The Leeds integrated skills model

At the Learning in Law Annual Conference 2010, Neil Stanley (University of Leeds) presented an outline of an integrated skills learning environment developed within Leeds law school, its relationship to the wider ‘Leeds for Life’ university skills initiative and the impact these have had on students.

Download Neil’s full paper at the foot of this page.

Employers, especially law and law related, are showing an increasing demand for graduates with a wide range of skills and aptitudes enabling them to ‘hit the ground running’. One member of the Law Society Council expressed this need to Neil in the following terms: “We want students who can write”.

Neil’s paper outlined the Leeds model for enhancing student skills and improving employability, an integrated approach including a website, a bank of resources and numerous activities. He presented current arrangements in Leeds School of Law for the development of skills, in particular activities designed to support the transition from academically focused undergraduates to gainful employment, as well as exploring the Leeds for Life university skills initiative and highlighting some case studies assessing the impact of these initiatives on students.

The Leeds model of skills integration is one attempt to respond to the demands of employers for graduates who can be deployed immediately in a fee earning capacity and who both recognise and can deploy the particular suite of skills required by an employer. The model clearly has implications for the design of degree programmes (both law and non law) – should an increasing element of skills tuition be built into the formal curriculum or is it preferable to keep skills as a voluntary extra curricular activity?

Liz Polding (Oxford Institute of Legal Practice) reports:

The Leeds model creates a culture which ensures that students are in no doubt as to what they need to do to enhance their employment prospects.

Participants discussed the provision of support to students, in particular the amount of time and resources available, and the importance of ensuring that employability and skills are kept high on the agenda of universities and law schools.

In an increasingly competitive market a failure to meet student needs in this area is likely to mean that they vote with their feet and choose institutions offering them a better chance of securing good quality work on completion of their degree.

The Leeds team has brought the agenda of skills and employability very much to the fore and highlighted a key issue in the current market.

About Neil

Neil Stanley joined Leeds School of Law in 1993. He previously worked in a niche consultancy attached to a large commercial law firm for three years and prior to that spent 12 years in private practice. Neil teaches environmental law and torts and has research interests in planning, pollution and disasters.

Neil has particular interests in enquiry based learning and in student careers support. He was shortlisted for the Law Teacher of the Year award in 2007.

Last Modified: 9 July 2010