ABSTRACT

In the previous chapter we thought through what is perhaps the most critical academic issue for many students. The worries about assessment particularly come to a head in the final year, and there are clearly a number of other matters that press hard on final-year students. In particular, of course, the rather large question of what they will do for the rest of their lives! As staff we are likely to be involved in supporting these students as they think through these developments. Our involvement may be peripheral if we are only meeting them in teaching situations, but it may be more significant if we are personal tutors. Even if we are only involved as teaching staff there are things we need to keep in mind. There has, perhaps understandably, been far more attention paid in academic circles to the ‘first-year experience’ than to the transitional stage that students experience at the end of their university lives (perhaps with the exception of the focus on final assessment). Often the approach to this ‘final stage’ has been simply to ‘send’ students to the careers service. However, approaches are changing. Student employment services are generally extremely keen to embed their work into the curriculum at the earliest stage possible and not to be a mere adjunct at the end. See, for example, the suggestions on the Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) network on this (www.gees.ac.uk/pubs/planet/index.htm #PSE1). Although this information is aimed at academics in the GEES and related disciplines, the principles and implications are transferable. For our institutions, the policy, practical implications and the responsibility

For some of the students we have focused on in this volume, the issues may be even more complex. If you are a mature student with childcare responsibilities or if you are a disabled student, job opportunities may seem more restricted. If you are an international student it may be more difficult to find employment while not in your home country. The Careers and Student Employment (CaSE) website at the University of Westminster is one of a number that offer specific webpage support for such students. (See their FuSION equality and diversity website: www.wmin.ac.uk/ page-886.) This site has specific links headed: women; mature students; ethnic minority students; disabled students; students with previous convictions; gay, lesbian and bisexual students; class issues; religion and belief; and transsexuals.