Author Identifier (ORCID)
Elizabeth J. Cook's ORCID record 
Ros Sambell's ORCID record Ruth Wallance's ORCID record
Abstract
GCE is widely recognised as essential for addressing global challenges, yet its transformative potential faces two barriers. First, GCE is rarely linked to initiatives that consider students’ future employment as a means of contributing to sustained social change. Second, the dominant skills-focused employability paradigm reinforces individualistic, market-driven values, often clashing with GCE principles. This chapter addresses these issues through practical examples of the Relational Employability Framework (REF) – an evidence-based approach that expands employability by emphasising interconnectedness and collective contributions within and beyond workplaces and national boundaries. Across three educational settings – public health, nutrition and law – we demonstrate teachers’ experiences applying the REF and explore its role in cultivating global citizenship when integrated into teaching-learning and assessment. Teachers’ reflections suggest the REF has considerable potential to support the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Target 4.7, though further work is needed to develop students’ reflective practice regarding global challenges and connections.
Keywords
Global Citizenship Education (GCE), global challenges, transformative potential, employability, Relational Employability Framework (REF), skills-focused employability, employability paradigm, global citizenship, social change
Document Type
Book Chapter
Date of Publication
9-2026
Publication Title
Handbook on Global Citizenship Education
Publisher
Edward Elgar Publishing
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
Links and/or Documentation
Access through published version: Handbook on Global Citizenship Education
Access through Edith Cowan University catalogue: Handbook on global citizenship education | Edith Cowan University
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
ISBN
978 1 03535 017 9
Content Type
Full object
Recommended Citation
Cook, E. J., Boyle, F., Sambell, R., Wallace, R., & Lacković, N. (2026). Beyond skills: Integrating global citizenship into professional life through relational employability in higher education. In W. Gaudelli, R. Römhild (Eds.), Handbook on Global Citizenship Education (pp.246-264). Edward Elgar Publishing.https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035350186.00030
Comments
This is a draft chapter. The final version is available in Handbook on Global Citizenship Education edited by William Gaudelli, Ricardo Römhild, published in 2026, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035350186.00030
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