Teaching and Learning > DOCUMENTS

Self-Employability in Theology and Religious Studies Project

Jan Sumner

Whilst working on a project looking at how the issue of employability was being addressed within Theology and Religious Studies (TRS) Schools and Departments in a number of Higher Education institutions, I noticed that, not unnaturally, the greater part of the employability policies seemed to be geared towards students seeking future employment within existing companies, and that there was little advice available for students who may wish to become self-employed and set up their own businesses, or for those students who may be making a career break, seeking to make the change from being employed to becoming self-employed. Therefore it is important that TRS students, both current and prospective, who may be considering starting their own businesses are aware that the necessary subject-specific and generic skills needed for self-employability are embedded in curricula of the courses on offer to them. This is particularly true in the current economic climate, where 'portfolio working' appears to be on the increase, and companies are outsourcing more work to self-employed professionals. It is also important that self-employability skills continue to be developed throughout degree courses, so that when they graduate, TRS students wishing to become self-employed and start their own businesses are equipped with the skills they need to help them achieve their goals.

In April 2008, I was commissioned by the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies (SC for PRS) to carry out a project on Self-employability in TRS. The point of the project, which ran from May 2008 until the end of November 2008, was twofold: firstly to carry out an audit of existing self-employability facing elements within the curricula of core TRS Schools and Departments nationwide, to ascertain whether these Schools/Departments have such elements in their curricula. Secondly, to contact National funding bodies, such as the Prince's Trust or the Arts Council of Great Britain to ascertain what business start-up funding is available for students who wish to become self-employed, and how to apply for such funding by providing the relevant information. As well as the above, I looked into 'what is out there already' in terms of literature, CDs and websites which offer help and guidance on self-employment for TRS students wanting to become self-employed. In this report, I will begin by outlining my methodology, I will then outline the results of the audit, and draw a series of conclusions that are based on the results of the audit and my wider research. I will then introduce a case study which illustrates good practice in self-employability skills provision in TRS. Finally, I will provide a list of resources for tutors and students who are interested in self-employability in the context of TRS.

1. The Audit

The audit was adapted to suit the requirements of the 'Self-employability in Theology and Religious Studies' project from the original which was designed by the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Bioscience, University of Leeds.

The purpose of carrying out the audit was to establish whether self-employability facing elements exist within the current curricula of the core TRS Schools and Departments nationwide; that is whether these schools and departments are engaged in activities aimed at the development of subject-specific and generic skills necessary for students who are thinking of or may wish to become self-employed.

A copy of the audit was sent to each of the core TRS Schools and Departments on the list provided by the SC for PRS by the end of June, in the hope of catching members of the academic staff and getting the audit completed before their Schools/ Departments closed for the summer. Due to the poor response to the initial mailings, it was decided to re-send the audit to all those Schools/Departments who had not responded at the beginning of October, this time using an official SC for PRS email address, to preclude the emails being 'spammed'.

Self-employability in TRS Audit

How to use the Self-Employability Audit

An audit is a good way to initiate discussion and development on an issue. In the case of the self-employability project, an audit will:

The audit should be carried out with respect to the totality of provision of self-employability facing elements within the course(s). The numeric scoring system allows for a situation where an issue might be addressed but only superficially or at an inappropriate point in a module. Only score 4 if you believe the course optimally deals with the audit point.

With each of the aspects allocate a score of 0-4 for each of the audit questions. Score 0 if the audit point has not been seriously considered at all, if the audit point is considered to be satisfied poorly (1), partially (2), adequately (3), or optimally (4).

1. Graduate Self-employment

  Score
1a. Have any of your current students been self-employed?  
1b. Have any of your current students considered self-employment?
1c. Do any recent graduates who are self-employed visit to talk about their experience?  
1d. Are students made aware of how to obtain information and advice on becoming self-employed?  
1e. Are students aware at an early stage of the course related self-employment opportunities open to them?  

2. Career-path development

  Score
2a. Are students explicitly taught career management skills?  
2b. Are the career profiles of self-employed graduates available to students?  
2c. Do recent graduates who are self-employed visit to talk about their career path?  
2d. Do more senior graduates who are self-employed visit to talk about their experiences of running their own business?  

3. Does your curriculum promote self-employability?

  Score
3a. Are students' entrepreneurial skills encouraged?  
3b. Are generic skills (e.g. presentational & interpersonal skills, communication, IT) explicitly taught  
3c. Are generic skills assessed?  
3d. Are subject-specific skills taught (e.g. empathy with other religious viewpoints, the ethical and cultural implications of particular religious or theological claims) and practised (e.g. skills in critical and constructive argument)?  
3e. Are subject-specific skills assessed?  
3f. Can students tailor the contents of their course to their perceived needs through their choice of modules?  
3g. Are the appropriate professional aptitudes for being self-employed developed and discussed explicitly with students?  
3h. Are self-employability related learning activities within the course (e.g. extracurricular activities) made explicit to students?  

4. Are students helped in developing their own businesses?

  Score
4a. Is student reflection on achievements promoted within the course?  
4b. Is a 'Record of Achievement' maintained throughout the course?  
4c. Are students aware of the possibilities for setting up religion and theology related businesses?  
4d. Are students made aware of opportunities to set up businesses generally?  
4e. Are students made aware of the business start-up loans and grants that are available and can be applied for from national funding bodies such as Business Link and the Arts Council?  
4f. Do students get help with applying for business start-up funding for their proposed businesses?  
4g. Do your students get help with CV writing?  

5. Options for self-employability related work experience

  Score
5a. Are work experience opportunities provided for students during vacations?  
5b. Are work experience/placements which are available outside your specific discipline advertised in your department/school?  
5c. Are work experience/placements outside your specific discipline encouraged by your department/school?  
5d. Are realistic case studies used in your department/school to give students experience of real work situations?  
5e. Is overseas work experience available to students in your department/school?  
5f. If overseas work experience is available to students in your department, are students encouraged by departmental staff to take advantage of such opportunities?  
5g. Do you know what proportion of students on your course have obtained work experience before graduation? (0=don't know; 1=<5%; 2=5% to 20%; 3=205 to 50%; 4=>50%)  

6. Extracurricula activity

  Score
6a. Is the role which extra curricula activity can play in the development of self-employability skills explained to students early in the course?  
6b. Are students advised on the types of extracurricula activities which would be most valuable for the development of self-employability skills?  
6c. Do your students record their extracurricula activities and responsibilities?  
6d. Are these extracurricula activities known to course tutors?  

7. General

  Score
7a. Is there an effective relationship between your department/school tutors and your Careers Service?  
7b. Do you know the name of the Careers-Advisor associated with your subject?  
7c. Is the Careers-Advisor aware of the self-employment funding opportunities available to students from the various national funding bodies?  
7d. Do you encourage students to become self-employed?  
7e. Has your department/school given thought to self-employability in the context of disability?  
7f. Has your department/school given thought to self-employability in the context of ethnicity?  

Results of the Audit1

47 TRS departments/schools were invited to complete the audit; 16 responded to the invitation. Of the 16 responses received, 12 were completed audits (one was completed incorrectly and is therefore void), and the remaining 4 were from TRS Schools/Departments who explicitly stated that they did not wish to participate. This represents an overall response of 36%. Although the information gathered from the 12 completed audits is limited and cannot be assumed to be representative of the other TRS Schools and Departments contacted who did not take part, it does give us more of an indication of whether the question of self-employability is being addressed within the curricula than we have had heretofore. The audit has a numeric scoring system; (0) when the point has not been considered at all, (1) poor, incomplete consideration of the point (2) partial consideration of the point, (3) adequate consideration of the point, and (4) optimal consideration of the point. One can see from the spreadsheet (see Appendix) the sections that score the highest and those which score the lowest.

Results of the analysis of the data collected from the completed audits:

Conclusion

Although the overall response to the audit was disappointing, analysis of the data received enables the following conclusions about self-employability skills provision in UK TRS schools and departments to be reached:

This audit of self-employability skills in TRS schools/departments is the first of its kind, and has proved to be a very useful resource for gauging whether the question of self-employment is being addressed within the curricula of these departments. The audit could be adapted and used by TRS schools/departments for self-assessment, i.e., to provide pointers with regard to their self-employability skills provision for students. Indeed, 'higher education can help students develop an entrepreneurial cast of mind, to appreciate some of the practicalities of an entrepreneurial life and take the first steps to self-employment.' (Moreland, 2006:5)

Although it appears that self-employability skills provision in TRS departments in the UK is somewhat irregular, there are some examples of good practice which will be of interest to TRS departments who would like to develop their provision. One such is the work being done at the Study of Religions and Philosophy and Ethics Department, Bath Spa University.

Case Study: Study of Religions and Philosophy and Ethics Department, School of Historical and Cultural Studies, Bath Spa University

www.bathspa.ac.uk/schools/historical-and-cultural-studies/study-of-religions

In November 2008, I interviewed the Head of Department and one of the senior lecturers at Religions and Philosophy and Ethics at Bath Spa about how staff in the department are encouraged to engage with the question of self-employment, and about the generic and subject-specific skills which are embedded in the modules on offer to their students. I also asked them how students in their department are able to develop these skills, and what sort of support is available to them if they wish to become self-employed and start their own business. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I was unable to interview any of the students; I was also unable to ascertain whether any of the recent Study of Religions graduates had become self-employed, because this information was not available at the time.

Students

Personal Development Plan All first year students at the University are required to do a PDP, which is now done through 'epars'(Electronic Personal Academic Record) on Minerva, the University's Virtual Learning Environment. PDPs are developed during meetings, held three times a year, between students and their personal tutors, who are based in the subject. The point of these meetings is to allow students to discuss their progress, which includes activities related to career development and self-employment, with their personal tutors. The PDP/epars is designed to develop skills such as time management, self management, and awareness of life-long learning.

School Employability Framework forms are designed to point out to students the particular employability skills which each of the modules they are taking promotes and develops. The forms are divided into sections such as career development, work experience, research skills, team working, business skills and innovation.

Each module has its own pages on Minerva, the University's Virtual Learning Environment. They include an Employability page with an annotated version of the School of Historical and Cultural Studies Employability Framework indicating which generic and module specific employability skills are included in the module. These skills are defined in general terms, but, in addition, are differentiated to describe different levels of attainment.

Contemporary Spiritualities This module explores the concepts of spirituality and personal empowerment as increasingly relevant to success and health in the workplace. It also looks at New Age and alternative businesses such as those found in Glastonbury, which have been identified as possible career opportunities. This module also looks at alternative business ethics as found in Glastonbury and other 'alternative spirituality' movements such as the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order 'right livelihood' collectives. Many of the businesses in Glastonbury are run by people who are self-employed, which makes this particular module of interest to students who may be thinking of starting a religion related/based business. The particular employability skills embedded in this module are listed in the module handbook and are discussed with the students in the seminars, and include; problem solving, subject skills and team work.

Religion and the Locality This module requires students to complete a research project on the religious scene in Bath and South West Region (including Avebury, Bristol, Glastonbury Stonehenge and Wells). The module looks at relevant issues such as concepts of locality and religion in Diaspora. Research projects may concentrate on a specific religious group such as the Muslims in Bath, or a particular place of worship, or cross-religious themes such as pilgrimage or tourism and heritage. This module involves working with the local community and thus develops students' abilities to liaise with community groups sensitively in order to bring their projects to a successful conclusion. The first assignment, a research plan, requires the students to write a mini-research bid, something that is clearly transferable to contexts outside academia. The employability skills embedded in this module are specified in the module handbook and outlined by the course tutor in the first seminar. The skills developed in this module include team working, problem solving, presentation skills, and interpersonal skills.

'Employability' module This module is compulsory for all second year Study of Religions students. This is a School of Historical and Cultural Studies-specific module and caters for all areas of employment including self-employment, entrepreneurship and enterprise. The module aims to allow students to develop their research into a career independently, some students are interested in being self-employed (a minority) and the module covers the skills and competencies being self-employed will require. The nine tutorials also provide guidance in what is required to become self-employed. This module will run in 2008/2009.

This module replaces last year's PAD (Personal and Academic Development) which had a session for those intending to enter self-employment. Students were required to do work placements, these varied from starting a Martial Arts business to assisting a self employed peripatetic music teacher.

Second Year Placements In their second year all Study of Religions students are required to undertake a compulsory week long placement within a religious community of their choice. On their return, each student writes a report on their experiences and gives a presentation about their placement to the rest of their group. These placements encourage the students to put into practice skills which they have been developing in modules such as those I have mentioned, including interpersonal skills, organisational skills, and an awareness of organisational cultures and report writing.

Bath Spa University Innovation Awards 2008 All students in the Study of Religions Department have been encouraged to take part in these awards. The winners receive awards of ranging from £1,500-£5,000 to help turn their ideas into business opportunities.

Staff

Staff Development Meetings are compulsory for the Head of Department. All the Study of Religions staff are invited, as are members of the Careers Service. The point of these meetings is to discuss all aspects of employability, including self-employment. The next scheduled meeting, at the time of writing, is entitled 'Refreshing the curriculum: staff development related to revalidation of the modular scheme', and includes discussion of employability and enterprise.

All the staff and students are encouraged to attend the annual Careers Fair which took place in November in 2008.

A copy of the SC for PRS' guide, 'Employability - Where next? Unlocking the potential of your theology or religious studies degree', is given to all students in the department.

2. What is already available?

What is already 'out there' in way of resources i.e. literature, CD-ROMs and website information for those TRS students who wish or may be considering the possibility of becoming self-employed? Most of the literature, websites and CD-ROMs that I have found are not subject-specific, but are rather general guides to self-employment and all that is involved. Two exceptions to this are the guides produced by the SC for PRS: 'Employability. Where next? Unlocking the potential of your theology or religious studies degree' and 'A Brief Guide to Employability in Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies.'

Below is a sample of some of the literature which exists on self-employability. Though they are not subject-specific, these titles are recommended on several Universities career services websites.

Literature

Guides

* Both these guides have a list of useful contacts telephone numbers and websites for the various Inland Revenue departments that deal with self-employment. They also include a form for registering as self-employed.

CD-ROMS

These are just two examples but all the main high street banks produce similar software.

Websites

These websites offer help and advice on becoming self-employed and starting your own business.

For general advice on self-employment:

Websites for women who want to start their own businesses:

A website for people who are 50+ and wish to be self-employed:

Websites offering help for people who are disabled and wish to set up their own business:

3. National Funding Bodies

Below is a list of National Funding Bodies that I have identified as being particularly useful to students/graduates who are thinking of becoming self-employed and starting their own business. Many of the funding bodies, such as The Prince's Trust, The Arts Council and Business Link, have regional or local branches and operate throughout the U.K.

* These sites may be more useful for Arts and Humanities students/graduates.

References

Appendix

Download the Excel spreadsheet containing the audit results.

Endnotes

  1. See Appendix for the results of the audit, displayed in a spreadsheet. All institutions which were invited to complete the audit are listed, and the responses from those who did so are indicated by the numbers in the grid. Blank spaces indicate that the institution declined to complete the audit.

This page was originally on the website of The Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies. It was transfered here following the closure of the Subject Centre at the end of 2011.

 

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The British Association for the Study of Religions
The Religious Studies Project