The Employ-ability Initiative was borne of a desire to alleviate inequitable access to quality self-assessments of perceived employability and career development resources. The Initiative benefitted from early funding, particularly from the previous Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching. Since that time, it has been run on a voluntary basis.

Everything produced by the Initiative is shared without charge. New resources and updates are always welcome, as are offers of support to enhance the work or lead new research.

Employability is defined as “the ability to create and sustain meaningful work across the career lifespan and in multiple contexts” (Bennett, 2020, p. i). Students need to develop this ability before they graduate, preferably by encountering explicit career relevance and discussion throughout their programs. To advance this aim, employ-ability helps to surface career-relevant learning, enhance student agency, and enable educator engagement.

Led by Professor Dawn Bennett, the resources and research engage academic and career colleagues from around the world. Over 250,000 students have engaged with the Initiative via the website and many more have engaged with the resources.