General transferable skills

Transcript of the report (1998) of the Law Discipline Network, one of several networks funded by the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) with the aim of disseminating and promoting good practice in the development of general transferable skills. The Law Discipline Network was led by John Bell and Jennifer Johnstone of the University of Leeds.

The term ‘general transferable skills’ is a label used to describe attributes of graduates that are not specific to the subject studied, but are abilities which they can use in a wider range of activities, both in employment and outside.

These are among the qualities which liberal higher education claims to foster. Yet in the current practice of higher education student learning activities and assessments are very often not explicit in the way they promote the development of these skills or help students to recognise and articulate their achievements.

The Law Discipline Network has been examining how law schools can assist their students to develop such skills as communication, problem solving, autonomy, teamwork, information technology, numeracy, and general intellectual skills, and to be able to present their achievements to a variety of different kinds of potential employer.

The key aims of the project were twofold:

1. To identify, disseminate and promote good practice in the express development of general transferable skills in both undergraduate and professional courses.
2. To articulate better the nature of the general transferable skills which are developed through these courses in order to enable students to present their learning achievements more effectively in the wider employment market.

These aims were realised through a number of specific activities:

• on the basis of a literature review and discussion in a core group working definitions of general transferable skills were developed as a basis for consultation
• through contacts with teaching coordinators in law schools a survey was undertaken of existing practice and approaches to the development of these general transferable skills
• a number of institutions presented more detailed summaries illustrating specific ways in which they promote general transferable skills at two workshops held in 1997
• the relevance of these skills to recent graduates was examined through a questionnaire to University of Leeds graduates of five years standing and through focus groups with trainee solicitors in Leeds, Sheffield and London
• a more developed statement of general transferable skills was produced in the form of outcome statements, together with ways in which students might demonstrate their achievements in these areas
• not all skills will be assessed specifically through grades in modules; other forms of accreditation are adopted in the sector On the whole, the report considers that processes such as the progress file, suggested in the Dearing Report, may be more widely used than either specific grades or GNVQs in key skills.

We hope that the report will stimulate further debate on programmes of study in law schools, as well as on standards.

Our thanks are due in particular to the members of the core group who gave up considerable amounts of time to directing the project and generating ideas. Steering group members contributed insights not only from the legal professions but also from accountancy (Rob Webb) and business (Malcolm Berwin). We benefited greatly from the contribution of these busy people to the direction of the project and to the workshops.

We are also grateful to the many colleagues from law schools and others who have contributed to the project’s activities and have helped us progress as far as we have.

This work was produced under contract from the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education and Employment or any government department.

Last Modified: 4 June 2010