EMPLOYABILITY Work-related and Placement Learning in Biological Sciences at Reading Teeroumanee Nadan & Kimberly Watson University of Reading, School of Biological Sciences, Reading RG6 6AS, UK Corresponding author: Teeroumanee Nadan, University of Reading, School of Biological Sciences, Reading RG6 6AS, UK Email: t.nadan@reading.ac.uk, Web: http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/bioscience-skills/ Abstract This paper shares the knowledge and experience gained by the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) at the University of Reading in the development and delivery of new teaching and learning materials to raise awareness of employability issues. It highlights the work-related and placement learning initiatives undertaken in the School since the academic years 2009–10 in an effort to enhance the student experience and improve employability of our graduates. To this end, a new module based on experiential work-based learning was developed. The new module, entitled Professional Career Development, was an enhancement of a Careers Management Skills module, with additional tasks and assessment based on real world problems and direct engagement with industry and bioscience employers. Several initiatives were undertaken to engage students in the process of early career thinking from Why take this module? to thought-provoking personal assessments and short-term literature projects based on current scientific research and problems faced in industry. The module was designed for delivery to Part I and Part II students, with scope for additional materials to be delivered in Part III. This paper describes the authors’ experience in developing this module and its impact on first and second year university students in SBS. Keywords: employability, work placement, curriculum enhancing, module development 1. Introduction Until 2012, the majority of the degree programmes in the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) at the University of Reading (UOR) had been three-year courses, in which graduates did not receive and/or were not required to receive formal on the job training. In addition, until the introduction of the Biomedical Sciences degree programme in 2009–10, the existing programmes were not regulated by any formal body. This meant that during the course of their study, the majority of students in SBS were not formally exposed to professional norms prior to taking their first job upon graduation. Furthermore, based on our observations to date, it was noted that a significant number of students in SBS were only beginning to focus on career opportunities as they approached or during their third © 2013 The Higher Education Academy Proc. HEA STEM Conf. (2013) 129 doi:10.11120/stem.hea.2013.0003