Considering the Shift in Lecturer Roles as Key Skills and Competencies are Fostered in Higher Education Students Today

<p>The need to develop the skills in students for smooth progression from higher education into employment are even more important in today’s economic climate. Students need to be increasingly adaptable and entrepreneurial in their ability to locate and create employment opportunities. Consequently, efforts are afoot throughout the higher education sector to develop measures to ‘broaden the curriculum’ addressing the holistic development of the student. In an attempt to prepare these students to manage their work and learning throughout all stages of their lives, lecturers now recognise the importance of fostering key skills and competencies. However, supporting and implementing these measures necessitates a shift in the academic and professional role of lecturers. This paper considers this shift in roles, illustrated through an institutional initiative ‘Get Smart!’, designed to develop personal and professional key skills, and close the loop between students perception of the fit between self, programme and career.</p>