This module meets the Care Certificate Standards: 1. Understanding you Role; 2. Your Personal Development.



This module introduces academic study and employability skills that are necessary to succeed with study at undergraduate level and introduce basic employability skills at level 4 before introducing more advanced employability skills at level 5 with the Employable Graduate module.

Academic study skills will include formal academic writing, how to structure different types of assignments (e.g. essays, reports, etc), referencing and avoiding plagiarism, and how to cite evidence to support your answers and how to meet learning outcomes successfully. You will also learn how to locate and utilise information from academic literature sources in relation to Health and Social Care, including using libraries, various databases and technology to enhance your learning.

The module embeds and kick-starts the employability framework to enable learners to appreciate and value all elements of learning and how these translate to employability longer term by assisting the learners in their career planning, building networks, effective communication and creating SMART early career action plans. Employability skills will include, learning about early career choices and planning, writing a personal statement, search for health and social care jobs, understanding the job description and person specification and preparing a Curriculum Vitae (CV); prepare a networking action plan, build a professional social media profile (e.g. LinkedIn).

Learners will have the opportunity to engage with a wealth of health and social care employers as part of Careers Connected Future events and Careers fairs.

Learners from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives will be looked after in this module, as learning materials and activities will be presented in such a way that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture and also take into account learner’s individual needs. Individual and group seminars will target learners with additional needs to ensure they achieve their potential.

Formative Assessment:

Portfolio: An essay of 750 words on a current Health or Social Care topic of your choice in which you demonstrate a range of academic skills you have learnt throughout the module, including writing in a well-structured and academic style, using a variety of credible sources to support your discussions, including citations and a reference list in the correct referencing format.

An early career action plan (350 words): definition and key skills required to gain employment in a chosen health and social care field. You need to use a variety of credible sources to support your points, including citations and a reference list in the correct referencing format.



The assessment assesses all four learning outcomes.

Summative assessment

Portfolio (1500 words):

A reworking of the essay (750 words) and the early career action plan (350 words) based on the feedback provided accompanied by a 400 words reflective essay describing the changes made have made following feedback and how this will support writing academically in the future.

The VLE Blackboard will provide a structured framework for the delivery of this module. A blended learning approach is adopted, which consists of directed and independent study. Recognising the importance of building diversity and inclusion into course design a range of teaching methods will be offered recognising the diversity of learner learning needs. Class discussions will actively seek to decolonise the curriculum, challenging traditional knowledge hierarchies and building in participatory approaches to learning.


The module is designed to allow some flexibility in approach to remain responsive to learner’s identified needs, but activity will broadly consist of the following:


Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities: (30 hours)

On campus and virtual seminars

Formative individual and group tasks and activities

Contributions to Blackboard Learning Journal and Blogs

Completion of career planning activity and skills audits
Tutorial support (both group and individual)

Module assessment support

Guided Independent Study: (170 hours)
80 hours Research, reading, pre-session preparation
50 hours Review, reflection & formative assessment preparation

30 hours Summative assessment preparation

10 hours participation in Employers and Connected Futures Careers Events

1. Demonstrate the academic skills required to communicate to the required academic skills standards, including academic writing styles and referencing.

Knowledge & Understanding

2. Access information from a variety of sources and utilise the content to inform your future practice and assignment content.

Learning, Application

3. Develop your reflection on feedback and use feedback effectively to improve your academic and employability skills.

Analysis, Reflection

4. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of basic employability skills such as writing a CV and a personal statement for a health and social care job application

Knowledge & Understanding, Application, Communication

Ghisoni, M. and Murphy, P. (2020). Study Skills: for nursing, health and social care. Lantern Publishing Ltd

Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook (5th Ed). London: Red Globe Press.

Cottrell, S. (2021) Skills for Success: Personal Development and Employability (4th Ed), London: Palgrave

Tanguay, E. (2020) Reflective Writing for Nursing, Health and Social Work. London: Macmillan International

Aveyard, H. et al (2015) A Beginner’s Guide to Critical Thinking and Writing in Health and Social Care. Oxford: OUP

Hopkins, D. and Reid, T. (2018) The Academic Skills Handbook: Your Guide to Success in Writing, Thinking and Communicating at University. SAGE

LinkedIn Learning Sources:

Skills for inclusive conversations

Communicating about culturally sensitive issues

This module will help you begin to plan your study, develop your academic study skills and identify, develop and record your employability skills throughout the life of the course. In recognising that learners often have differing starting points when beginning their learning journey, this module will enable each learner to assess their own personal starting point and then to plan their development, setting key objectives which will be evidenced in the assessment requirements at the end of the module. Employer networking events and careers fairs will offer opportunities to speak directly with your future employers and previous graduates will share their learning journeys, offering different perspectives and views.

IT equipment

Access to internet

Library