ABSTRACT
Work-related learning is becoming an increasingly important feature of studying at degree level. Relatively few university students now participate in higher education with little or no regard for future employment. The costs of higher education are such that many students need some paid employment to help finance their studies and will often be motivated in part by the belief that a degree will help them to secure some interesting and well-paid work in the future. A degree in itself, however, is no longer enough to gain access to graduate-level work. Graduates often find that they have to prove not only that they have the qualifications necessary for graduate-level work but that they also have the skills, attributes and awareness necessary to secure employment at that level. Work-related learning can help students to develop their understanding of the world of work and to recognise their own abilities. This development can take place through internships, working on voluntary sector projects or through learning to reflect upon their current part-time employment. Regardless of where students gain their experiences of work, it is important that they learn from these experiences and start to develop awareness of their skills, interests and capabilities. For students in the social sciences, this can sometimes be challenging. Although students studying such subjects as Sociology, Politics, Psychology and Criminology are not generally training for a particular career, such degrees are packed with transferable skills and, given the opportunity to explore these, students studying the social sciences can leave university with plenty to offer a wide range of employers. This book seeks to illustrate to students studying the social sciences the benefits of studying work, of reflecting upon their own abilities and of enhancing their own employability.
