Extracting & Embedding Employability
CELPiE’s 2026/27 CPD project will focus on employability and how we can best articulate and showcase the employability value that already exists within our curricula. We recognise that students develop a wide range of valuable knowledge and skills through studying with us. Our focus is on strategies that allow staff to help students readily identify these capabilities and articulate them confidently.
We want to support staff in reflecting on their current provision, identifying where employability-related knowledge and attributes are already being developed, and ensuring that these are communicated clearly to students. These resources will provide approaches for colleagues who wish to strengthen employability-focused aspects of their teaching.
On this page, you will find a curated selection of professional development tools and training resources focused on embedding and extracting employability in our teaching and assessment practices. These materials are designed to support educators, enrich teaching practices, and promote ongoing professional growth.
Explore the links below to engage with the tools and resources. They include:
Podcast Series
Learning from the Sector
St Andrews Staff Blogs
Events
The Annual CPD Prize for Educators
If you have suggestions for additional content, please contact the Associate Deans (Education).
Podcasts
Coming soon…
Learning from the Sector
UCL’s Inclusive Employability Toolkit – Designed and trialled through a Collaborative Enhancement Project supported and funded by the QAA, our Inclusive Employability Toolkit supports educators, and careers professionals to embed inclusive careers and employability in the curriculum.
Kate Daubney’s work on Embedding Employability – Kate has developed two influential approaches in higher education careers and employability: a model for embedding employability in the curriculum – translating academic learning into employer-valued outcomes (Daubney, 2021) – and a structured framework for careers learning gain (Cobb (ed), 2019).
The Embedding Employability in Higher Education Collaborative Project -The project explored employability competencies and their alignment with curricula in ways that engage both students and educators, using LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) as a structured yet creative and participatory method to foster reflection and a deeper understanding of employability.
The Framework for Embedding Employability in Higher Education – It serves as a guiding tool to integrate employability principles into institutional, educator and student practice.
Embedding Employability in the Curriculum – This older guide highlights key considerations for embedding employability within higher education curricula. It does not prescribe a single approach but instead offers practical guidance to help educators strengthen employability in ways that are appropriate to their specific educational settings.
St Andrews Employability Strategy
Developing a shared language for work-related and work-based learning
As part of the Employability Strategy Implementation Group, colleagues from across the University have been working to develop a Terminology Guide that will support constructive conversations about the wide range of opportunities available to students to engage with the world of work. The guide is intended to provide a common language that can be used across Schools and Professional Services, helping to ensure greater consistency when designing, discussing and promoting these opportunities.
Staff Blogs
University of St Andrews staff have provided a series of blogs regarding their teaching practive with respect to employability. These can be accessed through the link below
https://celpie.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/tag/employability
These are updated on a regular basis. If you would like to contribute a blog, please reach out to the Associate Dean Education (Science) at [email protected].
Events
Coming soon…
The Annual CPD Award
This award recognises and celebrates excellence in teaching and learning practice that meaningfully incorporates an annually designated CPD theme. The 2027 theme is “Extracting & Embedding Employability”. This award aims to encourage creativity, innovation, and reflective practice in teaching, while promoting the integration of contemporary pedagogical ideas and learning experiences that enhance student engagement and success. As part of this recognition, the annual prize winner will be awarded £500 to their class grant account. This can be used to support a range of academic and professional development activities. Please also note that the award text may also be repurposed as supporting evidence for an HEA Fellowship application, particularly in demonstrating your commitment to enhancing teaching practice and engaging in scholarly professional development.
Scope of the Award
Each year, the award will focus on a specific CPD pedagogical theme. Staff must demonstrate how they have integrated this theme into their teaching practice or curriculum. This prize is open to all lecturing and teaching staff (individuals or teams) including PGRs who teach, involved in undergraduate or postgraduate teaching at St Andrews. The award encourages novel approaches that demonstrate creativity and originality in embedding the annual theme into teaching and learning. Emphasis should be placed on how the incorporation of the CPD theme has positively impacted students’ learning experiences, engagement, or outcomes. Consideration should be given to how the approach, or innovation could be shared, adapted, or scaled across other disciplines or teaching contexts within or beyond the institution. Applicants should provide evidence of the effectiveness of their approach, such as student feedback, peer review, reflective analysis, learning analytics data, or outputs. The award should support and reflect St Andrews’ teaching and learning strategy, values, and overarching priorities.
Judging Criteria
The extent to which the annual CPD theme has been meaningfully incorporated into curriculum design, teaching practice, or assessment.
Evidence of creativity, innovation, or new approaches that enhance learning and teaching.
Evidence of critical reflection on the process, challenges, and outcomes of implementing the theme, including consideration of how feedback, dialogue, and collaboration with students informed practice and decision-making.
The potential for the innovation to be sustained, transferred to other disciplines, or adapted by others.
Evidence of effectiveness and impact, for example, presenting appropriate data, evidence of collaboration, feedback, or transferability across or beyond your discipline.
Application Questions
- How have you meaningfully integrated this year’s CPD theme into your curriculum design, teaching practice, or assessment methods? (Please provide specific context and examples.)
- What creative, innovative, or new approaches have you implemented to enhance learning and teaching, and how have students been involved in informing, shaping, or co-creating these approaches? (Describe the approach and explain how it differs from conventional practice.)
- Reflecting on your implementation of the CPD theme, what challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them? (Critically reflect on the insights have you gained from this process, and how it has influenced your practice?)
- How could your innovation be sustained over time or adapted for use in other disciplines or contexts? (Include any evidence of or plans for broader applicability.)
- What evidence do you have of the effectiveness and impact of your initiative? (You may include data, feedback, collaboration outcomes, or examples of transferability across or beyond your discipline.)
Supporting Evidence
Applicants may include:
- Examples of pedagogical research underpinning your design
- Examples of teaching materials or curriculum design
- Student testimonials or feedback summaries
- Peer observations or reviews
- Reflective statements on practice
Evidence of dissemination, such as presentations, workshops, or publications
Administration
The Judging Panel will consist of CPD Team colleagues and either the President of Education from the Student Union or the PGT President.
As this is a single-cycle award with no subsequent application years, the panel will not be providing individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
The award deadline is 14th May 2027 at 12 noon. The award will be presented at the CELPiE conference in June 2027 – exact date TBC.
Apply
The Application Link will be available here in due course