Promoting graduate employability through the provision of co-curricular and extra-curricular supports to enable students to develop key skills sought by employers in the contemporary workplace
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN15548236 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN15548236 |
- Submission date
- 27/11/2020
- Registration date
- 08/12/2020
- Last edited
- 04/01/2021
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims:
Transform-EDU is a three-year project. Employers are increasingly seeking graduates with a rounded skill set that includes both relevant technical knowledge and a broad range of social and emotional skills. The contemporary graduate is expected to join multi-professional teams and may work across a number of time zones and with a diverse range of clients and co-workers. Therefore, skills such as adaptability, stress management and having a positive outlook are highly valued, yet employers report such skills are often lacking amongst new entrants. Therefore, this project proposes to develop and test an innovative approach to learning, where elements of structured programmes and extra-curricular events are purposefully integrated to create a rich learning environment. The primary goal of this study is to ensure that graduates possess the specific skills that are required in the modern workplace, which will lead to increased levels of graduate employability.
Who can participate:
Students of Technological University Dublin
What does the study involve:
Within the Transform-EDU project, one part involves developing training modules and workshops that will enable students to enhance their social and emotional competencies. Therefore graduate will develop skills associated with employability and career success in their discipline. These will be made available to students throughout their programmes of study. Modules designated for Year 1 of study will focus on promoting self-awareness, intercultural awareness, and stress management. In Year 2 of study, learners will be offered group-based programme/discipline-specific emotional intelligence coaching workshops. In the final year of study, students will be offered a work-readiness module, with a practical focus to enable them to demonstrate mastery of key skills for employment. Learning events will include employer–delivered seminars and workshops. Learners will also receive coaching in CV and interview preparation, and mock competency-based interviews with employers.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?:
The possible benefits of participating are that students may develop key skills associated with employability and thus boost their chances of employment after they graduate. Participants may also develop skills that will improve their ability to manage stress and their level of wellbeing. It is also possible that improved stress management and wellbeing may in turn lead to improved academic grades.
Possible risks include increased anxiety as a consequence of focusing on personal issues that may surface during workshops. College counsellors are aware that this study will be taking place and will be available should students need to speak to them.
Where is the study run from?:
The Research Centre For Psychology, Education And Emotional Intelligence (PEEI) at on the Blanchardstown Campus of Technological University Dublin (Ireland)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?:
From February 2020 to August 2021
Who is funding the study?:
The Higher Education Authority Of Ireland (HEA) (Ireland)
Who is the main contact?:
Dr Aiden Carthy
aiden.carthy@tudublin.ie
Contact information
Public
Technological University Dublin
PO Box G9
Blanchardstown Road North
Dublin
D15 YV78
Ireland
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-4153-7889 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +353-1-8851117 |
| aiden.carthy@tudublin.ie |
Scientific
Technological University Dublin
PO Box G9
Blanchardstown Road North
Dublin
D15 YV78
Ireland
| ORCID ID |
0000-0002-4153-7889 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +353-1-8851117 |
| aiden.carthy@tudublin.ie |
Study information
| Study design | Multicenter interventional cross-sectional quasi-experimental design |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | School |
| Study type | Quality of life |
| Participant information sheet | ISRCTN15548236_PIS_Study1.docx |
| Scientific title | The Transformative Student-centred Learning Record |
| Study acronym | Transform-EDU |
| Study objectives | 1. Study one: the provision of mindfulness coaching to first-year university students will lead, on average, to improved levels of mindfulness, and will lead, on average, to increased grade point averages. 2. Study two: the provision of emotional intelligence coaching to second-year university students will lead, on average, to improved levels of emotional intelligence, and will lead, on average, to increased grade point averages. 3. Study three: Irish employers will consider, on average, that TU Dublin final-year students have high levels of work-related social and emotional skills, and state that they are more likely to hire TU Dublin graduates than students graduating from other third-level institutions, based on the level of social and emotional skills they demonstrate at mock interviews. The provision of employability coaching to final year TU Dublin University students will lead, on average, to increased grade point averages. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 01/09/2020, Technological University Dublin Blanchardstown Campus Ethics Committee (Blanchardstown Road North, D15 YV78, Republic Of Ireland; +353-1-8851068; pat.oconnor@tudublin.ie) |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Promotion of social and emotional skills development as a means of enhancing graduate employability |
| Intervention | The primary goal of this study is to ensure that graduates possess the specific social and emotional skills that are required in the modern workplace, which will lead to increased levels of graduate employability. Training modules and workshops will be made available to students throughout their programmes of study. Each training module will be five weeks in duration and consist of a one hour workshop, once per week. The module designated for Year 1 of study will focus on promoting self-awareness, intercultural awareness, and stress management. In Year 2 of study, learners will be offered group-based programme/discipline-specific Emotional intelligence (EI) coaching workshops. In the final year of study, students will be offered a work-readiness module, with a practical focus to enable them to demonstrate mastery of key skills for employment. Participation in all workshops will be on a voluntary basis. First year students, who participate in mindfulness workshops, will have their levels of mindfulness and stress measured both pre and post attendance at the mindfulness workshops by the Brief Resilience Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale. Students who attend second year modules for group EI coaching will have their EI assessed prior to engagement and once again after they have completed any coaching modules they participate in and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) will be employed for this purpose. With respect to employability, final year students will be invited to attend workshops that will focus on the development of key social and emotional skills related to the work environment such as teamworking and effective communication. Students will then be invited to mock competency-based interviews that will be delivered by key employers in their chosen area of study. Employability will be assessed by asking employers who deliver interviews to rate students ‘as if’ they were applying for positions in their firms. Focus groups will take place with students from all years to assess their experiences of attending the coaching sessions. For all participants, students GPA’s will also be tracked to see if participation in coaching has an impact on academic attainment (it should be noted that this is not a primary aim of the study but may form the basis for a secondary, smaller study arising from this one). |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Mindfulness measured using the Brief Resilience Scale at baseline and 6 weeks 2. Stress measured using the Perceived Stress Scale at baseline and 6 weeks 3. Emotional intelligence measured using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) at baseline and 6 weeks 4. Employability measured by employers who will rate the social and emotional skills that students display at mock interviews and indicate whether they would employ them or not were the interviews for actual positions at their firms at 6 weeks |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Academic achievement measured using grade point averages (GPA) collected for participating students and compared to the average GPA for their student cohort at the end of each academic year |
| Overall study start date | 01/02/2020 |
| Completion date | 31/08/2021 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 282 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Registered student at Technological University Dublin 1.1. Study one: first year students of Technological University Dublin 1.2. Study two: second year students of Technological University Dublin 1.3. Study three: final year students of Technological University Dublin |
| Key exclusion criteria | Does not meet inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/11/2020 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/03/2021 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Ireland
Study participating centres
Dublin
D15 YV78
Ireland
Talllaght
Dublin
D24 FK29
Ireland
Dublin
D07 EWV4
Ireland
Sponsor information
University/education
Blanchardstown Road North
Dublin
D15 YV78
Ireland
| Phone | +353-1-8851000 |
|---|---|
| sid@tudublin.ie | |
| Website | www.tudublin.ie |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/04t0qbt32 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- Higher Education Authority, Government of Ireland, Irish Higher Education Authority, An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas, HEA
- Location
- Ireland
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/12/2021 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Other |
| Publication and dissemination plan | As there are several connected studies that are being conducted, it is hoped that results will be published in one or more high-impact peer-reviewed journals. It is also anticipated that results will be presented at one or more international conferences. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study during this study will be included in the subsequent results publication. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | 04/01/2021 | No | Yes | ||
| Participant information sheet | 04/01/2021 | No | Yes |
Additional files
- ISRCTN15548236_PIS_Study1.docx
- Uploaded 04/01/2021
- ISRCTN15548236_PIS_Study2.docx
- Uploaded 04/01/2021
Editorial Notes
04/01/2021: The participant information sheet has been uploaded.
02/12/2020: Trial’s existence confirmed by the Higher Education Authority Innovation and Transformation Programme.
