Delivery of employability-based learning (EBL) in higher education institutions (HEIs) has garnered considerable attention in recent years, aligned with the strategic vision of universities to ensure graduates are work ready with skills and knowledge that match employers' expectations. Despite this strategic vision and the associated efforts to develop meaningful EBL initiatives, no single solution or 'silver bullet' approach has been achieved. This is in large part due to the inherent nature of career development learning, and the need to personalise learning to suit individual students' contexts. While 'personalisation' is widely recognised as essential, there is a simultaneous need to develop initiatives that can be delivered by institutions cost-effectively, at scale, and with sustained quality of the educational experience. This study directly addresses this scalability-personalisation paradox for EBL, exploring the fundamental research question: can an employability program that is designed to be scalable also be bespoke? Through Portraiture methodology and thematic analysis, this study explored the factors required for effective EBL by examining the lived experiences of 25 Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) students in a co-curricular career development program, Sciences PLUS. The study demonstrated that the purposeful implementation of andragogical (adult learning), rather than pedagogical, principles significantly contributed to the personalisation of the students' experiences, and helped shape students' professional identities in context of their career development. The analysis of students' lived experiences in the Sciences PLUS program revealed four core findings: students required frequent engagement with career development activities to maintain motivation, interactive learning experiences were essential for meaningful engagement, structured reflection enabled students to connect experiences to professional development, and sustained engagement with diverse career development opportunities was critical for identity formation. These findings established the foundation for a new model to implement EBL at scale: the FIRE-UP framework. The framework evolved from the analysis of students' experiences and revealed that Frequent, Interactive career development activity that incorporates Reflective practice and draws on learning communities to ensure Engagement contributes to both personalisation and scalability. When combined with the complementary foci for academics to Uplift Practice, or for students to Unleash Potential, the action-centred focus of the framework is captured by the acronym, and provides a practical model to address the identified gap between personalised learning and institutional scalability. The study demonstrated how purposeful use of the informational environment, learning platforms, administrative systems and student-centred learning design can reduce the time-per-student investment while simultaneously enhancing quality, personalised career development experiences. The framework synthesises the core themes with specific design elements that were identified in the study: multiple modes of feedback, achievement milestones, student agency, development of professional identity, integration of industry competency frameworks, interactive progress tracking and portfolio-based learning. The framework's unique contribution lies in its comprehensive potential for enhanced learning design for employability-based learning, as it offers both staff-facing guidance for curriculum design, and student-facing guidance with actionable 'career steps' aligned with their immediate and long-term career objectives. Thus the framework addresses the scalability-personalisation paradox through evidence-based learning design principles integrated with practical actions for both academic teaching teams and students. The study was conducted via a novel methodological approach which combined Portraiture with thematic analysis and therefore contributes to the literature by introducing an integrated qualitative method for studying complex educational phenomena. This approach particularly addresses the dearth of examples regarding the practical application of Portraiture methodology, as identified by Brunker (2019). This research bridges theoretical conceptualisations of employability with practical implementation strategies. It provides valuable insights for practitioners who may struggle to translate abstract employability frameworks into actionable program-wide or course-specific actions; and it presents easily implementable career development pathways for students. By demonstrating how to move beyond the scalability-personalisation paradox, this research provides timely, evidence-based solutions for higher education institutions, specifically addressing the implications of increasing pressure on resources while sustaining commitment to the delivery of meaningful, personalised student experiences.