From Graduate to Employee

Abstract

Teaching fellows within this study are graduates participating in a paid postgraduate programme of training and development, providing them with skills for lecturing in higher education. Identifying with widening participation characteristics, as well as the attributes of Y and Z Generations, this study examines a programme firmly rooted in the philosophies of both work-based learning and work-integrated learning. This was a unique approach to offering opportunities which went beyond undergraduate study to graduates of the institution, preparing them for employment through exposure to experiences of shadowing and eventual teaching. This therefore highlights three distinct areas which crucially impacts on their development: social learning within a community of practice (CoP), emotional challenges of imposter phenomenon, and reflective practice. The study concludes with evidence of how providing this opportunity to a generation of individuals, who may not have considered it before, can promote the connections between theory and practice as part of their practical experience.