The higher education sector is operating in an ever-increasing competitive environment due to complex forces such as internationalisation, privatisation, technological advancements and funding constraints. Universities within the higher education sector are acknowledged for equipping students with disciplinary knowledge, intellectual curiosity and critical analysis leading to the acquisition of tertiary qualifications. However, the higher education sector and universities are also constantly criticised for not preparing students’ adequately in pursuing graduate employability opportunities (Berrett, 2015).

Increasingly, the government funding allocation for the universities is also changing by taking into consideration student outcomes and industry engagement patterns rather than mere student enrolment numbers. Consequently, student graduate employability and employer satisfaction are considered to be important metrics of university performance. Despite rapid increases in higher education participation over the past few decades, employability of graduates seems to remain as a central concern for students (Norton & Cakitaki, 2016). The problem seems to be intensified due to skills mismatch, over or under qualification and poor career choices as university graduates in record numbers are employed in non-graduate jobs (O’Leary & Sloane, 2016).

Therefore, focus on engaging students with mentoring networks (both academic and industry) in an inclusive environment creates a mosaic for student experience portfolios specifically targeting the development stage of the students involved (Dobrow et al., 2012). Existing literature highlights that the quality of partnerships that mentoring networks create are dependent on the frequency of interactions between students and various stakeholders of relevance (Aikens et al., 2017). The trust and relationships developed between mentors and students will foster effective student experience portfolios that feed into sustainable graduate employability framework.

Student Experience Portfolios presents four Modules and the information and activities covered in these Modules helps you to create student experience  ePortfolios critical to your career success.

Module 1 – Personal Branding
Module 2 – Career Mentoring
Module 3 – Career Coaching
Module 4 – Portfolio Creation

References
Aikens, M. L., Robertson, M. M., Sadselia, S., Watkins, K., Evans, M., Runyon, C. R., Eby, L. T, & Dolan, E. L. (2017). Race and gender differences in undergraduate research mentoring structures and research outcomes. CBE Life Sciences Education, 16(2), ar34.

Berrett, D. (2015). The day the purpose of college changed. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 6 March 2018 from http://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Day-the-Purpose-of-College/151359

Dobrow, S. R., Chandler, D. E., Murphy, W. M., & Kram, K. E. (2012). A review of developmental networks: Incorporating a mutuality perspective. Journal of Management, 38(1), 210-242.

Norton, A., & Cakitaki, B. (2016). Mapping Australian higher education 2016. Melbourne, VIC: Grattan Institute. Retrieved 5 March 2018 from http://grattan.edu.au/report/mapping-australian-higher-education-2016/

O'Leary, N., & Sloane, P. (2016). Too many graduates? An application of the Gottschalk-Hansen model to young British graduates between 2001-2010. Oxford Economic Papers, 1-23. doi:10.1093/oep/gpw027

Last modified: Tuesday, 6 July 2021, 6:41 PM