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The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

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You are reading: Culturally responsive graduate capital employability training for domestic culturally and linguistically marginalised (CALM) students: A randomised controlled trial

Trial overview

Registered
Users Priority Students: Non-English speaking backgrounds
Academic Cap Stage of Intervention: During Higher Education
Chart Line Outcomes: Positive Transitions

What was trialed

The Culturally Responsive Graduate Capital employability training (the ‘training’) is being developed by the Australian Refugee Welcome University Sponsorship Consortium, working across seven universities across six states and territories in Australia, and with Culturally and Linguistically Marginalised (CALM) students.

The training, being developed specifically for CALM students, is framed around concepts of employability relevant to the Graduate Capital Model (Tomlinson et al, 2022). Alternative to the dominant “skills based” view of employability, the Graduate Capital Model focuses on capitals in relation to human (individual) development, social (networks and contacts) development, cultural (cultural assets) development, identity development, and psychological (resilience) development.

The training activities will include:

  1. Online materials or social media based around the established graduate capitals
  2. Weekly drop-in peer-assisted sessions (PASS) with student-partners
  3. Fortnightly role-model talks from CALM alumni

The training is expected to benefit CALM students, and result in enhanced employability knowledge and skills according to the five Graduate Capitals.

The training is being delivered to CALM students in two rounds, with the first round from February to April 2025 and the second round from June to September in 2025.

What was found

The results will be available in December 2025.

How the trial was delivered

A parallel randomised controlled trial (RCT) is being used to compare the impact of these different types of training – online materials, peer-assisted sessions, role model talks, and career coaching – on CALM students.

Staff at each of the engaged universities identify CALM students, as domestic students who are not born in Australia and speak other languages. These consenting students are randomised into one of five groups: those receiving (a) online training/social media; (b) online training/social media and weekly PASS; (c) online training/social media, weekly PASS, and fortnightly role-model talks; (d) all training activities; and (e) no training.

A survey, namely the Graduate Capital Scale, will assess individuals’ self-perceptions and skills according to the Graduate Capital Model. The same survey will be used three times: first prior to the intervention; second, after the first round of the intervention; and finally, after the second round of the intervention.

The trial will be undertaken in 2025, across six states and territories (NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS, ACT, WA) in Australia, and within seven universities (Australian National University, University of Technology Sydney, Charles Sturt University, Charles Darwin University, University of South Australia, Griffith University, Victoria University, Deakin University, University of Melbourne, Curtin University, University of Canberra, and Western Sydney University).