Abstract

Creativity has been a widely studied concept following the seminal paper of Guilford (1950). Whilst there is general consensus that creativity is a positive virtue for the individual, wider society and industry, the associated literature fails to provide a consistent definition that transcends all domains. Employability skills development in HE is a relatively new notion, gaining prominence following government policy (DfES, 2003; BIS, 2009), and increasing scrutiny of institutional approaches (QAA) and graduate performance in employability (DLHE) has followed. The Institute of Directors (2007) illustrated that employers regard creativity as an important graduate quality, yet the understanding amongst employers and within the associated literature of what creativity is in this context shows little consensus.

This presentation will explore the current literature surrounding creativity in the HE context and highlight the paucity of research related to creativity as an employability skill. Given the importance of creativity to industry, wider society, the individual and the role HE has to play in its development, a framework will be proposed that will investigate creativity from a student, lecturer and employer viewpoint. This will attempt to gauge the perceptions of creativity and subsequently align HE practices to the needs of industry; potentially resulting in increased graduate employability and greater contribution to the knowledge economy of the 21st century.