Through study, assessment, group work, research, volunteering, societies, part-time jobs and placements, students build a wealth of transferable skills. Universities, for their part, such as those in the Russell Group, are doing more than ever to prepare students for work. But a challenge persists around whether students can recognise the skills they are developing and describe them to employers.
Across higher education, there is broad agreement that skills development is central to student success. The Russell Group’s recent briefing paper, “Developing work-ready graduates”, and Universities UK’s new Future Jobs Roadmap both show how employability is at the forefront of discussions about the value of university. Skills-based hiring is on the rise, and employers regularly cite communication, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability and critical thinking as essential for graduate roles; sometimes these skills are seen as more essential than subject-specific knowledge, as about 80 per cent of graduate-level roles are subject-agnostic.
Employers recognise our students are highly capable. However, we are consistently told that students struggle to articulate how their skills and experiences translate to the workplace.
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The development of a new shared skills language at the University of Glasgow has highlighted the importance of this translation process. Along with universities across the Russell Group, we are taking steps to help students understand what skills they are accruing, reflect on their self-development and present their relevant experiences confidently to employers.
Here, we offer insights on how we have done this.
Start with a university-wide framework
A skills language is most effective when embedded across the institution rather than positioned solely within careers provision. When students connect what they are learning, what they enjoy, and what they do well to skills relevant to their future aspirations, we see stronger engagement, progression, retention and outcomes.
So, our aim has been to ensure skills development is intentional and made visible in curricula. A multidisciplinary team drawn from across the university, including academics, professional services staff and students, developed an embedding employability framework, with supporting resources, to help staff thread employability into curriculum design and teaching and empower students to articulate the skills, knowledge and value gained through their degree. Academic-facing resources complemented student-facing support.
Build the framework with students, not just for them
If students do not recognise themselves in a skills framework, they are unlikely to understand or use it. Student input is essential from the beginning. Central to the framework is a transferable-skills taxonomy that about 100 staff and students co-created in 2024. The taxonomy sets out a common language for identifying, developing and evidencing around 250 transferable skills valued in further study, employment and lifelong learning.
This collaborative approach ensured the taxonomy reflects a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, while fostering pan-institutional ownership. Student co-creation was invited in key areas where their lived experience added the greatest value. Through workshops, internships, feedback activities and peer discussions, students refined terminology, challenged overly technical language and shaped the framework’s branding and user experience. They co-created skills profiles and shared examples of skills development from their own experiences. Their contributions improved the accessibility, relevance and credibility of the framework, provided insights that staff may not have identified, and fostered a sense of ownership that increased engagement across the wider student body.
Students value the taxonomy’s support in building a holistic view of their personal development and communicating their strengths, particularly in recruitment and interview settings, where standing out is so important.
Ananya Bansal, a communications and international journalism master’s student, said: “We kept our student experience at the forefront of our research and co-development of the transferable-skills taxonomy. Line by line, we made the language entirely interactive and student-friendly, and further tested our developments with a student panel, incorporating their insight and feedback.”
Look at specifics, not general terms
Rather than relying on broad terms such as “communication skills”, the taxonomy breaks skills into more specific capabilities, helping educators explain precisely what students are developing and why it matters. This helps students identify whether they are, for example, building arguments, collaborating with others, presenting information, advocating for ideas or adapting their communication for different audiences.
Educators can use the taxonomy to shape programme and module documentation, inform assessment design, support experiential learning and structure reflective activities following projects, placements or group work. For students, it bridges academic and employment contexts. A term such as “argumentation” may be familiar within university study, but the taxonomy helps educators explain how that capability is valued beyond the classroom and helps students recognise how it can be articulated to employers as influencing others through evidence, analysing complex information, making informed decisions and communicating ideas effectively. As a result, students move beyond listing skills and become better able to provide examples of how they have developed and applied them.
Bring employers into the conversation
A student-facing framework must also be credible to employers. Employer input shows whether the skills described align with what recruiters need and whether the language resonates across sectors. We drew widely on labour market information and employer feedback, using reports from the Institute of Student Employers and the World Economic Forum in addition to direct feedback from graduate recruiters.
This is valuable because employers use different terms for similar capabilities: for example, “stakeholder management”, “relationship building” or “communication and influence” are all broadly similar skills. A good framework helps students recognise these overlaps and prepare evidence that works across multiple contexts.
Employer consultation identifies where students are not presenting relevant experience effectively, especially from student representation, volunteering or part-time work. Examples for us included self-awareness, an ability to respond to change and cross-generational team working.
Make skills reflection part of the core learning experience
We know many students are time-poor, particularly those balancing part-time employment, caring responsibilities or long commutes. By embedding and articulating skills development within the curriculum, we remove the need for additional activities, which ensures all students have access to the same opportunities.
Universities can map skills to modules, assessments and learning outcomes, and prompt reflection after major projects or placements – giving students practice describing skills in job applications. This does not turn every course into a careers programme; rather it helps students understand the wider value of what they are already learning.
A shared skills language is an opportunity to work with students and staff to define the value of your institution, celebrate the diverse strengths developed across disciplines, and equip students with the confidence to recognise, articulate and apply their capabilities for lifelong success.
Sarah Armour is assistant director of student services (careers, employability and opportunity) at the University of Glasgow. Harriet Smith is a PhD intern at the Russell Group.
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