ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some aspects of transnational education (TNE) programmes, with particular reference to employability. It identifies the limited nature of existing research on the development of employability skills in transnational programmes. Employability skills go by a range of names, including transferable, soft, generic, or transversal skills, and relate to generic personal and interpersonal qualities which are independent of the field of study. A number of reports for the International Education Association of Australia have emphasised the importance of engaging all stakeholders, universities, students, and employers in employability issues, particularly for international students. The motivations of TNE students largely fit within “positional/transformative dimensions”, where positional motivation is more directly work or job-related and transformative is more geared towards personal development. Quality assurance for UK institutions providing TNE requires that they offer learning and development, academically and through other experiences, comparable to those within programmes at the home campus.
