Reflecting on graduate career pathways develops employability skills

Providing students the opportunity to explore their career options is fundamental to career planning particularly in generalist degrees with a variety of employment destinations. We utilised career information about university alumni to underpin a learning activity where undergraduate students worked in small teams to analyse career pathways of graduates from their own STEM or Health degrees and identify patterns and strategies utilised by others to achieve graduate employment. Students presented their observations and lessons learned in a group presentation and individual written reflection which were assessed as part of a broader subject. In this study we thematically analysed students’ written reflections from two consecutive cohorts in 2022-2023 to investigate what students learned from analysing the pathways and how this may have impacted their perceptions of employability. Students reported multiple learnings from the activity including that relevant work experience can lead to graduate employment, transferrable skills can be developed in a variety of roles and experiences, and multiple pathways can lead to a particular type of role. The learning activity also positively influenced students’ perceived employability with individuals reporting reduced anxiety and increased confidence about achieving their career goals. This paper provides evidence of the value of embedding career development activities and self-reflection in curriculum to enhance employability skills. We recommend the use of alumni career stories for raising awareness of career possibilities and strategies utilised by more experienced peers to bridge the gap between study and professional employment.