Using social action to support skill development

Abstract

Student Hubs are a national charity who work in partnership with universities to deliver social action programmes as part of extracurricular and in-curricular activities for students. Their chapter shares an overview of what social action and youth social action is, and how social action can be embedded into student consultancy project activities and in-curricular service learning activities. Case studies from students, corporate mentors and academics share how this approach, which focused on social action, shaped engagement with the activity and the development of employability skills in student participants. The chapter offers examples of how employability practice at universities can expand to include social action based activities working with smaller organisations such as charities, social enterprises and community groups to engage students in meaningful live briefs. This approach supports the university’s strategic aims around students’ employability and as well as their civic engagement.