Dr Claudia Bordogna, the Employability Manager at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, shares her thoughts on ways to support international students, in the Higher Education sector.
Over the past eight years, I have had the privilege of mentoring business school postgraduate students, an experience that has allowed me to engage with their diverse and compelling stories about why they chose to pursue a master’s degree in the UK. These narratives are often inspiring, humbling and deeply thought-provoking. Many students make significant sacrifices – leaving behind careers, families, and familiar environments – to embark on this educational journey.
One such student, whom I will refer to as Naomi, was a 48-year-old teacher from Nigeria. Her story left a lasting impression on me. Having dedicated her life to teaching, she aspired to drive reform in the Nigerian school system. To achieve this, she left her family and a well-paid job to pursue a master’s degree in the UK, with the ultimate goal of establishing an educational consultancy to influence legislative change in Lagos. Stories like Naomi’s often prompt me to reflect on my own life and the courage it takes to actively pursue such transformative goals. It was striking to realise that someone I perceived as exceptionally brave was simultaneously grappling with immense fear and self-doubt. Naomi was candid about her apprehension, questioning her decisions and feeling the immense pressure of knowing that failure was not an option. Her fear was palpable, yet her determination remained unwavering. Naomi’s story is just one of many I have encountered. Each student brings a unique perspective and an inspiring narrative, reminding me of the extraordinary resilience and ambition it takes to step into the unknown in pursuit of change.
These individual conversations motivated me to conduct primary research across the broader postgraduate community to gain deeper insights into their experiences and perspectives, particularly in relation to my role as the School’s Employability Manager. I wanted to explore if I could perhaps find a way to make students, like Naomi feel more confident in their decision-making process.
I created an online survey in MS Forms consisting of 19 questions. 367 out of 800 (46%) students responded to the survey call. The survey asked a series of questions about their previous work experience, confidence and clarity in their future plans, their skills, and their understanding of the concept of employability.
The key findings are summarised:
- Most students were from India or African nations.
- The majority were aged between 20-30, but 48 respondents were aged over 31.
- 192 were the first in their family to study for a postgraduate degree.
- 96 (26%) when asked why they came to university said to gain more specialist knowledge, but career progression and securing a “better future” was also important.
- Over 250 had previous work experience, with 106 having worked part time and 50 owning their own business.
- 277 students were very or somewhat confident in what they want to do in the future and 249 felt clear about what they had to do to achieve this ambition, suggesting 28 have an idea about the future but are not clear how to get there. 90 lacked any form of confidence and clarity.
- When asked “How can we help you become more confident and clearer about your future life plan and goals?” help and guidance headlined.
- 46% believed that Employability was concerned with “skills” with the remaining 54% aligning the concept with work.
- When asked to evaluate their persistence, goal setting and ambition, many scored themselves extremely high or high.
- When asked to evaluate themselves on their fears, 40% were worried about not being successful, 37% worried about wasting time and 38% worried about not being able to secure employment.
In conclusion, this investigation provided several key insights. First, many postgraduate students bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their studies, which suggests that integrating models and theories with opportunities for students to draw upon their personal experiences can enhance classroom learning. Second, international students often perceive employability as being solely related to skills and work, with some lacking a direct translation for the term in their native language. This underscores the need for further efforts to frame employability as a broader concept encompassing self-reflection, self-awareness and personal growth. Employability is not just about securing employment or acquiring specific skills; it is a lifelong and life-wide journey.
Finally, I discovered that many students grapple with fears of failure or of wasting time, a concern that resonates deeply with stories like Naomi’s. Supporting students in defining success, breaking it into manageable steps, and fostering confidence and self-efficacy is essential. As I reminded Naomi, she already embodies the skills and behaviours critical to achieving her goals – leaving a stable career and family to pursue her aspirations at 48 demonstrates remarkable courage and determination. Sometimes, the most important role we can play is helping students recognise and believe in their own potential.
Claudia is the NBS School Employability Manager, a role in which she adopts a strategic perspective on employability within the school, in alignment with the NTU vision. Working across NTU, she engages with multiple stakeholders in various capacities to design and implement employability-related curricula, activities and initiatives.
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