Field learning and employability in Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences

Society needs talented Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) graduates to help address global challenges, but the pathway to professional employment is seldom easy. After graduation, most GEES graduates enter professions requiring broad transferable skills and 'value-added' experiences to thrive in the modern workforce. GEES educators can therefore enhance employability by using field experiences to introduce and develop transferable skills valued by employers. Here, we define employability for our context, explore GEES graduate skills and describe the ways that communication, project management and personal and professional skills can be embedded in field experiences guided by the available literature. We identify pedagogies that address multiple transferable skills and are already commonly used in higher education, such as student-led projects, peer learning and working with industry and community stakeholders. Further empirical study is needed to evidence the value of fieldwork for employability and characterise the changing nature of GEES professions.