History at Queen’s University Belfast:

preparing students for employment

Introduction

• We do not just produce history teachers

• 60% of graduate employers take on History students

• This presentation indicates the diverse careers our graduates pursue and explains our skills and employability centred focus

The History graduate’s skills• Research• Communication• Independent working• Analysis• Evaluation• Synthesising arguments• Empathy with the views

of others• Time management• Self-evaluation• Group working• Professional presentation

Level One – Nurturing Skills

Example module: History and Historians

• Historical truth, ‘contested pasts’, public history• Fieldtrips, and presentations from media experts

Assessment Methods • Tutorial Journal (40%)• Assessed essay (15%)• Public history group-project proposal (30%)• Group presentation (15%)

Level Two – enhancing skills

Example module: History and Society

• Explores relationship between academic and public history

• Students prepare group project on plan for new museum or heritage centre

• Plan includes financial budget and marketing as well as historical content.

• Students advised by QUB School of Management, Career Guidance staff and member of staff from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

• Assessment: Individual bibliographic essay (30%), group presentation (25%), individual report (20%) participation in online group discussions (25%)

Level Two – enhancing skills

Example module: Recording History

• Students take part in oral history project

• Complete professional and accurate recordings and transcripts

• Analyse material and ‘pitch’ programme ideas to BBC Radio Ulster

• BBC (and students) convert strong ideas into radio programme

• Assessment by interview transcript (20%); critical commentary on interview (20%); project report (50%); group ‘pitch’ to BBC (10%)

Level 3 – Independence, imagination and quality

Example moduleThe dissertation

• Independent research to produce 10,000 – 12,000 words• Individually negotiated topic with a supervisor • Analyse primary sources • Synthesis secondary sources and their arguments• Draft chapters, receive feedback, reflect, revise and improve• Completes undergraduate training as a historian • Develop skills of independent research, time management, extended

writing, production of timely and professional writing

Stretching ambition and broadening horizons

• Degree Plus (directed pathways for acquisition of additional skills and experiences).

• Short internships at Lincoln Presidential Museum in Illinois

• Opportunities to spend a semester abroad with one of our numerous Erasmus partners (e.g. Amsterdam, Athens Berlin, Venice)

• Workshops led by alumni offering current undergraduates the benefit of their knowledge

Overall aims

• Our curriculum is designed to enhance student skills and employability

• It provides teaching experiences and assessment methods that enable students to create an impressive narrative on their CVs and in job interviews

• They are able to provide evidence of their transferable skills.

Recent graduate career destinations

• Peter Coulter, BBC (pictured)• Sean Sorohan, Senior

Associate: PWC• Neil Halliday, Manager: Action

Renewables• Jane Brown, Management

Trainee: Boots• Leigh Egerton (pictured),

Policy Officer: Department for International Development

More recent graduates

• Chris Perry (pictured), Project Manager at NI Housing Executive

• Rachel Telfer, Graduate Trainee (Library), Lincolns Inn

• Jacqueline McCarthy (pictured), Marketing and Communications Manager: British Council

And more

• William Patterson, Manager; Forestry Commission

• Neal Gartland, Research and Policy Officer: UUP

• Will Wyeth (pictured), Heritage Education Trainee: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments

And more

• Ashleigh Simpson (pictured), Public Affairs: Royal College of General Practitioners

• James Gore, Manager: Aldi

• Cheryl Tracey, Teacher, Liverpool

• Raymond Johnston, Solicitor: Edwards & Co.

And more

• Shane Quinn, Development Officer: Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust

• Ian Hunter (pictured with Professor David Hayton), Business Development Manager: Invest Northern Ireland (San Jose office)

• Alex McCabe, Graduate Trainee: Linklaters, London

And more

• Monique Geddis (pictured), Banking Administrator: First Trust Bank (currently studying for a Graduate Diploma in Accounting)

• Emily Anderson, Trainee Executive: Lanson’s Communications (London PR company)