Higher education in the United Kingdom (UK) has undergone significant change during the 1990s in response to demands from both government and employers for graduates to have gained the competences, skills and attitudes to enable them to contribute to the advancement of the economy. This document reports on a study that sought to increase understanding of the acquisition and development of generic skills in both higher education and the workplace, from the perspective of the university teachers, students, employers and recent graduate employees. The study clarifies the concepts of core and generic skills and provides models of good practice in the delivery of these skills, drawn from employer and teacher initiatives. It also contributes to an understanding of the impact of contexts on skill definition and use in different workplaces. The authors discuss the role of institutional factors in successful innovation and of generic skills in traditional academic study and workplace effectiveness. The chapters are as follows: Generic skills in the learning society; A conceptualization of skills and course provision; Beliefs and conceptions of teachers in higher education; The practices of university teachers; Student perceptions of skills development; Employer initiatives in higher education; Employers' perspectives on skills and their development; The graduate experience of work; The challenges of implementing generic skills.
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