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Draws on previous research undertaken by the authors which examined the notion of graduate careers from the perspective of three stakeholders, namely students, higher education institutions and small businesses. Central to the research was the notion of transferable skills and qualities which provided a shared interest for all three stakeholders. Presents two models which suggest a role for HE in facilitating students’ career management. Provides some examples which illustrate how the models may be applied within HE institutions.

This paper provides an overview of the role and contribution of mentoring in the context of a degree programme in which students spend their second and third years in‐company. As well as describing the process within the context of the degree, the paper examines the particular mentoring design features. Of specific interest is the shared mentoring role of academic members of staff and in‐company managers, and the variety of roles adopted by each of them, including coacher, facilitator, networker, counsellor. In addition, the mentors share a role in assessing students’ work in relation to their skills development, focusing on transferable skills, namely: communication, teamworking, adaptability and leadership. This paper draws upon findings of primary research conducted with the mentoring teams that exist within the wide range of consortium companies that sponsor the second and third years of the degree programme and Nottingham Business School. The paper reports the perceived benefits of such a mentoring process for academic and practitioners working in partnership to support and enhance the students’ learning experience.

This final article in a series of three provides an interpretation of the research findings reported in the second article against the conceptual models described in the first. This provides support for the view that HEIs have a role in developing both “self‐awareness” and “opportunity awareness” within undergraduates to support their ability to demonstrate employability in a changing labour market. As part of this, a focus on providing opportunities to develop transferable skills through the curriculum of degree programmes is argued to be appropriate and some examples are given. Suggested actions for students and SMEs, as well as HEIs, are included to respond to the changing nature of graduate careers. Areas of further research are identified, and a conceptual model to inform such research is offered.

Reports the results of empirical research into the graduate recruitment and selection practices adopted by SMEs, and the skills being sought by employers in that sector. Describes in detail the research methods, which included interviews with large organisations to determine, alongside existing research, the extent of characteristics of SME graduate recruitment which might be particular to that sector. Findings and interpretations suggest that, in common with large organisations, SMEs value what are now termed transferable skills, although there are some differences of emphasis between the two sectors. There appears to be greater difference in the selection methods employed, though this is not as great or significant as might be expected or predicted. An important difference between the two sectors suggested by the research is the expectations placed on graduate recruits by employers in the two sectors. Unlike large employers which are more likely to provide graduate development programmes, SMEs expect an immediate contribution from graduate recruits. The implications of these similarities and differences will be explored in the final article of this series.

The first of a series of three articles examining the role of higher education in preparing graduates for “self‐managing” their careers, with particular reference to small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) as potential employers. Examines key trends in the graduate labour market, including the increasing numbers entering higher education (HE) and the possible consequences for graduate careers. Explores actual and potential responses by HE institutions and related implications for the curriculum of undergraduate programmes. Provides a brief review of career theory. This leads to presentation of a conceptual model to inform the notion of “self‐managed careers”, and examines associated knowledge and skills required for application of the model in practice. Prepares the ground for reporting the results of empirical research in the second article in the series.

This paper aims to explore the challenges and opportunities for expediting critical reflection in management education and development to highlight particularly how critical reflection has been facilitated within the context of a professionally focused doctoral programme.

The paper draws on empirical research conducted for a broader project, focusing here on two awaydays for DBA supervisors (n=25 in 2005 and n=16 in 2006) and a UFHRD workshop in 2007 (n=12) for members involved and/or interested in doctoral programmes in HRD, where the empirical research findings were presented and discussed. The paper presents selected findings from the perspective of staff through their own critical reflections, drawing on the data from the two awaydays and the UFHRD workshop. Detailed handwritten notes were taken and transcribed, in addition to flipchart material provided by the participants. These qualitative data are analysed using thematic analysis. The quotations presented are as accurate as possible (verbatim) and any ambiguous notes have been deliberately excluded.

Emerging findings include the need to clarify the concept for both staff and students, and embed critical reflection from the beginning of the programme and throughout written assignments. Insights into how staff perceive critical reflection within a DBA programme are offered, including how staff might assume (incorrectly) that advanced practitioners arrive with a high level of maturity to engage in critical reflection, and yet advanced practitioners “worry” about critique and perceive it as negative and/or failure.

It is acknowledged that the subjective experience of student participants is not central to this discussion, and, whilst a limitation of this paper, this presents an avenue for further research.

The paper presents a critical and reflexive account from a facilitator's perspective and offers practical suggestions for incorporating critical reflection within a DBA programme.

Given the dearth of literature of facilitating critical reflection in the context of professionally focused doctoral programmes, this paper makes a small and initial contribution to this field.

This paper aims to explore how teaching and assessing reflective learning skills can support postgraduate practitioners studying organisational change and explores the challenges for tutors in assessing these journals.

Assessment criteria were developed from the literature on reflective practice and organisational power and politics and mapped against the content of the journals to understand how and why students had benefited from keeping the journals. The extent to which they had engaged in “deep” learning was also assessed.

Tensions arose between giving students sufficient scope and designing appropriate assessment guidelines. Students submitted a wide variety and quality of journals; everything from a DVD, to a diary to a “standard” essay. Reflective journals were found to be an effective tool for students who are practitioners involved in organisational change through their capacity to promote deep rather than surface learning. An unintended outcome of the study was the recognition that reflective practice in postgraduate education supports the skills required to develop the “thinking performer”.

The study was small scale, and not retested.

The study has reinforced the significance of the link between thinking (critical reflection) and performing (workplace application), within organisational change. It has also demonstrated that non‐traditional forms of assessment have greater capacity to promote deep learning than do conventional essays, especially where students are not HR specialists yet are tasked with leading complex organisational change projects. Therefore the use of reflective journals could be extended to other postgraduate programmes with skill requirements in organisational change and management.

While there is now a growing body of literature on reflective practice, few studies exist which examine how learning journals are assessed, particularly for line managers. The analysis has encouraged further research into the development of critical reflection, the use and benefits of learning journals and more specifically, how educators can develop sufficiently robust assessment criteria for such journals.

Call it a vertical file, an information file, a pamphlet file, or give it any one of a number of more creative titles. Regardless of its name, this file is likely to be the place in your library that will offer the best and most workable storage for what are commonly called “ephemeral materials.” Such materials include pamphlets, documents, clippings or photocopies from newspapers or magazines, newsletters, annual reports, flyers, maps, charts, pictures, posters, or occasional sample periodicals, any or all of which may be relevant to your library's collection.