Introduction
The aim of this assignment is to enable you to demonstrate your academic skills at post-graduate level, within a given research topic. In addition, you will demonstrate reflection upon the skills used to engage with this research topic in order to produce an academic essay. Submissions will be supported by evidence using the Harvard reference system.
The assignment consists of two key elements: an academic essay on a given topic that is supported by appropriate and correct references and a portfolio of professional practice.
Assignment
There is growing evidence to suggest that young people in the UK do not possess the skills needed to successfully gain employment. This worrying emerging trend has been the topic of several recent reports and the subject of discussion in many newspapers and journals.
The British Chamber of Commerce, in their 2014 survey of 3,000 firms, found nine out of ten school leavers were not ready for employment and more than half of the firms said it was the same with graduates.
A similar survey of 291 companies employing 1.5 million people, carried out in 2014 by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), found almost two thirds (61%) expressed concern at the lack of resilience and poor self-management of school leavers.
This is in addition to poor attitude towards work and a lack of basic skills such as communication (BBC, 2014). Both surveys cited their concerns that young people demonstrated little knowledge of careers and lacked work experience. By contrast, nearly all firms (96%) were satisfied with young people’s IT abilities when they enter the workplace, according to the CBI (2014).
According to Graeme Paton (2014), Education Editor of the Telegraph newspaper:
“Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show the majority of students in UK education establishments are completing higher education courses without good levels of literacy and that just a quarter of UK graduates had top-level reading and writing skills compared with at least a third of those in some other developed nations such as Japan, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia.”
The situation, warns BBC (2014), is that many businesses in the UK are taking the view that hiring a young person is a ‘risky’ move and this contributes to the already high levels of youth unemployment in the country. It is suggested (ibid, 2014) that “successive governments [and schools, colleges and universities] have failed our young people by not properly equipping them for their future careers”.
Sources:
BBC (2014), Young people lack workplace skills, firms say in survey, http://www.bbc.co.uk accessed 13/10/14
British Chamber of Commerce (2014), Skills and Employment Manifesto, British Chamber of Commerce, London
CBI (2014), Changing the Pace: CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Survey 2013, Pearson International, London
Paton.G (2014), OECD: UK graduates ‘lacking high-level literacy skills’, The Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk, accessed 13/10/14
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Study Skills for Postgraduate Learning © NCC Education Limited 2015
Task 1 – 40 Marks
Academic essay
You are required to effectively research the topic given in the assignment brief above to produce an academic essay on the topic below:
Consider what skills young people in the UK should be developing to prepare them for employment and structure an argument explaining how schools, colleges and universities could equip young people with these skills.
The essay must demonstrate critical reading and writing, using a range of sources to demonstrate your research skills (which should be correctly referenced). Furthermore, the essay must be well presented, making use of appropriate structure to support arguments so that meaning is conveyed effectively. The recommended word count for this task is 1400 words, excluding the reference list.
In preparation for the essay you should make use of a concept map and also a project plan to outline your intentions to plan and manage the project – this will be expected as evidence for Task 2 below.
Task 2 – 55 Marks
Portfolio of professional practice
You are required to submit a portfolio demonstrating reflection of the skills that you have accumulated and exercised in Task 1. You must consider the skills that you have developed and used, and the extent to which they need further development. Self-reflection and honesty are critical to this task. The portfolio must include the following aspects and the recommended word count is 1600 words.
a) A concept map, outlining the interrelated dimensions forming structure to your research. (10 marks)
b) A project/research plan outlining your plan to manage Task 1 – consider time allocated to research, evaluation and synthesis, and writing up. Clearly outline intended activities, time allocated and deadlines imposed for completion. (15 marks)
c) A reflective journal, outlining your experiences whilst following your project plan – consider what skills you used, how they were used and if this was effective use. Also, consider where you perhaps encountered problems and explain how you overcame them as part of the project management process. (15 marks)
d) A skills audit – list the skills you feel you would need/like to develop further and consider how you might achieve this, taking into account your individual learning style. (15 marks)
Task 3 – 5 Marks
Referencing
Marks will be awarded for correct referencing, making use of the Harvard reference system.
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Study Skills for Postgraduate Learning © NCC Education Limited 2015
Guidance
Complete all the tasks in order. Consult with your tutor if you are uncertain about any aspect of the assignment.
Submission requirements
A word-processed document containing all material for presentation, including the academic essay and portfolio of professional practice.
The word count is 3000 words, not including the appendices.
The document should be properly structured with a bibliography (online and literature sources) and appendices (where necessary). Refer to the Assignment Presentation Requirements on Campus for more information (see front cover).
Produce clear and specific reasoning to justify answers.
An electronic copy of the document must be submitted to NCC Education by email using this address: level7assessments@nccedu.com
Work containing viruses, or work that cannot be run directly, will result in a fail grade being awarded for this assessment.
Candidate checklist
Please use the following checklist to ensure that your work is ready for submission.
Have you read the NCC Education documents ‘What is Academic Misconduct? Guidance for Candidates’ and ‘Avoiding Plagiarism and Collusion: Guidance for Candidates’ and ensured that you have acknowledged all the sources that you have used in your work?
Have you completed the ‘Statement and Confirmation of Own Work’ form and attached it to your assignment? You must do this.
Have you ensured that your work has not gone over or under the recommended word count by more than 10%?
Have you ensured that your work does not contain viruses and can be run directly?
