Teaching Resilience and Self-Management Skills: Fostering Student Psychological Wellbeing for Future Employability

The employability agenda is now firmly entrenched in both higher education and the labour market, and tertiary education is increasingly linked globally to the needs of the economy and society. When considered in the light of the pressures of neolibralism, employability is not only a major concern for academics and university administrators, it is also a key stressor for students. Students need to be psychologically well, and supported in building resilience and self-management skills, so that they can manage both the realities of the challenges they will face in seeking and finding employment, and in dealing with workplace and ethical dilemmas they will encounter when employed. This chapter argues that the employability agenda requires universities to be concerned with teaching students how to be self-regulating and resilient. Indeed, it posits that ethical and legal imperatives compel attention to such skills and attitudes. The chapter outlines particular strategies for effectively teaching resilience and self-management skills for employability and provides pedagogical suggestions for good teaching practice.