Educator's Guide to Constructing Employable Identities

Behnam Soltani is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Professional Communication at the Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore. He is a passionate advocate for professional communication and employability education, with a research focus on graduate employability and identities. Previously, Behnam served as a Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead on Graduate Employability at Otago Polytechnic in Auckland, New Zealand. His work integrates critical thinking and systems thinking to bridge research and practice, transforming insights into impactful teaching strategies for both PTE (Pre-Employment Training) and CET (Continuing Education and Training) learners. Behnam has published extensively and is the co-author of another Routledge book titled Enhancing Student Education Transitions and Employability: From Theory to Practice. He also co-designed the Career Catalyst Unit, a 10-credit module that forms a core part of the Workforce Essentials programme for CET learners at the Singapore Institute of Technology. He serves as the regional editor for the Journal of Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning.Kenneth Keng Wee Ong, PhD, is Director of the Centre for Professional Communication at the Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore. His publications have appeared in System (Elsevier), World Englishes (Wiley), English Today (Cambridge University Press), Discourse Studies (Sage), and Journal of Psycholinguistic Research (Springer), among others, as well as edited book chapters and books. His research interests centre around critical thinking, English for specific purposes, and computer-mediated communication. He is a member of the Regional Advisory Committee of the Global Council for Anthropological Linguistics, SOAS, as well as a member of the Advisory Committee, School of Life Skills and Communication, Singapore Polytechnic.

• Part 1: Theorizing Graduate Employability and Identities Part 2: Contextualizing Graduate Identities Introduction to Part 2 1. From Theory to Practice: Understanding Graduate Identities Through a Three-Level Framework 2. The Australian Context – A Market-Driven Landscape for Graduate Identity Construction 3. Negotiating Graduate Identities in the Aotearoa New Zealand Context 4. The Construction of Graduate Identities in Singapore’s Developmental State 5. A Comparative Analysis of Graduate Identity Construction in Australia, New Zealand, and SingaporePart 3: Applying Graduate Identities Introduction to Part 3 6. Navigating IdentitiesWorkshop 1: Navigating Identities – The Academic MeWorkshop 2: Navigating Identities – Digital Me: My Online IdentitiesWorkshop 3: Ascribed Identities – How Others Label Me Workshop 4: Expressing Me – Managing My Identities Workshop 5: My Gendered Identities – Inclusion and Diversity at WorkWorkshop 6: Office Echoes – My Workspace Impact Workshop 7: Mass Education “Me” – Navigating Higher Education Workshop 8: Meetings Me – My Role in Collaborative Spaces 7. Claiming/Disclaiming IdentitiesWorkshop 9: Known By – How I Want to Be Perceived Workshop 10: Building an Enterprising Mindset – Strategies for Professional Growth Workshop 11: Work Persona – Embracing or Hiding My Actual Self Workshop 12: Asking the Right Questions at Work Workshop 13: Trait Showcase – Highlighting My Professional QualitiesWorkshop 14: Belonging in the Workplace – Group Membership and Identities Workshop 15: Work Perception – How I Am Viewed and Connect Workshop 16: Value Expression – Letting My Principles Show Workshop 17: Goal Alignment – My Career Aspirations Workshop 18: Storytelling at Work Workshop 19: Small Talk at Work Workshop 20: Humor in the Workplace – Building Connections Through Communities of Practice and Relational Practice 8. Affirming/Disaffirming IdentitiesWorkshop 21: Work Allies – Building Bridges Workshop 22: Active Listening at Work Workshop 23: Facing Labels at Work – Reclaiming Agency Through Identities Workshop 24: Ripple Effect – Self-Image and Others’ Views Workshop 25: Identities Link – Inner Self and Expectations at Work Workshop 26: Identity Transformation at Work – Feedback-Inspired ChangesWorkshop 27: Empathic Communication in the Workplace – Affirming Identities Through Emotional and Social Intelligence9. Imposing IdentitiesWorkshop 28: Unwanted Roles – Navigating Forced Choices at Work Workshop 29: Career Fit – Seeking My Perfect MatchWorkshop 30: Pushback Power – Resisting Imposed RolesWorkshop 31: Stress Relief – Managing Unfit PositionsWorkshop 32: Fit or Fight – Conforming Versus Rebelling at Work10. Envisioning IdentitiesWorkshop 33: Future Visions – Dreaming Big for My CareerWorkshop 34: Avoidance Tactics at Work – Steering Clear of Unwanted PathsWorkshop 35: Leadership Vision – Tomorrow’s Trailblazer Workshop 36: Goal Setting – Unveiling My Dream Job Workshop 37: Emotion-Driven Career Futures – Mapping and Aligning Aspirations 11. Systems CapitalWorkshop 38: Architect Your Career – A Systems Capital Approach to Identity Negotiation 12. Workplace IdeologiesWorkshop 39: Unleashing My Competitive Edge – Thriving in Today’s Neoliberal World Workshop 40: The Agile Me – Embracing Independence and Sharpening Problem-Solving Skills Workshop 41: Ideology Influence – Exploring How Cultural Practices Shape My Career Path Workshop 42: Value Alignment and Resistance – Discovering Where I Fit Within Organizational Ideals Workshop 43: Collaborative Me – Building Teamwork for Personal and Professional SuccessPart 4: Orchestrating the Graduate Identities Ecosystem Introduction to Part 4 13. Strategic Imperatives for Tertiary Institutions: Navigating the Employability Dispositif and Fostering Collective Graduate Identities 14. The Evolving Partnership With Employers: From Gatekeepers to Validators 15. Empowering Learners as Agents of Their Identities in a Complex Systemic Landscape 16. The Facilitator as a Systems Architect for Graduate Identity