as evidence of the development of values, attributes and personally meaningful narratives and motivations? How should it be measured?

The training is a unique opportunity to learn ways of addressing these questions for your department, professional field, or higher education institution - in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, including students, employers and senior management. Take this opportunity to benefit from the most up-to-date research, empirically supported frameworks and practical tools to gain clarity, purpose and confidence in teaching, assessing and fostering student employability in your own place of work.

Expected Outcomes:

• A shared understanding of what is meant by “curriculum-embedded employability” and “work-integrated learning” that can bring clarity to conversations with key stakeholders and to our overall sense of purpose;

• A collaboratively generated model of work-integrated learning achieved through expert facilitation, active collaboration and the sharing of ideas and best pratice;

• Practical, actionable examples and advice based on the successful experience of leading careers and work-integrated learning practitioners;

• New connections and strengthened collaboration amongst careers professionals across Europe, amongst both academic and professional staff with direct responsibility for student employability modules and initiatives.

Full schedule: 30.01 Erasmus+ Training Schedule 26 to 28 May.pdf

Registration:  https://forms.office.com/e/GrFHcw1eWC

Deadline for registration: Friday 14 March

• The registration form is an expression of interest form only. We will reply within 48 hours of completing to confirm their place.

There is no participation fee for this event. 

 While we are not in a position to subsidise accommodation, we can provide some information and advice on accommodation options. Feel free to reach out if you would like assistance in this regard.

Email Deirdre Parker with any queries: d.parker@ucc.ie

Keynote speaker Sonia Ferns

Sonia Ferns is an education specialist with 45 years' experience in teaching, curriculum and assessment design, work-integrated learning (WIL), student engagement, employability, and strategic leadership. Sonia is Adjunct Associate Professor at Curtin University and Teaching Fellow at the University of Western Australia.

Speaker Mary Kate O'Regan

Mary Kate O'Regan is the PI/Coordinator of the Horizon Europe project CARDEA at University College Cork.

Speaker Bernie Burke

Bernie Burke is the Global and Executive MBA LEAP Module Co-Lead and Careers Manager, UCD Careers Network (Smurfit).

Speaker Brendan Lally

Brendan Lally is the CECD Careers Advisor at the University of Limerick, where he is also Module Leader for UL’s flagship career module Mastering Your Employability.