EMBEDDING EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITHIN THE CURRICULUM

Dr Julia Wolny

Director of Fashion Business Resource Studio

London College of Fashion

University of the Arts London

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University of the Arts London: Mission

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To become a truly international University by strengthening our international academic

“communities, partnerships and networks and by developing curricula which respond to our global

role”

SHARING THE CREATIVE, BUSINESS AND TECHNICALEXPERTISE OF LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION WITHTHE FASHION AND LIFESTYLE INDUSTRIES

FASHION BUSINESSRESOURCE STUDIO

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LCF – Entrepreneurial Culture

To generate a mutually supportive enterprise culture dedicated toimproving the integration of emerging talent, technical expertise, newknowledge and entrepreneurial advice into the fashion industry

Aims:

• Development of academic infrastructures to manage employability processes and procedures

• Creative Curriculum Design and Development aligned to professional practice for global markets.

ATTITUDE TO RISK-TAKING

Scope of Entrepreneurial Activity

• Close links with the fashion industry / industrial panels inform curriculum

• Staff with extensive industry experience; strong business & management curriculum including industry speakers

• Academic Strategic Partnerships• International Recruitment• Enterprise & Consultancy – industry sponsored curriculum

projects; Fashion Aim for Graduates• Research • International Education Consultancy

Mutual benefits of internationalisation

• To ensure the international relevance of the curricula

• To generate experience to improve the understanding in academic staff teams of the educational background of their students, to further improve the overall experience of the student while studying at LCF.

• To further embed the benefits of international relationships being developed across a range of academic staff.

• To identify global research, enterprise and knowledge transfer opportunities

To assist in the implementation of the mission of internationalisation the strategic aims are :

THE UK-CHINA EXPERIENCE

EMPLOYABILITY &

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN

HIGHER EDUCATION:

Operating within the context of a global knowledge economy, Universities are developing multi-level internationalisation strategies, of which employability and entrepreneurship form important strands.

This project allows the opportunities for both countries to address and explore employability and entrepreneurship by considering how the UK and China can work together and lead in these areas.

CHINA CONNECT - YEAR 1

A) Developed a Road Map

• Identified the gaps, similarities and differences in the ways in which the two institutions approach E&E

• Visited Industry in Beijing (Kappa and Aimer) to discover the skills employers are seeking in China

• Visited Industry in UK (Pentland and Puma) to discover the sills employers are seeking in UK market

• Delegates also came to UK during London Fashion Week• Reviewed pedagogic practices across both institutions for Design

Development and Live Industry briefs (commercial partners)

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CHINA CONNECT – YEAR 2

• Delivery of international collaborative project• Industry sponsored project will be embedded within the curriculum

in BIFT and LCF ( October 2010 and December 2010)

Actions Required:

A) Confirm Industry Partner for Collaboration

B) BIFT, LCF and Industry partner to agree to academic brief- Learning Outcomes

C) Development of an online communication tool for sharing research and concepts between the two institutions

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British Council Connect Student Mobility projectSri Lanka

Aim to send out10 students from the BA Fashion Studies part time programme to develop fashion collections in partnership with students form University of Moratuwa

Intercultural Communication Workshops

3 workshops• Something in Common• Learning from Each Other• Establishing Connections

Aims of the workshops

• get to know the other students in the group• reflect on your expectations of the trip• share your own experiences of difference• learn more about intercultural communication • consider how to develop networks and exchanges • explore the adaptations you may need to make to

behaviours

Lessons learned

• University needs to develop credit system for

entrepreneurial and overseas education

• Encourage all students to engage in European exchange /

Leonardo or Erasmus as well as international mobility

• More informal (yet structured) ways of enabling students to

mix together within and across courses

• Staff training in intercultural communication

Continuing Professional Development Programme

Link between London College of Fashion and University of Moratuwa under PMI2 partnership to

jointly deliver an Enterprise programme in Sri Lanka

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Connect, Inform, Inspire

Thank you for listening

Dr Julia WolnyDirector of Fashion Business Resource Studio

j.wolny@fashion.arts.ac.uk