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A new initiative led by the Transferable Skills Unit at 51���� aims to give graduates a ‘boost’ in an increasingly competitive jobs market. 

UL’s Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) is the first in Ireland to offer skill specific digital badges and to record transferable skills on its academic transcripts, giving its graduates a distinct advantage when applying for jobs.

Degree Boost allows students the opportunity to earn seven digital badges that demonstrate the transferable skills they have gained during their degree. 

In response to employers increasing demands for transferable skills, the Transferable Skills Unit at UL is focusing on seven key skill areas that will empower students for lifelong success in a competitive labour market. They include communication, collaboration, creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, digital skills, and sustainability literacy and action. 

Students will be encouraged and enabled to recognise and record evidence of the skills they have developed not just during their academic studies but also while on work and Erasmus placement. Skills gained as a result of volunteering efforts, as well as involvement in on-campus student organisations and off-campus activities, will also be recognised. 

Speaking at the launch of the Degree Boost and ‘Recognise, Record, Reward’ initiatives, Dr Sandra Joyce, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences said: “Degree Boost is a new way of thinking what a degree can be. 

“It’s a transformative initiative that redefines what it means to earn a degree, and demonstrates to prospective students, their parents, guidance counsellors and employers that doing a degree with us here in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at UL is different. 

“By encouraging and enabling our students to recognise and record their transferable skills and rewarding them by showcasing those skills on their academic transcripts, we’re increasing our students’ employability and ensuring they enjoy lifelong success in an increasingly competitive jobs market.”

Dr Chris McInerney, Director of the Transferable Skills Unit at UL, explained: “Transferable skills are an increasingly important element for ensuring graduate success, which enable people to move more easily between different employments. 

“Through our work in the Transferable Skills Unit at UL, we have listened and responded to the needs of employers who tell us they don’t just want graduates with knowledge of a subject; they want graduates with confidence to apply that knowledge. 

“We want our students to be active, conscious and confident in the development and application of their transferable skills, and Degree Boost will give our graduates a distinct and tangible edge when they enter the jobs market.”

Keith McClelland, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at Verizon, whose Global Centre of Excellence is located in Limerick and who attended the launch in the University, described the calibre of UL students coming to Verizon, both on co-op placement and in graduate roles, as “phenomenal”. 

“Recognising and rewarding students for developing transferable skills during their degree is going to set them up for success in the real world. 

“While technical abilities are crucial, they don't create the resilience, creativity, and kinship that transforms a group of individuals into a powerhouse team. The secret ingredient is transferable skills. These are the core human abilities a person carries with them from role to role, industry to industry. They are the foundation upon which everything else is built.”