Project Proposal for Providing Life Skills Training to Students of Griffith University (Brisbane Queensland)

Q2. Prepare a project proposal for providing life skills training to students of your University. You are the CEO of Life Skills Lab Pvt Ltd, and want to work for improving the employability skills of the students.

Abstract

In this kind proposal, the author proposes that the employability of domestic and international postgraduate information and communication technology (ICT) students can be enhances through a project in which workspace organizational technology and cross-cultural awareness is embedded. The proposed project consists of an assessment level the strategic priority area for an Indian University.

Outcomes of the project include: enduring relationships with industries, work-ready graduates with a more professional attitude to employment.

Keywords: Assessment, organizational culture, domestic students, international students, post-graduate, work- integrated learning, information and communication technology.

Introduction

The project is based on the research question, “How can the learning experiences of domestic and international students be improved so that they are better prepared for the global workplace?”. The project aims to address the strategic priority areas for Griffith University, situated in Brisbane Queensland. In particular, the strategic objectives are to improve “the attractiveness of postgraduate programs” while embedding “career information in program structures” with the aim of developing “internationally recognized professionals, capable of engaging in professional practice in a variety of contexts both within and beyond their country of origin or domicile”. Likewise, the project is driven by the recent Bradley Review which identified that Australia’s higher education system needs the capacity to “provide students with a stimulating and rewarding higher education experience” and to “meet the needs of the labor market and industry for high level skills” in order to “operate internationally” (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent and Education services are Australia’s third-largest export industry (Bradley et al., 2008) while information and communication technology (ICT) is a major driver of Australia’s economic growth and productivity (DCITA, 2006). The term, information and communication technology (ICT) in this paper refers to both information systems (IS) and information technology (IT).

An operational response to the above strategies is a proposed research project at subject assessment level in which is embedded the tools for students to directly access career information from industry. For the assessment, postgraduate students, in small intercultural teams, will be required to interview Australian business employers from ICT-intensive organizations regarding their expectations of graduates and to report their findings in group presentations and written reports. The aim is that postgraduate students enrolled in the Master of Information Systems (IS) by coursework can be better prepared for the workplace by developing both context-specific disciplinary knowledge (frequently referred to as ‘hard’ or technical skills) and broader generic attributes (frequently referred to as ‘soft’ or non-technical skills). It is generally agreed that a combination of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ skills is needed. This was acknowledged by Senator Coonan when launching a program to promote the international completeness of the Australian ICT professional.

The hallmarks of the ICT professional will soon include creative, interpersonal and project management skills, as well as expertise in specific areas such as health, and education, and the ability to effectively mesh hard and soft skills.

Employability

The concept of graduate ‘employability’ is complex. While the core notion is to obtain a job, Harvey (2001) emphasizes that employability is often construed as an institutional achievement without taking into account the propensity of students to find employment and the efforts of employers to convert employability into employment. Cranmer (2006) puts forward the argument that employability outcomes are confused and can overlook social structures of gender, race, and class and their interactions with the labor market. Furthermore, operationalizing employability from a theoretical concept to a measurement depends on the definition of employability (Harvey, 2001 p.100). Cranmer (2006) states that despite the best intentions of academics, it is unrealistic to expect universities to guarantee that students will possess both the necessary generic and disciplinary skills on graduation and that more positive employability outcomes are reported when employers are involved in academic subjects. Nonetheless, as Litchfield et al. (2008) explains, generic skills are often left to the universities to teach because employers find training new graduates in employability skills too difficult. Universities are responding to growing challenges by re-evaluating graduate professional learning objectives and outcomes with curriculum design and renewal (Litchfield et al., 2008). In efforts to heed the call for improved student experiences and graduate employability, many subjects and programs at Griffith University such as the undergraduate-level Professional Development (PD) program have Work-integrated Learning (WIL) components embedded within them. WIL is the term used to describe educational activities that integrate theoretical learning with its application in the workplace. Studies have found that the integrated WIL model contributes substantially to building and improving the professional identities of students and increases their awareness of the skills needed to be a professional (Freudenberg, Brimble & Cameron, in press). WIL is known by other terms. Brockbank and McGill (1998, p.217) refer to action learning which they describe as a “group-based approach to learning”. Although the origins of WIL are not new, the experiential approach to learning has only recently spread from vocational institutions to universities and many studies endorse the value of team work (Brockbank and McGill, 1998, p.167). Learning the rules or guidelines for coping with group dynamics in a safe university environment is valuable preparation for an increasing number of industry workplaces.

Cultural awareness

An appreciation of culture, both cross-cultural and organizational, has implications for graduates, educators, and employers alike. Define organizational culture as “the collection of overt and covert rules, values, and principles that are enduring and guide organizational behavior”. Debuse and Lawley (2009) from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland found that Australian employers are seeking graduates with the ability to think critically and have acquired some industry experience. Concerns regarding insights into organizational culture are replicated in other disciplines beyond ICT. An Australian study in the field of accounting by Kavanagh and Drennen (2008) of student and employer perceptions of requisite graduate attributes found large disparities between the expectations of students, academics and employers. An USA study in health by Van Ess Coeling (1990) called attention to the adjustment of new nursing graduates to the workplace through the incorporation of organizational cultural awareness into the curriculum. The call for intercultural knowledge and skills training is well documented (Clark 2008). Can’t (2004) in the USA and Litchfield, Nettleton and Taylor (2008) in Australia assert that students need both disciplinary knowledge and intercultural understandings in preparation for the “realities of global commerce” (Can’t 2004, p.180). The Excel program (Excellence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership) was co-developed by Professors Michelle Barker and Anita Mak for fostering intercultural skills training for international students. It consists of six distinct stages to progress participants from initial contact to being able to use the skills in cross-cultural settings (Woods and Barker, 2003). Barker (2006, pp.1-2), in describing the role of Excel, states that, in Australia, overseas students encounter “language and cultural barriers in transferring their skills to mainstream workplaces … their lack of local work experience further confers a substantial disadvantage in job search … and could hinder effective participation in groups at work or educational settings”. According to Barker, Troth and Mak (2002), Excel is ideal for initiating international students to the underlying values which influence behaviors in Australian society. International studies advocate the attainment of ‘cultural intelligence’, considered an imperative for fomenting cultural sensitivity skills, and enabling graduates to adapt rapidly to fresh cross-cultural situations (Blasco, 2009). According to Blasco (2009, p.177), ‘cultural intelligence’ combines three main dimensions: 1) knowledge of culture and its effect on manifest behavior; 2) mindfulness or sensibility to cultural signals; and 3) behavioral skills from a combination of knowledge and mindfulness.

Student Team Tasks Tasks Outcomes

Form groups of 3 to 4 students generally of a cross-cultural nature with assistance from teaching staff on request. This task introduces students to cultural and language diversity.

Interview industry contacts using the questionnaire/survey sheet developed as an interview framework by the project teaching team to explore organizational culture and employers’ expectations of graduates This task requires a range of student graduate skills such as effective work collaboration and competence in a culturally and linguistically diverse environment. As well, students have contact with Australian business cultures.

Transcribe and analyze the data gathered in the interviews. This task requires a range of student graduate skills such as the ability to problem solve and think analytically

Report the research findings in a written report with a reflective log component as well as a group presentation to which industry contacts would be invited. This task requires a range of student graduate skills such the ability to think critically and creatively along with effective oral and written communication and academic integrity

Conclusion

The proposed assessment will introduce postgraduate students to Australian businesses and to the expectations of employers with the aim of enhancing career prospects by direct experiential exposure to cross-cultural and workplace situations. In this section, issues such as the innovativeness of the project and its conjectured transferability to other subjects and programs are discussed. WIL and ExcelL activities are well entrenched in various disciplines at Griffith University. Yet, this project is innovative and distinctive because: 1. Many WIL activities target undergraduate students. Lees (2002, p.7) states, “postgraduates are rarely mentioned in the literature concerning the development of employability skills and abilities”. This project is aimed at domestic and particularly international postgraduate students who would benefit from contact with Australian businesses and their unique organizational culture. Domestic postgraduate students who are presently in employment would benefit from the cultural and linguistic diversity aspects of the project. 2. WIL activities are generally for individual students (Freudenberg et al., in press). This assessment item requires team work. Mackrell 153 3. This project would encourage participation by international students in social settings by adopting some suitable stages from the ExcelL program. Walker and Jeurissen (2003) found on-line communication tools facilitated the sharing of knowledge and increased interaction amongst students, in that this particular means of communication empowers more reticent students, especially the Asian participants, to express their views. Hence, it is proposed that subjects should incorporate on-line discussions forums or wikis enabling the students to work in virtual teams, possibly with a graded component to encourage and ensure participation. 4. The proposed assessment item is not costly in human resource terms. Once the frameworks and subject content are in place, subject conveners or their appointees can facilitate. Brockbank and McGill (1998, p.166) encourage the facilitation stance to teaching since it leads to “reflective and critical learning in students” as distinct from the more didactic approach inherent in traditional lecturing. 5. As apparent from the literature review, there is a plethora of studies where research is conducted by educators who contact industry participants. In this project, the students are required to talk with potential employers. 6. Consequently, the proposed assessment item can be considered as preparation for WIL activities or genuine employment.

References

1. Aasheim, C., Li, L., & Williams, S. (2009). Knowledge and skill requirements for entry-level information technology workers: A comparison of industry and academia. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(3), 349-356.
2. Abraham, T., Beath, C., Bullen, C., Gallagher, K., Goles, T., Kaiser, K., & Simon, J. (2006). IT workforce trends: Implications for IS programs. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 17(Article 50), 1-44.
3. Barker, M. (2006). Newcomers and hosts: The role of intercultural skills training in promoting social integration. Retrieved September 2009 from http://www.conferences21.com/UserFiles/File/Michelle%20Barker%20%20Intercultural%20Skills%20Training%20In%20Promoting%20Social%20Integration.pdf
4. Barker, M., Troth, A., & Mak, A. (2002). Transition to a new academic context: Intercultural skills training for international postgraduate students. Paper presented to 10th Post Compulsory and Education Training Conference, Gold Coast Australia. [Discussion paper. June 2008]. Retrieved September 2009 from http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/06C65431-8791-4816-ACB9- 6F1FF9CA3042/22465/08_222_Review_AusHEd_Internals_100pp_FINAL_WEB.pdf