Sheffield Graduate Development Programme: An Overview

The University of Sheffield is committed to encouraging and supporting its students to gain the skills and attributes of the Sheffield Graduate throughout their time at University. These skills and attributes can be achieved through a combination of academic study and extra-curricular activities, including work experience. For more information see the Sheffield Graduate on the right-hand menu.

The Sheffield Graduate Development Programme provides a framework to ensure that all students have the opportunity to:

• Identify gaps in their study habits or approaches to assessment that it would be beneficial to improve upon.
• Identify opportunities for learning or developing skills outside the course they study.
• Develop transferable skills that employers value and want graduates to have.
• Provide evidence and examples of the skills and attributes of the Sheffield Graduate that will be useful to have when making job applications.
• Provide information that will assist staff in writing job references in support of job applications.

This framework is flexible - four models are provided that can each be tailored to suit a department's context, these are:

1. Delivery through activities required for professional accreditation
2. Embedding in the personal and/or module tutorial system
3. Delivery through an accredited skills development module
4. A combination of tutorial support and modules.

The 'Resources for Departments' section (see menu on the left of this page) provides guidance on the different models and examples and resources to help with implementation, including fully working and/or work in progress examples from academic departments.

If you are interested, you can also access the 'Additional Background' information which includes the external requirements that have informed the models.