Plenary Sessions
Opening Plenary
Beyond Embedding: Designing Employability as a Curriculum Architecture
Tuesday, Nov 10
9:30 - 10:30am
Central Time
This plenary explores how employability can move beyond being an “add-on” set of career skills and instead become structurally embedded within curriculum design and assessment.
Drawing on experience leading assessment reform at the University of Manchester and chairing the AGCAS Creative Industries Task Group, Miri Firth will share a practical framework for aligning learning outcomes with workforce realities and demonstrate how assessment optionality can support diverse career pathways. Attendees will also learn strategies for evidencing impact for accreditation, TEF, and institutional reporting, along with examples of employer-aligned curriculum redesign.
Miri Firth, PhD
Closing Plenary
Rebuilding the Career Ladder: How Higher Ed Can Support Young Adults
Tuesday, Nov 10
3:00 - 4:00pm
Central Time
All signs point to a challenging picture for the career opportunities of young adults. With a collapse in parts of the youth labor market, massive gaps between the demand and supply for internships, and major disruptions to the entry-level, white-collar job market, it is becoming harder for young adults to launch a career. If the first rungs of the career ladder disappear, the immediate consequences will affect an entire generation of young people, but what follows could also become a talent development pipeline crisis for employers and the broader economy.
Higher education cannot solve these labor market disruptions alone, but it can play a critical role in helping students navigate them. By expanding internships and work-integrated learning, strengthening employer partnerships, embedding career preparation into the curriculum, and creating new ways for students to gain meaningful experience, institutions can give students a stronger leg up in an otherwise difficult job market. This plenary will examine both the forces narrowing early-career opportunities and the practical steps colleges and universities can take to build more accessible, resilient pathways from college to career.
Brandon Busteed