Developing and assessing transferable skills in higher education: a field trial and a way forward

This paper reports the results of a project that was initiated by the need, frequently expressed by employers, for the education system to produce potential employees with better transferable skills. The field trial reported here took place at a UK university and followed a four-year pilot of National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 4 Key Skills within a Higher National Diploma (HND) programme. This project, which operated within a new foundation (Level 0) programme, aimed to simplify the paperwork employed in the pilot and incorporate skills assessment within modules, intending to obviate the need for a portfolio of evidence. The project was successful only in one or two modules where staff were committed to the aims. A contrasting culture at a university in Australia is reported, where faculty were broadly supportive of a similar yet simpler system. A recommendation is made for a more ‘user-friendly’ system based on the Australian experience that has been demonstrated to operable in practice (in a practical trial not part of this research study). The recommendations also incorporate evaluation and monitoring using a similar approach to the UK ‘National Students Survey’ (NSS), again inspired by an Australian university.