Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the personal and contextual determinants affecting the employability perception of university students using a comprehensive model, and to compare the effects of these determinants with each other. The sample consisted of 463 university students from Turkish universities in İstanbul. Following explanatory and confirmatory analyses, the study variables were tested via hierarchical regression analysis. Across all variables, generic skills, academic performance, personal circumstances, and external labor market had significant and positive effects on the perception of employability, while students’ work experience and the contribution of university and consultants did not. The external labor market was identified as the strongest determinant of employability, and contextual factors were identified as having a stronger influence than personal ones. The results present a number of suggestions for stakeholders—including the Ministry of Education, university administrations, teaching staff, employers, students, families, media, and graduates—vis-à-vis perceived employability.
Highlights
One of the most important factors a company needs to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage—and survive in dynamic, complex, and uncertain environmental conditions—is undoubtedly human capital
Some 48 states and the European Commission have created Bologna Process initiatives for developing employability as it relates to the European higher education system, many concerns still prevail among employers, students, academics, higher education institutions, and governments (EHEA, 2020)
Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was carried out using the Varimax technique with the principal component analysis method to analyze the structural validity of the scales
Summary
One of the most important factors a company needs to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage—and survive in dynamic, complex, and uncertain environmental conditions—is undoubtedly human capital. While focusing on employability does not guarantee that the students will find the jobs they seek (McQuaid & Lindsay, 2005; Varheast & Van der Velden, 2013), it does give them the opportunity to acquire the skills that prospective employers demand (Rothwell et al, 2009), thereby increasing the likelihood of employment (Fugate et al, 2004) These skills are defined as the personal factors that determine the perception of employability (Rothwell et al, 2008), and are composed of the career development initiatives of the individual and their personal circumstances, such as networks, personality traits, and access to capital, as well as individual knowledge, skills, academic performance, and work experience
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