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Last updated 4th June 2026
Biography
Ruth is an experienced academic, joining Huddersfield Business School in 2005, where her current role is School Director for International. Within this role Ruth has specific responsibility for the international student experience and international recruitment where she visits institutions overseas to develop international partnerships and meet prospective students. Ruth also manages a number of courses in Hong Kong which are delivered in partnership with The Hong Kong Management Association. She has previously been the Head of Undergraduate Management courses at Huddersfield where she was nominated by students on multiple occasions for the staff Thank You awards and has been a finalist for her exceptional student support.
Ruth’s research interests are focused around her PhD entitled ‘A Critical Exploration of the Influences of Class, Gender and Ethnicity on Student Engagement with Graduate Employment Opportunities. Her particular area of interest is graduate employment focusing on employability and developing student skills to be able to compete in a global labour market.
Reflecting her commitment to teaching and the student learning experience, Ruth is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. While at the university Ruth has successfully led a number of teaching and learning initiatives including a Personal Development Planning for Employability project and the launch of a pre-induction social network specifically for new management students. Ruth has been awarded external funding from the Higher Education Academy with an Individual Teaching Grant to promote the benefits of sandwich placements at university and support students in applying. This work was influenced by her own experience of sandwich placements while at university. More recently she has been awarded funding by the British Association of Lecturers of English for Academic Purposes which also focused on employability but from the perspective of developing global professionals.
Ruth’s commercial background is based in the finance sector, working for a large high street bank. Accompanied by business and research qualifications, Ruth leads on modules examining the role of work in our society, cross-cultural studies and the development of employability skills. She also facilitates work-based learning on the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship. As well as teaching UK-based students, Ruth is experienced in teaching and supporting international students both in the UK and in overseas partnerships.
Ruth is an experienced external examiner working with Leeds University Business School, Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Gloucester. She has also been an external examiner on course validations for the University of Middlesex, Edge Hill University and the University of Ulster.
Ruth is a member of the British Academy of Management and the Chartered Management Institute. Additionally, Ruth is a regular reviewer of books and journal articles in the field of management and employability including being a guest editor on a special edition of the journal Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning.
Research Expertise and Interests
- Employability
- Gender
- Graduate Employment
- Behaviour in the Workplace
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education
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SDG 5 Gender Equality
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SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
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Maintaining the gap: women’s early career experiences of entry into the UK graduate labour market
Brooks, R., Yeadon-Lee, T. & Gill, S. S., 1 Sept 2024, In: Journal of Education and Work. 37, 1-4, p. 17-31 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access4 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
An integrated approach to employability and global professionalism
Brooks, R., Postill, S.-J. & Thomas, J., 31 Jan 2022, 3 Es for Wicked Problems: Employability, Enterprise, and Entrepreneurship: Solving Wicked Problems. Norton, S. & Penaluna, A. (eds.). Advance HE, p. 72-77 6 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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“Who wants a job anyway?” – Student Approaches to Graduate Employability
Brooks, R., 10 Feb 2021, Social Enterprise in the Higher Education Sector. Halsall, J., Oberoi, R. & Snowden, M. (eds.). 1st ed. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, p. 128-151 24 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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From pipe dream, to enterprise incubator, to award winning business: The case of Scriba PR
Kevill, A., Brooks, R. & Mallinson, K., 1 May 2020, In: International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. 21, 2, p. 127-135 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Undergraduate work placements: An analysis of the effects on career progression
Brooks, R. & Youngson, P. L., 1 Sept 2016, In: Studies in Higher Education. 41, 9, p. 1563-1578 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access138 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
Activities
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A Meta-analysis of workforce diversity and productivity: A test of underlying mechanisms
Bend, G. (Speaker), Herath, D. (Speaker), Brooks, R. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Johnes, J. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Li, J. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Ode, E. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation) & Kara, A. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation)
12 Aug 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Reproducing inequality: the influence of class, gender, and ethnicity on negotiating the transition from higher education to the UK graduate labour market
Brooks, R. (Speaker)
28 Jun 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Workforce Diversity and Organizational Productivity: a test of underlying boundary conditions using meta-regression analysis
Ode, E. (Speaker), Brooks, R. (Speaker), Herath, D. (Speaker), Bend, G. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Johnes, J. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Li, J. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation) & Kara, A. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation)
28 Jun 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Between Two Worlds - Reproducing Social Inequality in the Transition from Higher Education to the Graduate Labour Market
Brooks, R. (Speaker)
5 Jul 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Digital South Asia Conference on ‘Uncertainty, Social Entrepreneurship and Role of Technology'
Brooks, R. (Chair)
6 Jan 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participating in a conference, workshop, ...
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Press/Media
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An integrated approach to employability and global professionalism
Brooks, R., Postill, S.-J. & Thomas, J.
31/01/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research