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Dr Ally Forbes joined the University of Wolverhampton as a Lecturer in Sports Sociology in 2015. She is the Sports Studies and Development course leader, and will also be leading and teaching on the Sport Business Management course launching in 2020.

 

After studying Sport Studies at the University of Wolverhampton Ally went on to complete her MA at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and then her PhD at the University of Leicester. Her thesis explored the impact of the London 2012 Olympic Games on young British Asians in Leicester and Wolverhampton, in relation to their sport participation, consumption and feelings of belonging. The work was part-funded by Sporting Equals, a national equality organisation working within the sports sector.

 

Ally’s research interests primarily revolve around issues associated with discrimination, equality and diversity. She has worked on monitoring and evaluation projects focusing on workplace equality and diversity. Ally is the Department of Sport Athena SWAN champion, leading on analysing gender equality within the department and developing an application for an Athena SWAN charter Bronze award. Her published work analyses the Football Association policy on mixed gender football.    

 
  

Project:

 

Advance to Industry: developing an intervention to advance students’ abilities to articulate industry relevant skills and experiences to future employers

 

 

Graduate employability as a concept has received considerable academic attention, but little empirical research has been conducted with students to identify employability development needs or to test available theoretical models (Pool et al., 2014). Work-based learning (WBL) has become an integral element of higher education, as universities recognise the contribution that real-world experience can make to develop employability (Jackson, 2015). The value of enhanced reflection and confidence developed through WBL is acknowledged within employability literature, with metacognition and self-efficacy identified as essential building blocks of student employability (Yorke and Knight, 2006; Pool and Sewell, 2007). Analysis of current practice in the Department of Sport has identified that whilst students have numerous opportunities to develop their employability prospects through WBL, many are unable to recognise the industry-relevant skills and experiences developed, impacting negatively on their ability to effectively articulate their capabilities to employers.

The aims of this project are twofold. The research will explore students, employers and careers advisors’ perceptions of employability; assess how the curriculum facilitates the development of employability skills; and explore the support available to students to reflect on and articulate the skills developed during their degree programmes. The findings of the research will then be used to develop and pilot an innovative education programme comprised of a series of workshops with supporting resources, that supports and guides students through the process of understanding and articulating their employability. Pool and Sewell’s (2007) ‘key to employability’ model will provide a theoretical framework to underpin the intervention.