CS207-5-AU-CO:
Beyond the BA: Building Career and Employability Readiness

The details
2025/26
Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
0
08 August 2025

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

BA V100 History,
BA V101 History (Including Year Abroad),
BA V102 History (Including Foundation Year),
BA V103 History (Including Placement Year),
MHISV199 History,
MHISZV98 History (Including Placement Year),
MHISZV99 History (Including Year Abroad),
BA MV91 History and Criminology,
BA MV92 History and Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA MV98 History and Criminology (Including Foundation Year),
BA MV9C History and Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
BA QV21 History and Literature,
BA QV22 History and Literature (Including Placement Year),
BA QV2C History and Literature (Including Foundation Year),
BA VQ12 History and Literature (Including Year Abroad),
BA LV31 History and Sociology,
BA LV32 History and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA LV38 History and Sociology (Including Foundation Year),
BA LV3C History and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA V1W6 History with Film Studies,
BA V1W7 History with Film Studies (Including Placement Year),
BA V1W8 History with Film Studies (Including Foundation Year),
BA V1WP History with Film Studies (Including Year Abroad),
BA V1L2 History with Human Rights,
BA V1L8 History with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA V1LF History with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA V1LG History with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA V140 Modern History,
BA V144 Modern History (Including Foundation Year),
BA V148 Modern History (Including Placement Year),
BA V149 Modern History (Including Year Abroad),
BA VL12 Modern History and International Relations,
BA VL14 Modern History and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
BA VL18 Modern History and International Relations (Including Foundation Year),
BA VL1F Modern History and International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA LV21 Modern History and Politics,
BA LV22 Modern History and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA LV28 Modern History and Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA LV2C Modern History and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA V200 History and Heritage,
BA V201 History and Heritage (Including Foundation Year),
BA V202 History and Heritage (including Placement Year),
BA V203 History and Heritage (including Year Abroad),
BA VM10 History and Law,
BA VM11 History and Law (Including Foundation Year),
BA VM12 History and Law (including Placement Year),
BA VM13 History and Law (including Year Abroad),
BA V114 History and Drama,
BA V115 History and Drama (including Foundation Year),
BA V116 History and Drama (including Placement Year),
BA V117 History and Drama (including Year Abroad)

Module description

This module is designed to further develop students’ career and employability readiness.. This will involve reflecting on employability skills developed during your studies, understanding the graduate job market, engaging directly with employers through workshops, beginning to develop job application materials in the form of a CV, and effective career planning.

This is a compulsory module for all second -year PHAIS undergraduate students (single and joint honours). unless they are studying  CS200-5-AU: Social Entrepreneurs, Sustainability and Community Action Students attend 6 timetabled sessions in the Autumn term and complete a number of tasks that build towards a career portfolio

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To help students realise and articulate the employability skills they are developing in their studies.

  • To enhance students’ understanding of the graduate labour market.

  • To provide students with direct employer engagement to help them think about career decisions.

  • To help students develop professional job application materials and effective interview strategies.

  • To support students in developing a career action plan.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1.  Identify and articulate key employability skills they are developing through their studies.

  2. Have a better understanding of the graduate job market.

  3. Begin developing a professional labour application package.

  4. Demonstrate understanding of competency questions and how to answer them.

  5. Articulate a more focused career action plan.

Module information

Syllabus



  • The graduate labour market and career decision.

  • Employer sessions.

  • CVs, Cover letters, and application.

  • Competency questions and interviews.

  • Career plans and next steps – include an Alumni panel.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • Six 50-minute sessions, with a mix of workshops, employer sessions, and seminar group meetings.

Bibliography

This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   CS207 Careers and Skills Portfolio  12/01/2026  0% 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Module is either passed or marked as not completed.

Reassessment

Module is either passed or marked as not completed.

Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Steven Gormley, email: segorm@essex.ac.uk.
Ms Ann Ord, email: aord@essex.ac.uk.
PHAIS General Office: 6.130. Email: isugadmin@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
No
No
No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 4 hours, 4 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)

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